( Oprah.com ) -- It began with a sign reading `` Be excellent to each other , '' which I printed from my computer in Gothic type and taped to my workspace . I was about to launch into a series of temporary jobs to supplement my freelance writing income . My plan was to temp for a few months , save enough money so I could stay home and write for a while , back and forth , my intention being eventually to write full-time . As is often the case with best-laid plans , however , I soon discovered an unexpected goal within my temporary career : the pursuit of excellence as a way of life . The phrase on the sign was borrowed from the silly eighties movie `` Bill & Ted 's Excellent Adventure . '' I hoped it would remind me to be helpful , apply myself fully to every task , and be kind to even the most unpleasant individuals . I also secretly wished people would see the slogan and take the words to heart . My fellow temps were skeptical . `` People treat temps like dirt , '' they scoffed . `` You 'll be lucky if you can maintain excellence through your first assignment . '' They had a point : I was likely to meet challenges . Nevertheless , I rolled up my sleeves and went to work . Oprah.com : How to make yourself more marketable . The sign made its debut at a corporation that designed robots ( affectionately called `` the girls '' ) for the food-packaging industry . Dubbing myself Robo Temp , I typed , filed , and amused my coworkers by invariably responding `` I 'll tell your fans '' when they announced their departures for lunch . No one seemed to notice the sign until several days into the job , when I set up a videotape for a troubleshooting meeting . The tape showed `` the girls '' malfunctioning -- throwing chocolate chip cookies at each other instead of neatly filing them into their respective boxes . `` Hey , '' I heard a software engineer exclaim as I left the room . `` They are n't being excellent to each other ! '' `` Yeah ! '' someone else shouted . `` Be excellent to each other ! '' Later someone left a box of the girls ' cookies in the break room , accompanied by a note : `` For the team . Thanks for your excellent help . '' Not everyone embraced excellence with such enthusiasm . Some people ignored the sign ( and the intention ) . Others were short-tempered , despite my best efforts . But , for the most part , my colleagues responded positively to kindness . They grew radiant when I told them their jade earrings made their eyes look beautiful or when I complimented them on a haircut . They took pride in their work when I admired the brilliant organization of a paper they 'd written . They opened up more to others when I inquired about their weekend and actually listened to their responses . When I smiled , they smiled back . Oprah.com : 5 mistakes women bosses make . On one occasion , being excellent even helped redirect the career of an unhappy administrative assistant . After overhearing her on the phone with her daughter , I asked if she had majored in child psychology , since she seemed especially gifted at dealing with children . Several weeks later , she came to thank me for my observation and to say goodbye : She was leaving to open her own day-care center . As a longtime Zen student , I had been taught to appreciate small , mundane moments -- moments opportune for practicing excellence in the workplace . For example , seemingly endless sit-at-the-receptionist-desk moments prompted me to be aware of when someone needed a sympathetic ear . Humdrum Xeroxing moments were great for noticing harried coworkers who might appreciate assistance in meeting a deadline . Oh-so-yawnish envelope-stuffing projects were ideal times for spotting bottles to be carried to the recycling bin and spiders that needed to be taken outside in paper cups . Oprah.com : Could flextime work for you ? During mundane moments , I came to understand that excellence was n't about being perfect or about being nice so people would like me . On the contrary , sometimes it meant defending someone against vicious gossip or saying no to a colleague who asked me to lie about his overtime hours . I also realized that there were some people I could n't be excellent to , like the account manager who regularly screamed at his staff . There were other people no amount of excellence could save , like the typist who would rather be treated as a victim than receive any kind of help . Eventually , I would carry my sign to more than 100 jobs in Boston and Boulder , Colorado , at universities , high-tech companies , museums , manufacturers , publishers , environmental research organizations , and even a wildlife rehab center . My tasks included FedExing socks and underwear to a corporate spy whose business trip was unexpectedly extended and feeding warm milk from eyedroppers to newborn squirrels . After a few years of temping , I branched out . First I wrote two books on what Buddhists call right livelihood -- earning a living without doing harm -- hoping that others might benefit from what I had learned . Oprah.com : 10 steps to a more organized workspace . Next I offered employment workshops through university extension programs and community centers , where I intended to present practical information but somehow ended up teaching excellence as well . Meanwhile , in my personal life , I attended to my relationships with renewed commitment . I listened more fully and was more readily available to friends and family than I 'd ever been before . I was given the opportunity to test this commitment when my best friend and my father died within the same year and I was called upon to devote full-time hospice care to them both . I was there until their very last breaths -- my most profound experience with excellence yet . I finally met my writing goal and am no longer temping , though we are all temps in one form or another , since nothing really lasts forever . Still , my practice of excellence endures . Now , instead of a sign , I carry excellence within me as a mantra , as a presence . Excellence has the most impact when I first focus on my own peace and happiness , and then send it out into the world . Oprah.com : How to handle an office grudge . By Deborahann Smith from O , The Oprah Magazine © 2011 . Subscribe to O , The Oprah Magazine for up to 75 % off the newsstand price . That 's like getting 18 issues FREE . 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`` Being excellent '' to each other helps maintain a positive atmosphere in the workplace . Author : `` As a longtime Zen student , I had been taught to appreciate small moments '' Apply this attitude in your personal relationships as well for a positive difference .