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Do Your Present Job Well

It may come as a surprise that working on a political campaign is far from a cushy, high-status job. Desks are shared, space is cramped, and pay is modest at best. That said, some highly capable young people sign on to a campaign for the experience. And those who go to work-who don't chafe about the pay and the hours, and who excel at whatever job they're given-really stand out.

During Mitt's 2012 presidential campaign, Garrett Jackson signed on as Mitt's "body man." Not a very prestigious job or title. In addition to providing security and running interference in a crowd, Garrett arranged for things like Mitt's peanut-butter sandwiches and the towels he used to wipe off the perspiration. He did his job so well-never complaining, never losing his cool, always being gracious to people around him-that when the campaign was over, one of the campaign finance chairmen hired Garrett into one of the most selective and sought-after private sector positions in the field of finance.

I know there are self-help books that tell you to plan every step of your career. That may work for some people. But Mitt and I lived by his dad's counsel. We never could have imagined where our life's course would lead-we simply did the very best we could in the job at hand.