Never give up. Never quit! That is the motto of Travis Mills, one of only five surviving quadruple-amputee soldiers from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

I firmly believe and often preach that one person can make all the difference in the world. Travis is a shining example. What a story of perseverance! I was amazed at his positive outlook, humor, confidence and devotion to help people, especially disabled veterans and amputees.

Travis recently met me in Minneapolis for a coaching session. In some ways, I felt like I was the student. A good friend of mine, Jac Arbour, called and said he wanted to surprise me and bring a couple people to Minneapolis for a session on street smarts. The “surprise” was Travis and his father-in-law, Craig Buck, who is also his business manager.

U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Travis Mills was serving with the 82nd Airborne in Afghanistan during his third tour of duty. On the night of April 10, 2012 -- four days before his 25th birthday -- he was on patrol when he was critically injured from an improvised explosive device that blew off portions of both his legs and arms.

Travis thought he was going to die. Still, he asked the medic to treat two of his friends who suffered shrapnel injuries first.

He spent 19 months at Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, and went through 13 surgeries. At first, he was angry, embarrassed and upset. But he soon realized those feelings were selfish. He was determined not to just lie around.

Travis said: “It’s amazing what you can accomplish once you make that all-important decision to go forward. I could choose to quit. If I’d wanted, people would have spoon-fed me for the rest of my life. I could have stared at the ceiling for the next 60 years and spent the rest of my life angry, frustrated, grieving and dismayed. But I chose to heal. I was the same ‘me’ as I’d always been. I was a man with scars who chose to live life to the fullest and best.”

The key was believing he was going to get better. He said: “Keep going. Keep persevering. You’re going to get through tough times. Never give up. Never quit.”

Travis understands that attitude is extremely important. He knows that enthusiasm is contagious, and he wants to start an epidemic. Understanding that people need a bit of a push from time to time, doctors called on him regularly during his recovery to motivate others.

He said he was fortunate that he had a great support group, especially in his wife, Kelsey. He had a strong network of family and friends to lean on. These mentors let him know he could get better. He told me, “It’s amazing what good things can happen when somebody knows you’re cheering them on.”

I mentioned that Travis has a good sense of humor, and he doesn’t shy away from his past. For example, when we first met, he said we are going to have a BLAST. Since he knew I wrote the book “Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive,” he said that he was bitten by a shark. To put me at ease, he said he wanted to “disarm the situation” and looked at where his right arm should be. After we finished dinner that first night, Travis took off his prosthetic hand and quipped, “Let me lend you a hand.”

In September 2013, he founded the Travis Mills Foundation, a nonprofit organization that assists wounded and injured veterans and their families get a new chance at a better life. Through the Travis Mills Group, he consults with and speaks to companies and organizations nationwide, inspiring all to overcome life’s challenges and adversity.

Travis’ main message is one that many people can relate to: “Hard times come to everybody. When hard times happen, we have a choice to make. We can become discouraged and bitter, or we can choose to never quit. When life gets hard, the key is just to keep pushing forward. Instead of saying, ‘It could be worse,’ the key is to say, ‘It’s going to get better!’ Then work with all your might toward that goal.”

Mackay’s Moral: Travis Mills is more than a war hero -- he’s a life hero.

Of all the years to celebrate the true meaning of Labor Day, certainly this year has given us many reasons.

Research from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals that employment in 2019 is running at an all-time high, with a remarkable 132 million people in the workforce. That figure includes record employment numbers for minorities and women. Manufacturing is seeing a revival in this country. And with unemployment hovering around 3.7 percent, Labor Day should have plenty of revelers.

Let’s start with a little history. The first Labor Day was celebrated on Sept. 5, 1882, when 10,000 workers marched in New York City from City Hall to Union Square. Bear in mind, this event occurred in the era of 12-hour workdays, seven-day-a-week schedules, child labor and dismal working conditions.

Oregon was the first state to make Labor Day a legal holiday in 1887, followed by a string of other states. Recognizing the significance of the movement, Congress passed an act in 1894 making the first Monday in September a legal holiday throughout the country.

Fast forward to today, and think about how times have changed. Forty-hour workweeks, strict safety enforcement, benefits including paid vacations and health insurance, unfilled jobs and opportunities in so many fields -- those are reasons to celebrate.

“American workers are collectively the most productive in the world,” says Robert Dilenschneider, founder and chairman of the Dilenschneider Group and former president and CEO of Hill and Knowlton. “It is this drive and determination that helps make our nation the greatest on Earth. We should be proud of this fact and do whatever we can to keep this great spirit alive.”

I completely agree with Bob. As we built and grew MackayMitchell Envelope Company from its stumbling infancy to today, we’ve always tried to focus on the people who keep our doors open. We’ve had our share of challenges in the envelope manufacturing business -- starting with fax machines and email, and progressing to direct billing, electronic ticketing and a dozen other internet product replacements.

Our employees have stuck with us through some lean days and helped find ways to trim costs and innovate processes and products. They share our successes as well. I would be willing to wager that most businesses and organizations would echo my sentiments. Without a reliable and dedicated workforce, their operations are down the tubes.

I think it is tremendously important that workers have the support of their employers, but it's equally important that they demonstrate the drive to make an impact in their workplaces. I am especially fond of Will Rogers’ thoughts on work: “In order to succeed, you must know what you are doing, like what you are doing and believe in what you are doing.”

“Know what you are doing” is central to success in any venture. Yes, we often learn as we go, but having and maintaining essential skills is a requirement. Winners prepare, train, study, apply themselves and keep working to become the best at what they do. It’s the American way!

“Like what you are doing” can present some challenges. I’m always surprised how many people will tell you that they hate their jobs, but do nothing about it. Some jobs are truly dreadful, to be sure. But attitude also plays a significant role. Let me share something: The secret to happiness, success, satisfaction and fulfillment is not in doing what you like. It’s liking what you do.

“Believe in what you are doing” is a little harder to define for those who struggle through the workday just for a paycheck. The most successful people I know are not in a job -- any job -- for something to do. They are in their work to do something. This is the labor force that any employer dreams about.

Years ago, I found a poem by Art Linkletter, the humorist and radio and television host, that described what it takes to turn good into better, boredom into stimulation and discontent into commitment:

Do a little more than you’re paid to;

Give a little more than you have to;

Try a little harder than you want to;

Aim a little higher than you think possible;

And give a lot of thanks to God for health, family and friends.

Happy Labor Day to all!

Charles finally made partner and propped his feet on the desk in his new corner office. He was dreaming of all the perks that accompanied his promotion when a knock on the door snapped him out of his reverie.

He picked up the phone so he would look busy as a young staffer came into the room. “I’ll be with you in a minute,” Charles mouthed to the employee, before engaging in a mock phone conversation.

“Yes, I know the congressman quite well. We go sailing with the governor every other week,” he said. He glanced over at the employee standing near his desk. “One more minute,” he whispered before returning to the phone call.

“I’d be happy to introduce you,” he continued. “In fact, if you’re free next Wednesday, we’re having lunch. Great. Wednesday it is,” he said as he hung up the phone.

“Thanks for being so patient,” Charles said to the young staffer. “Now how can I help you?”

The employee blushed and said, “I’m here to connect your phone.”

Try to tap dance out of that one!

I am convinced that often, the hardest language to speak is the truth. Sometimes it’s easier to tell an embellished truth, or a half-truth or a little white lie to save face or spare others’ feelings. But eventually, when the truth comes out, there are consequences.

Ron Ashkenas, co-author of the “Harvard Business Review Leader’s Handbook,” explains that there are three fundamental concerns that cause people to be less than completely truthful.

First, the impact of truth on yourself. “It’s human nature to want people to think well of us, particularly those who have influence over our lives and careers,” he writes. “At the same time, we all make mistakes, so we create justifications and excuses -- many of which are at best half-truths.”

Next, the impact of truth on others. “One way to gain others’ approval is to avoid pointing out things that may damage their self-image,” he continued.

Finally, the impact of truth on business success. “To be successful almost every organization needs to sell -- be it a product, a service, a story or a promise. But much of that selling is done without truthful disclosure of what it will take to fulfill the sale,” he maintains. “The wiser course in many cases is to limit the truth and figure out how to ‘deliver’ later.”

While his first two points are recognizable to most of us, I find his third concern very troubling. As a lifelong salesman and businessman, I cringe to think that a sale based on partial truth would be OK in any forum.

I certainly wouldn’t appreciate a supplier promising me a product without knowing exactly what I would be receiving, and I absolutely do not want a reputation that I didn’t deliver what I promised and then some.

But I understand that some businesses operate that way and do so at their own peril. Customers find out quickly that promises made and kept are worth their weight in gold. A tarnished reputation is mighty difficult to polish.

I constantly preach that trust is the most important word in business. Of course, the most important part of establishing trust is being truthful -- all the time, even when the truth is painful.

If we are not up-front with our customers at MackayMitchell Envelope Company as soon as a problem arises, whether it’s a supplier issue, equipment breakdown or a mistake with an order, we deserve to lose that customer. And I really, really hate to lose a customer. I’d rather lose money than lose a customer.

The good news is if we can find a way to fix a problem -- and we usually do -- our customers appreciate our honesty and efforts to turn lemons into lemonade. But that happens only when we tell the truth.

Abraham Lincoln once said of a man who was attacking him, “He’s the biggest liar in Washington.”

Honest Abe said the man reminded him of an old fisherman who had the reputation for stretching the truth. The fisherman bought a pair of scales and insisted on weighing every fish he caught in the presence of witnesses.

One day a doctor borrowed the fisherman’s scales to weigh a newborn baby. The baby weighed 47 pounds.

Now that’s what I call a whopper!

Mackay’s Moral: Even when the truth hurts, it’s more painful to hurt your reputation.