(excerpted from the book Seven Strategies for Wealth and Happiness)
Wouldn't it be wonderful to be motivated to achievement by such a lofty goal as benevolence? I must confess, however, that in the early years of my struggle to succeed, my motivation was a lot more down-to-earth. My reason for succeeding was more basic. In fact, it fell into the category of what I like to call "nitty-gritty reasons." A nitty-gritty reason is the kind that any one of us can have -- at any time, on any day -- and it can cause our lives to change. Let me tell you what happened to me . . .
Shortly before I met Mr. Schoaff, I was lounging at home one day when I heard a knock at the door. It was a timid, hesitant knock. When I opened the door I looked down to see a pair of big brown eyes staring up at me. There stood a frail little girl of about ten. She told me, with all the courage and determination her little heart could muster, that she was selling Girl Scout cookies. It was a masterful presentation -- several flavors, a special deal, and only two dollars per box. How could anyone refuse? Finally, with a big smile and ever-so politely, she asked me to buy. And I wanted to. Oh, how I wanted to!
Except for one thing. I didn't have two dollars! Boy, was I embarrassed! Here I was -- a father, had been to college, was gainfully employed -- and yet I didn't have two dollars to my name.
Naturally I couldn't tell this to the little girl with the big brown eyes. So I did the next best thing. I lied to her. I said, "Thanks, but I've already bought Girl Scout cookies this year. And I've still got plenty stacked in the house."
Now that simply wasn't true. But it was the only thing I could think of to get me off the hook. And it did. The little girl said, "That's okay, sir. Thank you very much." And with that she turned around and went on her way.
I stared after her for what seemed like a very long time. Finally, I closed the door behind me and, leaning my back to it, cried out, "I don't want to live like this anymore. I've had it with being broke, and I've had it with lying. I'll never be embarrassed again by not having any money in my pocket." That day I promised myself to earn enough to always have several hundred dollars in my pocket at all times.
This is what I mean by a nitty-gritty reason. It may not win me any prize for greatness, but it was enough to have a permanent effect on the rest of my life.
My Girl-Scout-cookie story does have a happy ending. Several years later, as I was walking out of my bank where I had just made a hefty deposit and was crossing the street to get into my car, I saw two little girls who were selling candy for some girls' organization. One of them approached me, saying, "Mister, would you like to buy some candy?"
"I probably would," I said playfully. "What kind of candy do you have?" "It's almond roca." "Almond roca. That's my favorite. How much is it?" "It's only two dollars." Two dollars. It couldn't be! I was excited. "How many boxes of candy have you got?" "I've got five."
Looking at her friend, I said, "And how many boxes do you have left?"
"I've got four." "That's nine. Okay, I'll take them all."
At this, both girls' mouths fell open as they exclaimed in unison, "Really?"
"Sure," I said. "I've got some friends that I'll pass some around to."
Excitedly, they scurried to stack all the boxes together. I reached into my pocket and gave them eighteen dollars. As I was about to leave, the boxes tucked under my arm, one of the girls looked up and said, "Mister, you're really something!" How about that! Can you imagine spending only eighteen dollars and having someone look you in the face and say, "You're really something!"
Now you know why I always carry a few hundred dollars on me. I'm not about to miss chances like that ever again.
And to think it all resulted from my own embarrassment, that when properly channeled, acted as a powerful motivator to help me achieve.
How about you? What nitty-gritty reasons do you have waiting to challenging and provoke you into change for the better? Look for them, they are there. Sometimes it can be as simple as a brown-eyed girl selling Girl Scott cookies.
To Your Success,
Jim Rohn
Reproduced with permission from Jim Rohn's Weekly E-zine. Copyright 2005 Jim Rohn International. All rights reserved worldwide. To subscribe to Jim Rohn's Weekly E-zine, go to http://Jim-Rohn.InspiresYOU.com
Successful people set ambitious goals. But the high standards and... Read More
Recently, I have been riveted by the amazing reality show... Read More
Self-sabotage is one key factor that keeps our business from... Read More
In so many areas of life we must always be... Read More
A More Effective WayI own a stack of self improvement... Read More
Get professional help There's no rule that says you have... Read More
If we are involved in a project, how hard should... Read More
As a professional speaker, father and business owner I often... Read More
If it comes to the question what we really want... Read More
It can be great to do something new 'for a... Read More
Human beings are visual creatures. Our imaginations are powerful tools... Read More
Howdy folks, today I would like to speak to you... Read More
e-Learning is doubling yearly. Classes, e-courses, e-books on how-to and... Read More
Measure twice, cut once Just as in carpentry, making sure... Read More
Success! Easy to talk about, but difficult to achieve. Or... Read More
A young girl opens a birthday card from her grand... Read More
Read these four simple steps that reveal how... Read More
In my private practice for the past 13+ years I... Read More
"The more you hate, the more you love."What an ironic... Read More
I have been studying several books lately that deal with... Read More
Imagine that you are in a dimly-lit room. You don't... Read More
Picture this scene: Little Johnny's mother places a large piece... Read More
For every disciplined effort, there are multiple rewards. That's one... Read More
Hey,Josh here from Investor Wealth Academy sitting 29 stories above... Read More
No one wants to fail. But when in business you... Read More
The Winner's Walk is a key strategy in the sport... Read More
Friendly competition Get together with a group of like-minded friends... Read More
Response means "to answer" and that idea, in its purest... Read More
Everybody wants to get to the top, whether it is... Read More
Here are seven essential keys to success. Use these ideas... Read More
Sugar Ray Leonard and Sylvester Stallone have recently hosted a... Read More
A farmer in Pennsylvania decided to sell his farm, but... Read More
The simple action of writing the every day grocery demonstrates... Read More
People often ask me, "Josh, if you had one bit... Read More
Are you ready to finally realize your dream? I'm talking... Read More
A number of years ago, I had the rather unique... Read More
I received an advanced copy of a book called How... Read More
The sun crept over the horizon and lodged itself above... Read More
What is "success"? Why does it seem everyone wants "success"?... Read More
In earlier generations it was common to keep a diary... Read More
He was pencil thin and walked with a limp. A... Read More
Take a page from Eastern wisdom Meditation, martial arts that... Read More
For our family, the Fall is filled with Friday Night... Read More
I don't need to be a gypsy fortune teller to... Read More
So you want to expand your horizons by securing a... Read More
Do you know how much time do you spend listening?... Read More
Everyone wants to be successful. Everyone wants to have more,... Read More
What is a champion really? Sure, all success oriented people... Read More
We all know as we are progressing towards our personal... Read More
Have you ever noticed when playing a video game, or... Read More
Too many times in the pursuit of our dreams, we... Read More
After 13 years of being married to the same woman... Read More
What Makes the Difference?On a warm spring afternoon, fifteen years... Read More
Since December 1st 2004, I have written one article or... Read More
Make a game out of reaching your goals Go to... Read More
If you could choose a cartoon character from your childhood... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
It happened again in class. While sharing my insights on... Read More
Success can easily be compared to the "genie trapped in... Read More
I'll let you in on a little secret...life delivers pretty... Read More
There are twelve necessary elements involved in achieving success:1. Spend... Read More
There are no two greater ironic comparisons than that of... Read More
Whoever first said that knowledge is power was probably selling... Read More
The single most important quality you can ever develop that... Read More
Most sports are full of lessons for the discerning. Tennis... Read More
I was hired to do some training for a sales... Read More
Success |