Nitty-Gritty
Reasons
by Jim Rohn (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. Shoaff, 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
_________
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