Category: Success - Grace Drops

Quit Fighting

7/5/2014

© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.

Often sheer effort and determination are not enough to reach our goals. Accurate knowledge is necessary.

For example, the ancients who attempted to fly by strapping feathered wings to their arms and flapping with all their might as they leaped from high places invariably failed. Despite their dreams and hard work, they were fighting against some very powerful forces of nature.

No one could be strong enough to win such a fight. Flight became possible only after people learned to understand the relevant natural laws and principles that made flight possible—the law of gravity, Bernoulli’s principle, and the concepts of lift, drag, and resistance.

When people designed flying systems that recognized or harnessed the power of these laws and principles, rather than fighting them, they were finally able to fly to heights and distances that previously were unimaginable.

“When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. And swing!” Leo Buscaglia

Courtesy of the “Howe Herald.” Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 6 (2008).

Grace Drops in Action

4/11/2014

© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.

Motivated by a speaker at a grocery store chain on customer loyalty, a 19 year old bagger with Down’s Syndrome took the message to heart. He was told, “Every one of you can make a difference and create memories for your customers that will motivate them to come back. Put your signature on your job.” And so he did.

Johnny, the bagger, went home every night after work and found a “Thought for the Day.” If he couldn’t find a saying he liked, he would just make one up. When Johnny found a good Thought for the Day, his Dad helped him set it up on the computer and print multiple copies. Johnny would cut out each quote and sign the back and then take them to work the next day.

“When I finish bagging someone’s groceries, I put my Thought for the Day in their bag and say, ‘Thanks for shopping with us.’”

Here was a young man who, though with a job that most people would say is not important, had made it important by creating precious memories for all his customers. In just over a month the store manager reported incredible changes.

“When I was making my rounds today, I found Johnny’s checkout line was three times longer than anyone else’s! It went all the way down the frozen food aisle. So I quickly announced, ‘We need more cashiers; get more lanes open!’ as I tried to get people to change lanes. But no one wanted to move. They said ‘No, it’s okay—we want to be in Johnny’s lane—we want his Thought for the Day.’”

The store manager continued, “It was a joy to watch Johnny delight his customers.”

One woman said, “I used to shop at your store once a week, but now I come in every time I go by, because I want to get Johnny’s Thought for the Day.”

A few months later the store manager reported that the whole store had been transformed. Now when the floral department has a broken flower or an unused corsage, they find an elderly woman or a little girl and pin it on them. Everyone’s having a lot of fun creating memories—our customers are talking about us—they’re coming back and bringing their friends.

A wonderful spirit of service spread throughout the store . . . and all because Johnny chose to make a difference.

Told by Barbara Glanz. Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 5 (2007).

Lessons from Geese

2/22/2014

© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.

Fact 1: As each goose flaps its wings it creates an "uplift" for the birds that follow. By flying in a "V" formation, the whole flock adds 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew alone.
Lesson: People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.

Fact 2: When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of flying alone. It quickly moves back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front of it.
Lesson: If we have as much sense as a goose we stay in formation with those headed where we want to go. We are willing to accept their help and give our help to others.

Fact 3: When the lead goose tires, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies to the point position.
Lesson: It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership. As with geese, people are interdependent on each other's skills, capabilities and unique arrangements of gifts, talents or resources.

Fact 4: The geese flying in formation honk to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.
Lesson: We need to make sure honking is encouraging. In groups where there is encouragement the production is much greater. The power of encouragement (to stand by one's heart or core values and encourage the heart and core of others) is the quality of honking we seek.

Fact 5: When a goose gets sick, wounded, or shot down, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it. They stay with it until it dies or is able to fly again. Then, they launch out with another formation or catch up with the flock.
Lesson: If we have as much sense as geese, we will stand by each other in difficult times as well as when we are strong.

Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 5 (2007).

Don't Quit

1/22/2014

© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low, and the debts are high,
and you want to smile, but you have to sigh.
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is odd with its twist and turns
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow,
You may succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out,
the silver tint of the clouds of doubt.
You never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far.
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit,
It's when things seem worst,
that you must not quit.

Author: C. W. Longenecker. Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 5 (2007).

And After That?

1/14/2014

© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

"Not very long," answered the Mexican.

"But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the American.

The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family. The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, play the guitar, and sing a few songs... I have a full life."

The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard, and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."

"And after that?" asked the Mexican.

"With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."

"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican.

"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.

"And after that?"

"Afterwards? Well my Friend, That's when it gets really interesting," answered the American, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?" said the Mexican.

"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your grandchildren, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings doing what you like and enjoying your friends."

And the moral is: Know where you're going in life... you may already be there.

Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 5 (2007).

The Interview

12/18/2013

© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.

A human resources interviewer was reaching he end of an interview with a newly graduated engineer from MIT. “And what is your salary requirement?” the HR person asked the engineer?

The engineer thought for a moment and said, “One-hundred fifty thousand a year, but that number is negotiable depending on the benefits offered.”

The HR specialist said, “Well how would you feel about a package that offers six weeks of vacation your very first year, 15 paid holidays, complete medical coverage including dental and vision, and a retirement fund that will match up to 50 percent of your salary—and a company car for you every two years, you get to pick the make and model, how about a red BMW?”

The engineer’s eyes were wide with excitement, “Wow,” he said, “Are you kidding?”

The HR specialist said, “Yes, I am. But you started it.”

One of the challenges of the modern generation is dealing with “expectations.” Young people coming out of colleges and universities these days carry unrealistic expectations into their careers, their marriages and new families. There is a tendency to want to start out at the point their parents took decades to achieve. Sometimes it works and sometimes it leads to disappointment and cynicism.

© 2007, John C. Fitts, III. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 5 (2007).

The Write Stuff

11/20/2013

© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.

A sky-diving instructor was asked, “How many successful jumps must a student make before he or she can become certified?”

He answered, “All of them!”

Sky diving, however, is the exception. Is your life built on a series of successes? Do you usually attempt something new and immediately succeed, then succeed again and again?

More likely, you may find that it is the other way around. Your successes are often built on smaller failures. You fell off the bike a few times before you learned to ride. And you produced a few culinary failures before you baked a successful layered cake or prepared a satisfactory omelet.

Tom Hopkins observed, “The number of times I succeed is in direct proportion to the number of times I can fail and keep on trying.” And Winston Churchill stated, “Success is going from failure to failure without a loss of enthusiasm.” They both agreed that discouragement rather than failure, is the enemy of success. Those who can remain hopeful and focused, though they fail, are those who will eventually succeed.

In all, Emily Dickinson is said to have written more than nine hundred poems. Though only four were published in her lifetime and the first volume of her poetry was not published until four years after her death, Dickinson’s success is attributed to the fact that she did not allow discouragement to keep her from her poetry.

Where would we be today had Emily Dickinson lost her enthusiasm for writing? Because she kept her desire alive, we now remember her as one of the great poets of all time.

It’s good to remember that success may be just beyond the next failure, and you’ll get there, not because you’re destined to, but because you’re determined to.

Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 5 (2007).

Busy

9/11/2013

© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.

Once upon a time a very strong woodcutter asked for a job in a timber merchant, and he got it. The pay was really good and so was the work conditions. For that reason, the woodcutter was determined to do his best.

His boss gave him an axe and showed him the area where he was supposed to work. The first day, the woodcutter brought 18 trees.

"Congratulations," the boss said. "Go on that way!"

Very motivated by the boss' words, the woodcutter tried harder the next day, but he only could bring 15 trees. The third day he tried even harder, but he only could bring 10 trees. Day after day he was bringing less and less trees.

"I must be losing my strength", the woodcutter thought. He went to the boss and apologized, saying that he could not understand what was going on.

"When was the last time you sharpened your axe?" the boss asked.

"Sharpen? I had no time to sharpen my axe. I have been very busy trying to cut trees..."

To be truly productive we must constantly give attention to self-care and self-improvement.

Author: Stephen Covey, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

How to Tell When You're Rich

7/25/2013

© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.

When I was a kid, watermelon was a delicacy. One of my father’s buddies, Bernie, was a prosperous fruit-and-vegetable wholesaler who operated a warehouse in Minnesota.

Every summer, when the first watermelons rolled in, Bernie would call. Dad and I would go to Bernie’s warehouse and take up our positions. We’d sit on the edge of the dock, feet dangling, and lean over, minimizing the volume of juice we were about to spill on ourselves.

Bernie would take his machete, crack our first watermelon, hand each of us a big piece, and sit down next to us. Then we’d bury our faces in watermelon, eating only the heart—the reddest, juiciest, firmest, most seed-free, most perfect part—and throw away the rest.

Bernie was my father’s idea of a rich man. I always thought it was because he was such a successful businessman. Years later, I realized that what my father admired about Bernie’s wealth was less its substance than its application. Bernie knew how to stop working, get together with friends, and eat only the heart of the watermelon.

What I learned from Bernie is that being rich is a state of mind. Some of us, no matter how much money we have, will never be free enough to eat only heart of the watermelon. Others are rich without ever being more than a paycheck ahead.

If you don’t take the time to dangle your feet over the dock and chomp into life’s small pleasures, probably your career is overwhelming your life.

For many years, I forgot that lesson I’d learned as a kid on the loading dock. I was too busy making all the money I could.

Well, I’ve relearned it. I hope I have time left to enjoy the accomplishments of others and to take pleasure in the day. That’s the heart of the watermelon. I have learned again to throw the rest away.

Finally, I am rich.

Harvey Mackay, A 4th Chicken Soup for the Soul.

Touching Others

7/19/2013

© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.

Dale Carnegie once said, “You can make more friends in two months by becoming really interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you. Which is just another way of saying that the way to make a friend is to be one.”

G. K. Chesterton used to say, “The truly great person is the one who makes every person feel great.”

The following story illustrates these two statements.

In Queen Victoria’s time, a young woman had the good fortune of being escorted to dinner by William E. Gladstone, who was considered one of the most brilliant statesmen of the 19th century. On the following evening, the same young lady was escorted by Benjamin Disraeli, novelist, statesman, and twice prime minister of Great Britain.

When asked for her impression of these two great rivals, she replied, “After an evening with Gladstone, I thought he was the most brilliant man I’d ever met. After an evening with Disraeli, I thought myself to be the most fascinating woman in the world!”

Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 4 (2006).