Four short words sum up what has lifted every successful individual above the crowd: a little bit more. They did all that was expected of them and a little bit more!
My parents lived through the Great Depression and it is their generation that sacrificed so much. My father, being of this generation, had a true appreciation of thrift. But far beyond thrift was a philosophy of giving. He would often tell the story of the shopkeeper during the Great Depression. This shopkeeper was different than all the other shopkeepers in town. When you came into his shop to buy five pounds of coffee beans, he would take his marvelous scale out and a five-pound weight on one side, and the empty container on the other. Then, he would ceremoniously put the scoop into the bag of freshly roasted coffee beans, scooping and scooping until the once empty container was perfectly balanced with the five-pound weight. The shopkeeper would then pause – and wink – and dip the scoop into the bag of beans one more time. With a smile, he would empty the extra scoop of coffee beans on top of what he had carefully measured, overflowing the container and tipping the scales in favor of you, the customer. As he smiled and winked, he would say “Lagniappe,” which in French Creole means: “every bit you paid, and then just a little bit extra.” It was obviously this little bit extra which had created, built and successfully retained the business other shops lost during that difficult time in our nation’s history. Giving that little bit extra, going the extra mile, making that final effort – those are the things that pay dividends, that bring success.
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AuthorMusings from Gammon Irons. To desire and strive to be of some service to the world, to aim at doing something which shall really increase the happiness and welfare and virtue of mankind - this is a choice which is possible for us all; and surely a good haven to sail. Archives
February 2020
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