Keyed
Cars, Christmas Scars,
and Chi-town Seminars...
Dear
Associate,
I
walked outside to my car and saw a disturbing sight. Someone
had keyed the entire passenger side. It had to get fixed.
Fortunately, I was covered.
Of
course they always hit the best looking side. And they didn't
key my hood, which needed the most touch-up. Some of you are
saying, "Hey stupid. Why don't you claim the hood as
part of the damage? Your insurance wouldn't know the difference."
Simple.
That would be a lie...
It
was just prior to Christmas when I ordered a $500 correspondence
course with an expiring $50 coupon for a total of $450. It
arrived, but on the final week of the year, it goes on sale
for $250. I could have returned the course, reordered it under
the sale price, and saved $200—but I didn't.
Was
it because I was doing well and didn't face money challenges?
NO. Just the opposite.
You're
thinking I must really be a sap. I got no money coming in
on one end, and I'm throwing it away on the other. Just how
gullible is your editor?
Hey
I don't like overpaying for anything, but if something was
worth the price, then I'll make an effort to get it. And in
this case, the course was worth more than $500. The information
alone was worth more than five thousand dollars.
(It's
funny, but when people buy a five thousand dollar item—they
treat it like a five thousand dollar item. If they get the
exact item for free, it usually collects dust.)
Which
leads to the volatile topic of personal integrity...
Do
you lie on your income taxes? Do you plagiarize? Do you cheat
on your partner? Do you break your word? Do you falsify information?
And even more acceptable—do you try to get even?
I'm
sure none of you are of this caliber, but let's assume the
rest of the world made these common practices. They believe
it's no big deal to tell a lie because it's really harmless
and besides, everyone gets away with it. Or maybe they've
been burned by someone who got away with it, so why not join
them and do the same to others?
For
one thing—this eviscerates the Golden Rule of doing unto
others, as you'd have them do unto you:
You
don't want to be a victim of cheating, so why would you become
a participant? You don't want to be taken advantage of, so
why join some plot to abuse your talents? You want to reap
the good, so why sow to the bad?
And
for another thing—what goes around, comes around:
Some
call it karma. Others call it sin. Whatever it's called in
your circle—it seems to haunt you later in life. It bites
you in the ass and leaves painful marks.
If
you want to be treated right, you should treat others right
first. If you gossip about others, others will gossip about
you. If you profit from the expense of others, others are
forming a line to take a shot at you.
But
you reason, "You don't understand. You haven't been through
what I've been through. I've kept my word - my end of the
deal - and I got burned. I've got to teach them a lesson!"
Hey,
save it. You'll waste too much time trying to collect what
you're due. It's usually more profitable to forgive and move
on. You won't become its slave and you'll sleep better at
night.
Here's
what I mean...
My
mentor's books are illegally published in different languages.
When he appeared in one of those countries for a keynote,
they treated him like a famous rock star. He got the royal
treatment and spin-off deals because he didn't waste time
collecting what he was owed. He leveraged his loss of income
to make even more money without lifting a finger.
That's
the same power we've been granted. We have the power to choose
our actions. Do we pursue our wrongdoers, or forgive them?
Tough
choices we must make...
Is
your editor applying for sainthood? No, not even. This is
the same stuff he struggles with.
I
was in Chicago for a company launch. My group leader offered
his group a discount to join him. I was at the lobby when
I met up with him.
The
lady from Atlanta was shocked she had to pay full price for
her group. She whined to our leader about the discount. To
avoid a scene, he joked about it and quickly gave in.
I
was next in line. Would I pay full price or would he offer
me the same discount? No dice: I paid full.
Now
you're probably surmising: "You're not a Super Saint—but
a Super Sap."
I
disagree. Because it goes far deeper than just dollars and
cents. Allow me to explain...
I
sought no favor with my leader. He's well off and doesn't
need the money. He was probably testing me to see if I would
whine also. If I got anything from the incident, I think I
won his respect. And that can stretch a very long way.
How
about you?
Have
you won people's respect? Do they see you as an Institute
of Integrity? Do you have a reputation that's beyond reproach?
Advertise
your answers in your daily walk and until we meet again, you
have my:
Best
wishes,
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