“Courage is fear that has said its prayers.” – Annie Lamott
Quick Thinking Clerk
A new clerk had just started his job in a supermarket. A customer asked him if she could buy half a grapefruit. Not knowing what to do, he excused himself to ask the manager.
“Some nut out there wants to buy half a grapefruit…” he began, and suddenly realizing that the customer had entered the office behind him, continued, “… and this lovely lady would like to buy the other half.”
The manager was impressed with the way the clerk amicably resolved the problem and they later started chatting. “Where are you from,” asked the store manager.
“Lancaster, Pennsylvania,” replied the clerk, “home of ugly women and great hockey teams.”
“Oh, my WIFE is from Lancaster,” challenged the manager.
Without skipping a beat, the clerk asked, “What team was she on?”
Difficulties Come to Instruct
“Here is a wonderful discovery. If you look for the good in any situation, you will always find something good. Sometimes, the good you find will have far more benefits or advantages than anything you might have lost. Seek the valuable lesson in every difficulty or temporary failure. This is one of the greatest success secrets of all. Difficulties come not to obstruct, but to instruct. Develop the habit of dealing with each problem with the complete confidence that it contains a valuable lesson that you can use to be more successful in the future.”
Invest in Your Character
“That is why success and fruitfulness depend as much upon focusing on the ‘who’ you are as much as the ‘what’ of the work you do. Invest in your character, and it will give you the returns that you are looking for by only investing in the work itself. You can’t do the latter without the former.” – Henry Cloud