Everyone Has a Story.

Just recently, I had the opportunity to view a one hour teaching by a college professor.  The man spoke about reaching out in life to people to make a difference.  He told stories of people who were ridiculed as youngsters, teased or made fun of and how that affected their lives.  He shared how he himself humiliated a student and how it breaks his heart today thinking about it.

My husband and I had the opportunity to serve as missionaries for seven years in the Philippines.  The director of the ministry we were involved in was noted for typically saying,  “Everyone has a story.” 

In the teaching by the college professor a heavily tattooed guy was interviewed.  He shared how his father was a drug addict who never told him he loved him.  His mother was not present.  He grew up not thinking much of himself, wounded from the lack of upbringing, love and nurturing as a child.  To be totally honest with you, I myself would have a hard time seeing past all the tattoos, multiple body piercings, long hair and hardness of the individual. But yet, he has a story.  He is a needy individual who needs love, understanding and someone to listen to him. He needs success.

Why am I writing about this on BN?  How can we relate this to our business? 
 
In this business of marketing ourselves, wanting to make money, part of the piece to the puzzle is to offer value, to care, to build relationships.  How much do we really care?   Do we discard those who we think can’t make it or who need too much of our time?  Sometimes when I hear the arrogance from some in this industry, it causes a churning in my stomach.  When I hear people being called idiots, it seems there is very little sensitivity towards them and instead only judgement, because their time is being taken. Yes, I know our time is precious and I can get testy when my time is taken from me by circumstances beyond my control. 

Perhaps, the “idiot” never got the correct information. Maybe he has a past story that is robbing him of success today because he doesn’t know how to get out of the poverty mentality.  And just possibly he is one of the many who will never climb out of his negative life.

I guess that’s where we come in.  We all have our strengths and God given gifts and abilities.  We have our weaknesses too.  We have our style of leadership.  When building relationships with others in our business, it is our choice to determine if an individual is coachable, if we can work together, if this person wants to own his life and move forward.  Is it necessary to call people idiots? Quite possibly we all were “idiots” in the beginning.  I hate that word, but I am using it as I have heard it being used.

Perhaps there is a better way to describe an idiot.  He is unlearned.  He doesn’t have all the facts.  Nobody told him he could have success.  He has a story we know nothing about.

There is hope for “idiots”. With the proper training, they will have a different story to tell.        A story of success. 

To your success!

Lynn Jones