There was once a young boy who rang the bells at a small country church every Sunday morning. He was so excited about doing his job, announcing to the community that the services were about to begin.
A man once asked why he did it with such enthusiasm when so few people actually came to the church. The boy replied, “It ain’t my job to fret over whether they come or not! It’s my job to ring the bell and let ‘em know we’re here!
I just finished rereading The Unexpected Tour Guide by Jeff C. West.
The author is an entrepreneur with almost 40 years of sales, sales management, and business ownership experience.
Those of you who are not interested in any of that hang in there because the book’s lessons apply to so much in life and many of the things I talk about in finding your investment strategy.
The story is about a man, Jim, with a new job and a new wife. It is not the job he thought he would have, and he is not doing well. He is supposed to be selling insurance. His lack of success at work is causing problems at home.
He speaks with his boss one day, and he thinks he is about to be fired. His boss gives him the rest of the day off and $20 to figure out why he isn’t doing well when he says that he wants to do well. The twenty bucks were for lunch and for him to do something nice for a stranger.
Jim met a homeless man in the park, and his adventure began. The homeless man, Ray, took Jim on several journeys throughout the book to help him find out what he wanted in life and how he was going to get there. A bit like the angels in Scrooge, but not so scary.
Jim met a homeless man in the park, and his adventure began. The homeless man, Ray, took Jim on several journeys throughout the book to help him find out what he wanted in life and how he was going to get there. A bit like the angels in Scrooge, but not so scary.
Here are the steps:
- Find your why
- Do the work
- Know where you are going
- It’s not about you
- Constant learning
- Celebrate
Some of these require some explanation.
Find Your Why
I think we can understand this one. Why are you doing what you are doing? Why is it important to you? There can be more than one why, and the why can change over time.
Do The Work
Yes, work is involved. We have to take steps to achieve. We can dream, pray and want. Nothing happens until someone makes a move.
Know Where You Are Going
One of my favorite quotes is from Lewis Carroll the author of Alice in Wonderland: “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” Ray wants Jeff to be precise about where he is trying to go. Dallas, Texas was not specific enough. He needed to pinpoint the exact place in Dallas. If you are not specific about where you are trying to go, you may find yourself somewhere else, wondering where you are.
It’s Not About You
This one was interesting. If it is my why, and my work and my journey, how is it not about me? All of that is true. However, to get where you want to go, you must do for others. Stop thinking only about your journey; help someone else with theirs. Zig Ziglar said, “You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.”
Constant Learning
This chapter is titled “You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know, Jim-Jim But You Can Learn.” The bottom line is you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. There are so many people who have done so many things. It astonishes me when I learn something new or even think about something in a different way. It opens doors that I didn’t even know existed.
It’s fun to learn new things. Yes, sometimes I feel stupid about something I didn’t know —like when I found out seahorses were not fictional, I was 40 years old. I think it was then that I realized the magic of discovering new things.
Celebrate
I often forget this one. I am so busy getting to the next thing that I don’t celebrate that I just accomplished something, sometimes something big. I have friends now to help me remember to celebrate my wins
Why is it important to celebrate? One of the main reasons celebrating is so important is because it reflects an overall attitude of gratitude and enjoying what we have, instead of focusing on what we don’t have or only on what we want in the future.
According to research conducted by Professors Dr. Robert A. Emmons and Dr. Michael McCullough (University of California Davis and University of Miami, respectively), people who cultivate a daily attitude of celebration and gratitude have more energy, less stress and anxiety, are more likely to help others, exercise more frequently, sleep better, have improved physical health, and actually make greater progress toward achieving personal goals (academic, interpersonal and health-based).
I highly recommend this book, The Unexpected Tour Guide by Jeff C. West. It is a short read, 90 pages, and a great story!
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