Do you remember your experiences with selecting a puppy when you were a child? Our family always had a dog, so I remember several such occasions and they included someone to understand. This is a story I was told a while back about one such memory that we would like to share:
The little boy had someone to understand.
I believe that you can get everything in life you want … if you will just help enough other people get what they want.
– Zig Zigler
A farmer had some puppies he needed to sell. He painted a sign advertising the 4 pups and set about nailing it to a post on the edge of his yard. As he was driving the last nail into the post, he felt a tug on his overalls. He looked down into the eyes of a little boy.
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Mister, he said, I want to buy one of your puppies.
Well, said the farmer, as he rubbed the sweat off the back of his neck, these puppies come from fine parents and cost a good deal of money.
The boy dropped his head for a moment.
Then reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of change and held it up to the farmer.
I’ve got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to take a look?
Sure, said the farmer. And with that he let out a whistle. Here, Dolly! he called.
Out from the doghouse and down the ramp ran Dolly followed by four little balls of fur.
The little boy pressed his face against the chain link fence. His eyes danced with delight. As the dogs made their way to the fence, the little boy noticed something else stirring inside the doghouse.
Slowly another little ball appeared this one noticeably smaller. Down the ramp it slid. Then in a somewhat awkward manner, the little pup began hobbling toward the others, doing its best to catch up.
I want that one, the little boy said, pointing to the runt. The farmer knelt down at the boy’s side and said, Son, you don’t want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would.
With that the little boy stepped back from the fence, reached down, and began rolling up one leg of his trousers.
In doing so he revealed a steel brace running down both sides of his leg attaching itself to a specially made shoe.
Looking back up at the farmer, he said, You see sir, I don’t run too well myself, and he will need someone to understand.
With tears in his eyes, the farmer reached down and picked up the little pup.
Holding it carefully he handed it to the little boy.
What does it mean to understand someone.
How much? asked the little boy. No charge, answered the farmer, There’s no charge for love.
The world is full of people who need someone to understand …
My takeaway from this story?
Do what you can, with what you have, wherever you happen to be …
Remember … sometimes reality is too complex. Stories do a good job of giving meaning that can be remembered.
Would you like another interesting story? Never Give Up Your Dreams
Do you have any stories from your experience vault that you could share with this community?
Need some help in capturing more customers from your marketing or advertising campaigns? Looking for creative ideas to help the differentiation with potential customers?
All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new ideas.
When things are not what you want them to be, what’s most important is your next step.
Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat.
Are you devoting enough energy improving your enthusiasm?
Do you have a lesson about making your motivation better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add in the section below?
Mike Schoultz is the founder of Digital Spark Marketing, a digital marketing and customer service agency. With 40 years of business experience, he writes about topics that relate to improving the performance of business. Go to Amazon to obtain a copy of his latest book, Exploring New Age Marketing. It focuses on using the best examples to teach new age marketing … lots to learn. Find them on G+, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
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Mike Schoultz is a digital marketing and customer service expert. With 48 years of business experience, he consults on and writes about topics to help improve the performance of small business. Find him on G+, Facebook, Twitter, Digital Spark Marketing, and LinkedIn.
