- Ready to change and serve others
Arthur Blank is a successful businessman and the co-founder of The Home Depot, the home improvement retailer. The American genius of the business world shared the story of the Grand Opening of the first Home Depot. Arthur Blank gave his kids a pack of one-dollar bills to share with customers. Their goal was to pass as many dollar bills as possible until they were gone. The goal seemed pretty easy to accomplish since people would like to take a gift, and their father assumed that by 11 am, the bills would have been distributed. At 8 pm, kids were still trying to pass the one-dollar bills because, as it turned out, no customers arrived at the opening, and it was actually a big failure.
How he decided to handle the situation has a lot to tell about his mindset and level of maturity. What Arthur Blank decided to do was to ask every customer that appeared in the store what they did not like and what they would change if they were given the opportunity. He left aside his pride and ego and turned to the customers to see what was missing.
We often believe it is our way or the highway. The question is ”what will the people who will benefit from our products and services need?” Being an entrepreneur is about how you can better serve people. If you start with this question instead of ” What is the best way to find a profit,” you will understand the customer-oriented approach needed to succeed. - Responding to failure and growing bigger
When Walt Disney started to initiate his plans to build Disneyland in California, he went to the city of Burbank, and they turned him down for his request for 7 acres of land, a ridiculously small space. The result was that he had to move south to find land, and he ended up having 150 acres for his park. Can you imagine what would have happened if his initial request had been accepted? The guess is that Disneyland would probably not be as renowned as it is today, and it would have been a far smaller project. The idea here is that an initial step back that may not even happen because of your lack of effort could work in a way that will be helpful for you. As long as you do not give up, every little failure will only act to help you become better at what you do.
The second part concerns whether you are ready to take a bigger step. Moving from the initial plan of 7 acres to the one that includes 150 acres of land requires commitment. Are you ready to be big? That is the next thing you should consider and see whether you are determined enough. - Take the moldy food out of your fridge
What would you do if you found moldy food inside your fridge? You would immediately throw it away in the trash bin, separate it from the good food and get rid of it. Well, the same thing happens with ”moldy” habits, beliefs, events, and generally, whatever brings toxicity to our lives. If you had a bad day, that does not define your week, let alone your year. Put that aside and focus on what is helpful. The moldy food is taken away because it stopped serving its purpose. It was initially there because we would benefit from that. Once it goes bad or we change and no longer need it, the food is simply working in the opposite direction. Instead of benefiting us, it takes the space that could be covered by something useful and perhaps essential.
You do not want to let challenging situations exist just because they do not bother you at the moment. Eventually, they will infect the rest of your reality. The sooner you get rid of them, the better for you. The metaphor of food could talk about many things that bring negativity to your life, and it should be considered as a golden rule to keep yourself safe and your life clean.
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Three Types of Visionaries by Oleg Konovalov.
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