Clothed in Grace

I’ve heard it said that “Clothes make the man”. That’s a clever saying, and I believed it when I was young, but I don’t believe it now. Let me explain…

In 1975, when I was a young 20 year old struggling to find my way in the world, I landed a job with a Lighting Distributorship in Irvine, CA. I started out as a delivery driver. Worked hard and got promoted to Warehouseman. I then studied the lighting products we sold and within a year was promoted to Purchasing Manager.

As  Purchasing Manager, it was my job to purchase all the products that the salespeople sold. I admired the salespeople because the top two salesmen were a lot older than me and made the “big money” in the company. They were also dapper gentlemen who wore nice suits and had the respect of every employee in the company. Without the salespeople bringing in the orders, nobody else in the company was needed. That revelation made me realize that if I wanted to be admired and respected, I needed a nice suit. So I spent most of my next paycheck on a three-piece suit, with a vest and matching tie.

I started wearing that suit to the office once or twice a week and the owner noticed. Eventually I got up the courage to tell him that my goal was to become a salesman, and I was confident that I could do the job. My confidence came from staying up late at night, studying the products and the pricing until I knew it inside out. I also figured that my “new suit” would make me an instant success. I figured wrong!      

The owner gave me a chance by testing me in a sales position for 30 days. During that 30 day trial period, I didn’t sell one single thing. I was devastated, and as I slinked back into my Purchasing role, I had my tail between my legs. Several months later, the top salesman in the company, a true gentleman by the name of Harley Gillette, took me aside for a private conversation. He explained to me that it while it was important to have confidence, and a nice suit might help, what the customers really wanted was someone they could relate to and trust.

I took his advice to heart and ditched the suit for regular clothes. I also started reading books on salesmanship, including a book by Og Mandino titled, “The Greatest Salesman in the World”, which includes 10 scrolls that emphasize that true success comes from developing character, overcoming internal barriers like fear and doubt, and finding true happiness and peace of mind through the grace of God, instead of focusing on wealth. Harley’s advice along with the advice in Og Mandino’s book taught me that if I wanted to be a success in business, as well as in life, I needed to be able to humbly relate to all types of people and treat every single person with dignity and respect.

With a new found confidence based on the biblical principles found in the 10 Scrolls contained in Og Mandino’s book, I asked my boss to give me another try. He was reluctant, but my persistence eventually paid off. (FYI – Scroll #3 – “I will persist until I succeed!”) Only this time, my boss informed that if I failed I would be out of a job!

Yikes… I thought about what my boss said for a few days. Then I decided that if I didn’t believe in myself, then my boss wouldn’t either. So I respectfully told him, “I accept your challenge!” As I ventured out day one in my new role with my new attitude, I was surprised that I didn’t have any fear or doubt… and realized that there was a good reason. Instead of wearing a three-piece suit, I was clothed in God’s grace.

“I will greet each new day with love in my heart”.

          ~ Scroll #1 from "The Greatest Salesman in the World" by Og Mandino

Clean Your Windows

I’ve been writing Monday Messages for almost 20 years now and I usually try to relate them to current events. So when Father’s Day rolls around, it’s been my habit to try to write something related to my Dad. It’s been easy so far to come up with stories because my Dad was such a huge part of my life. He was always teaching me and inspiring me to do my best. But after so many years of stories, I struggled to think of something to write about this year. And then it hit me… right between the eyes!

It has been said that our eyes are the “window to our soul”. But my Dad taught me that your eyes are your “window to the world”. The way we see the world has a tremendous effect on how we feel, think and act. If we see the world and the people in it as harsh and cruel, it’s easy to become bitter and discouraged. But if we look with our eyes and see the beauty and compassion that constantly surrounds us, we can easily feel happy and encouraged.

Here’s a recent example. On Father’s Day, a friend of mine took his young son to Angel Stadium to watch the Angels play the Oakland Athletics. Halfway through the ball game a woman sitting next to them went for pizza and on the way back she tripped and fell down the steep concrete steps. She tore up her shins and scraped her knees and sent the pizza flying. She was bleeding and needed first aid, so immediately several people jumped up to help her. My friend felt so bad for her, he decided to go to the food court and bring her and her family back a replacement pizza. It would be easy to look at the boisterous crowd in a baseball stadium and see a loud, obnoxious, beer drinking, bunch of hooligans. But if we were to look really close through our “window to the world” we might just see compassionate, caring souls who are quick to offer help and generous beyond measure.

I know the world is filled with problems and that there are plenty of bad people out there. But thanks to my father and his awesome advice, I choose to use my eyes to focus on the good that I can see. And although I have to break out the Windex and clean my “windows” once in a while, I can always find something good to focus on. Thanks Dad, for teaching me to use my senses… to make some sense out of this world!

See everything, overlook a great deal.

~ Pope John XXIII

Deep Inside

I have a rather unique job, one that never existed before I dreamed it up. Actually, it wasn’t a dream that birthed it into existence. It was a nightmare.

It was 11:00pm one night, many years ago, when the phone rang and woke me up. One of the electricians at my company had fallen from a 20’ ladder while trying to service a tall light pole and was in the hospital with a badly fractured arm and a concussion. The man fell, because the pole fell. And the pole fell because it was severely rusted. Why didn’t he notice the rust at the bottom? Because most of the rust was on the inside, growing like a fungus, and the small amount of rust that was on the outside had been painted over.  

You see the problem, right? Well, actually, you can’t see the problem because it’s hidden on the inside. But let me tell you… the problem is a big one! Hundreds of light poles fall over due to rust and corrosion every year, often damaging cars, buildings, and sometimes people. So after a lot of thought, and a lot of help from my father Allen (a retired electrical engineer) researching different technologies, we developed a way to use Ultrasonic Technology to “see inside a steel light pole”. My father passed away, but he would be amazed to find out that my staff and I have inspected over 40,000 light poles over the past 5 years and the job itself has now become a big one!

Why am I telling you this? Because it’s not just Light Poles that have a problem on the inside. So do we!

Sometimes we try to polish our outsides with a spray tan, or a new haircut, or nicer clothes. Perhaps a new fad diet will make our sadness go away. Or maybe braces or whiter teeth will bring me the love of my life and the happiness I seek. Perhaps not. The exterior polished, the interior corroding. The outside altered, the inside faltering. One thing for sure, cosmetic changes are only skin deep. Want to solve your problems whatever they may be. Look inside… look deep inside… at what’s truly in your heart. You change your life by changing your heart!

Our hearts are lamps for ever burning.

                                                      ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow              

 

15 Minutes

Last week I wrote about how people can be annoying sometimes, and I’m sure that includes me as well. But after writing that story, I had two completely opposite experiences that are helping shape me into a better person.

On Sunday my wife and I went shopping at our local grocery store. While we were in the produce department, my wife asked me to find some fresh strawberries while she went elsewhere. As I grabbed the first container of strawberries I saw (because of course I’m not much of a “shopper”) a lady stopped me and said you don’t want those strawberries. I just stood there with a blank stare like, “why are you talking to me?” But she went on to explain how these other strawberries are a better deal. Then she went on to explain about how her coupon cutting helps her save money. Then she went on to explain about which days are the best to shop to get the freshest produce. Then she went on about her grandson, and her bad back… and then she just went on and on for like forever. My wife saw what was happening and yelled over to me that she needed my help, and to hurry. So I told the elderly lady that I had to go and yet as I was walking away she just kept talking like I was still there. I felt bad for walking away, but was glad that my wife saved me because that was 15 minutes of my life I will never get back.

On Monday I went golfing at San Clemente Municipal Golf Course. After my round, as I was putting my clubs in my truck, I heard a loud but friendly voice behind me yell something. “Hey, did you have a good round?”. I turned around and saw this huge young man who was smiling at me. His hair was a mess, and his face was sweating, and he was missing a front tooth, but he was beaming like he had just won the US Open. I explained that, yes I did. I noticed his speech was slightly off, which when combined with the missing tooth, made his grinning smile even more engaging. He kept politely asking me questions and genuinely seemed concerned that I had a good time. He kept talking to me, and I kept listening because I was reminded of the lonely old lady in the grocery store. But this young man was different… in more ways than one. He was so upbeat and never stopped smiling. And he was so excited when he explained that he had just shot 41 for nine holes! I smiled and said, “Wow! That’s a great score on this course!” He then proudly told me how he was practicing for the Special Olympics.

We talked for quite a while, and then he put out his hand and said, “My name is Billy.” I replied, “My name is Joe." Billy said, “See ya Joe!”, and then got in his car to leave. I stood there and waved as an older man drove away with Billy, who kept excitedly waving back at me. But before I got in my car, I thought to myself, that was 15 minutes of my life that Billy "gave back" to me. And that is a lesson well learned!

Never mind searching for who you are. Search for the person you aspire to be.

                                                        ~ Robert Brault