A few days ago, I was enjoying lunch at one of our Lake Norman restuarants while catching up my reading on the week’s events. Two people settled into the booth behind me and were having a very engaged conversation about business. Actually, one was complaining about their business in particular. I overheard as this individual ticked off all the reasons the “store” was experiencing problems. While I’m not making light of their troubles, I think we all know times have been tough for all of us. With each positive suggestion, the despondent retailer would point out all the reasons they could not do that – cost too much, didn’t have the staff, they had tried it before, not quite their market. At one point I wanted to turn around and tell them I thought the biggest reason for their lack of success might be the face they saw in the mirror each morning when they got up! They dripped in negativity.
It reminded me of a story my Granddaddy Russell told me a long time ago. Granddaddy didn’t go to college and I’m not sure he ever owned a copy of any leading business book of its time. But he did have a heck of a career. He drove a taxi, worked in a textile mill, spent most of his liesure time, if you call it that, tending the farm where he raised cattle and produce, and studied his church “lessons” at night.
My Granddaddy Russell owned a farm in Rock Hill where he raised a couple of dozen head of cattle. He passed away in 1999, but not before he left me with a treasure trove of little stories and a lifetime of wonderful memeories. On one particular weekend, Granddaddy Russell and I were walking through some of the trails behind the house checking the fenceline. I was fresh out of college and gainfully employed at a local office supply and furniture company as a salesman. I was making the sales calls but my commission check certainly indicated my lackluster performance.
After listening to me grumble about how my customers weren’t buying and I wasn’t getting the support I needed from my company, granddaddy looked over and asked, “Doc,” (one of the many pet nicknames he had for me but that’s a different story) “Did I ever tell you about that little bullfrog that fell into the deep, muddy tractor track?” Without waiting for my reply, he began, “A couple of days later he was still there when his other frog friend happened by and found him…urging him to hop out. He made a few feeble efforts, but he remained stuck in the quagmire.”
“Over the next few days, his fellow frogs tried to motivate the little frog to escape the rut, but they all gave up encouraging him and hoped back to the pond. The next day the little frog was seen sunning himself contently on the shores of the pond. “How’d you get out of that rut? ” he was asked. “Well,” said the frog, “as everyone is aware I could not. But along came that big red tractor again and I had to!”
Granddaddy looked over at me as we walked down the road waiting for his point to sink in. “You waiting for something to come along and get you out of the rut?” he asked. I do not know that I ever became the super salesman my manager hoped I would be but the point granddaddy made was not lost on me. The ability to overcome my obstacles and rise to the occassion was within my means the whole time. Most of it was my own personal attitude. The bottom line: you can motivate yourself or wait till outside forces do it for you.
I sure miss the long walks grandaddy and I took together, but I never forgot the lessons he shared. Daddy still lives out on the farm and often we take walks together still checking the fenceline. Occaasionly we will happen on an old tractor rut dug deep into the soft southern clay down by the creek. I might even hear the splash of a little frog as we approach. It brings a smile to my face as I think about all the wonderful times I’ve spent at the farm. Perhaps an old farmer knows best, when there are so many reasons why you cannot be succesful, you succeed anyway. You simply accept nothing less.
You can define leadership many different ways but in the Junior Chamber we know leadership is the key to everything else we do. Without leadership, we become just another fundraising organization like so many other groups out there. We lose our credibility, we lose our history, and we cut our roots. While community service is the best work of life, we must not lose sight that our community development projects are just one slice of that work. The entire pie is created with leadership as the pan that holds it all together. Leadership that understands where it is going and how to get there.
Over the past few years we have placed more emphasis on short term goals and rewarded people for short term success. People are recognized for what they do this year with no consequences to what becomes of their chapter next year. Our Blue Chip program is the key to chapter success. Long term goals and the commitment to carry them out. We must not sell ourselves out to short term success. We must stop living for today with no plans for tomorrow.
country back.
Years ago, when I was just a teenager I remember taking a walk with my Granddaddy Russell through some of the back roads near his house. He raised a few head of cattle and every once in a while they would venture to another pasture to graze on the tall grass. I remember he made a comment to me, something I didn’t understand at the time. “You know what’s wrong with the world”, he said, “there’s not enough dirt roads.” Being a city boy I replied, “Why would you want to live on a dirt road?” Mark Twain once said, “When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, 1 was astonished at how’ much he had learned in 7 years.” I think I understand now what my grandfather meant… the world continues to change… progress, evolution. Society, its values and customs also evolve. Here in South Carolina, our communities continue to grow, prosper, and change.
those who cannot help themselves. We should instill positive values in our young people by our actions rather than by our words. We should make our communities the best possible place to work and to live. And we should do it not because of what we gain, but what we become by doing it. A revolution faces both this country and our government………. not a revolution of armed men and women, but a revolution of change.
“Bethesda” is a section of York County about 16 miles square, eight miles southeast of the county seat. The original population were chiefly immigrants from the North of Ireland, mostly Presbyterians, a few Roman Catholics- Some came from Pennsylvania and some from Native Ireland. Many of our senior members have heard this origination for some time. But today, I want to dwelve a little different. I went to the library and began to research the time period our early ancestors migrated to York County.
This week marks an annual anniversary that Americans from coast to coast would rather not celebrate. No – I’m not alluding to April 15th – but close. This year, on April 13th we will celebrate Tax Freedom Day. According to the Washington, DC based Tax Foundation, that marks the day of the year when Americans have earned enough money to pay off their total tax bill for the year. In essence, every day you have worked through that date has been for Uncle Sam. I have often wondered, if taxes were not taken out of each check throughout the year, what would the average American’s expression be when they wrote that check to the federal government covering the first four months of the year?
Russell's Ramblings 