If you have visited eHappyLife.com and read my Lessons, Polls, Insights or Words of the Day posted during the last four and a half years, you probably realize by now that I'm a score keeper at heart. Thus, since this is the 100th consecutive Sunday that I have posted an edition of Learning Life's Lessons, I thought I would discuss the significance that watching numbers and keeping score has had in my life.
Since a child, I have always set out on journeys to achieve something of significance, spread out over time. It wasn't long after I started elementary school and grew the confidence to walk to school by myself, that I also found my way to a soft pretzel bakery and began selling soft pretzels in my neighborhood out of a picnic basket. Although this may seem startling today, I wasn't the only kid my age with the nerve or confidence to do the same. During the summer months following second grade, I had established a route of neighborhood customers who depended on me to bring them hot soft pretzels right from the bakery each morning. When I started doing this, I would purchase 40 of the small size pretzels and ended up eating or giving away twenty of them. However, it wasn't long before my customers realized how consistent I was and waited for me to come by each day. I would keep score of my inventory and figured out exactly how many pretzels I could buy and sell while the pretzels were still warm, fresh and tasty in my basket. By the end of that first summer I was making several trips back and forth to the bakery purchasing all I could possibly fit in my over-sized picnic basket. I learned early on in life that keeping track of my progress and watching my little soft pretzel business grow was both fun and profitable.
Before graduating from college, I was able to accumulate work experience in 17 different after school part-time jobs and full time summer jobs. Regardless of the job, I always tried to apply the same theory of keeping score in some way, to challenge myself and maximize my efficiency. For instance I worked as a cashier at a busy supermarket and my goal was to balance my register at the end of the day at zero. Not a penny short or over. This was quite a challenge since I only worked Saturday's, which was the busiest day of the week. There were no product scanners back then; and lots and lots of coupons. At the end of the day I would take in $3000 dollars and have fifty to a hundred coupons. However I was in competition with myself to always take in more each Saturday and balance my register at at absolute zero. I kept score on a three by five card every Saturday on my overages and shortages. Because I made a concerted effort for perfection, I hit my goal almost every workday. My manager was amazed at my consistency and would NEVER, EVER take me off the register to stock shelves – a boring job I couldn't stand and worked diligently to avoid.
When I graduated from college and became a sales and marketing representative, I applied the same theory and methods of keeping score to maximize my efficiency. By providing quality service and high value to each client, I was able to eliminate low volume customers and service only the best customers in the marketplace that appreciated the valuable services I offered. I always trusted that my sales volume and profits per customer, would dictate exactly where I would invest my time. By doing so, I took the emotional factor out of the equation and enjoyed extraordinary financial returns for my efforts. Once I left the employee ranks and entered into business, it's probably no surprise that I applied the same theory as an entrepreneur for the next twenty years.
So here I am, 50 years since selling soft pretzels and still keeping track of things like posting a Word of the Day at eHappyLife.com for 230 straight weeks; Conducting Polls for 115 consecutive Sundays; and now posting my 100th consecutive edition of Learning Life's Lessons. As you might realize, consistency, persistence and discipline have played a major role in my life. I share this, because I believe these three qualities will allow anyone to slowly achieve goals that may have seemed impossible to them. By constantly raising the bar just a little bit higher with each project you engage in, you are able to BEST your last performance; and grow your confidence to attempt bigger and better things.
As you know I am not compensated in any way for maintaining eHappyLife.com and producing its content. I am not an affiliate of anyone; have no advertisers; and only derive compensation in the form of the satisfaction I receive from helping others unconditionally. It's a way for me to practice my own consistency; persistence and disciplines that I teach to my consulting clients. Each day I set out to learn something new; grow; and share with others. To me that mental exercise is priceless. I have thousands of visitors that are at every stage in life from high school to octogenarian. I attempt to produce content that can help individuals at any age "Get Exactly Where They Want To Go!" On this 100th edition of Learning Life's Lesson, I would like to thank everyone who visits eHappyLife.com. I hope you enjoy the content and refer the website to someone you love or care about.