How Mad Can You Be?

Colonel Sanders who retired from the railroad was broke and alone at 65years he got his first social security check for $105 and he got mad. But instead of blaming society or just writing congress a nasty note, he started asking himself, “what could I do that would value for other people? His first answer was, “well I have this chicken recipe from my mother that everyone seems to love!”
So with a beat-up car he went and started knocking on doors, telling each restaurant owner his story; “I’ve got great chicken recipe, and I think if you use it, it will increase your sales. And I like to get a percentage of that increase.”
Well, many people laughed. They said, “look, old man, get out of here. What are you wearing that stupid white suit for?” instead of feeling bad about the last restaurant that had rejected his idea, he immediately started focusing on how to tell his story more effectively and get better results from the next restaurant. He spent two years driving across American in his old, beat-up car, sleeping in the back seat in his rumpled white suit because he couldn’t afford a motel room, getting up each day eager to share his idea with someone new. Often, the only food he has was a quick bite of the sample he was preparing for prospective buyers.
All in all, Colonel Sanders was rejected 1,009 times before he heard his first yes. Today, there are thousand of Kentucky Friend Chicken Franchises in hundreds of countries all over the world. How many of us quit after tries, ten tries, a hundred tries, and we say we tries as hard as we could?
Like a great motivator Uju Onyechere would ask; “How many people would have come up with the excuse of being too old?” At 65, don’t you think it’s a genuine excuse to say “oh I guess am too old to start running around, to start something new, I better settle down and enjoy my pension or better still wait for my children to take care of me”. Not that there is anything wrong in enjoying the fruits of your hard labour, either as pension or your children taking care of you. But if you enjoy what you do, retirement will be the last thing that will come to your mind. People who consider their jobs as having fun and are so passionate about what they do, will always want to go on and on.
How many doors did he have to knock on before he got his first order? One thousand and nine times before he heard his first yes. Yes! 1,009 times before the first order.
It’s never too early or too late to make a mark your lifetime. Live today as if it’s the last day of your life, that way you will give the world your best.
As we part ways for now, remember the words of Irish Critic George Bernard Shaw “It is those individuals who know what they want in life and who are willing to go after it, regardless of the circumstance around them, who go on to make a difference in the world”.
When it comes to Human capital development, you can bank on Skyhigh Motivational.
I promise you more inspiring piece next time.
Farewell for now,
Benson Adima remains your in-house motivational speaker.