No one is born with a skill to
do anything. People may have special aptitudes and intelligence,
some things may come to them relatively easily, but to excel,
they must focus and practice. This is true in all endeavors,
whether you are a leader in industry, a pianist, a golfer,
a parent or someone in the grocery business.
Some in our society think there is a great distinction between
jobs. There really isn't. A number of years ago, many of
the older people who read this will remember a bread company
called Honey Boy Baking Co. It was owned by a fellow named
Garnett Smith. Garnett built his commercial bakery plant
in North East Edmonton and he competed head to head with
4X Bakeries, McGavins and Westons. He was good fighter and
innovator. We sold lots of his bread for, would you believe
ten cents a loaf. To stay ahead of his competition he innovated.
In those days bread was being shipped to us in 20 loaf cardboard
boxes. Garnett invented the (bingo) the metal carrier all
commercial bakeries are using now. Garnett sold the invention
to McGavins and eventually sold his bread plant to them
too. I asked Garnett, what he was going to do now that he
wasn't producing and distributing bread. He said, "you
won't believe it Frank, I bought a waste disposal company
and people are paying me more to take their garbage than
they would pay me for fresh Honey Boy bread."
There is a niche in this world for everyone and everything
and if you ask me, I would sooner be the best garbage man
in Peace River than the worst doctor. I don't know where
Garnett is today, but it goes to show you, that reality
is at times very different from perception. Bread should
be worth more than garbage. If it is worth more and is the
staff of life, why wouldn't people pay more for bread, than
they would for garbage disposal. Garnett couldn't figure
it out either, but he accepted people perceptions and became
the best garbage man in Edmonton.
Each of our lives evolve to the level of our competence
and expectation. Would you believe, I thought I was the
best chicken cleaner in Edson in 1950. Even then I had my
eye on my bosses job. It was a challenge and for my expectations,
I was prepared to focus and practice. |
