Recently, I received a call from a 90-year-old woman who said, “I bought Chicken Soup for the Soul when it first came out. My children and grandchildren still read it. I wanted you to know that three generations like your story.” Like many of the stories that Mark Victor Hansen and Jack Canfield collected from their friends, these were profound in their simplicity.
My short, simple story was told to me decades ago while jogging with my friend Bobby Lewis in Oklahoma City. I would list it under Honesty, Ethics, and Parenting.
My friend and proud father, Bobby Lewis, took his two little boys to play miniature golf. He asked the attendant, “How much is it to get in?” He replied, “It’s three dollars for you and any kid over six. They get in free if they’re six or younger.”
Bobby said, “Well, Mikey’s three and Jimmy’s seven, so I owe you $6.00.” The attendant looked surprised. “Hey, mister, do you like throwing your money away? You could have told me the big one was only six and saved three bucks. I wouldn’t have known the difference.”
“Yes,” Bobby said, “but the kids would have known the difference.”
The CEO and the Factory Floor
Larraine, the CEO of a large manufacturing company, regularly left her office to work on the factory floor with her team. She didn’t just supervise; she actively participated in the assembly process. This action didn’t just tell her employees that she valued their hard work—it showed them. Her presence and involvement demonstrated a commitment to the end product, and she understood and appreciated the challenges her employees faced.
The Community Leader’s Weekend Initiatives
Reg was the President of his Rotary Club in a small community. Under his watch, the Rotarians who were local leaders didn’t just talk about the importance of beautification; every weekend, at least a dozen of them were seen planting trees and painting over graffiti. This consistent action inspired their neighbors to join, leading to a community-wide initiative transforming their environment. The actions of Reg and his Rotarian friends spoke volumes about their dedication, rallying the community together far more effectively than speeches ever could.
Actions like these resonate deeply, echoing through our personal and professional lives.
These stories are great for your presentations to reinforce your ideas.
“What you do speaks so loudly I cannot hear what you say” is often attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson. This is a paraphrase of his writing.
The closest quote from Emerson is: “What you are stands over you the while, and thunders so that I cannot hear what you say to the contrary”, from his essay “Social Aims” published in 1875.
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