{"id":4527,"date":"2011-04-27T22:08:57","date_gmt":"2011-04-28T02:08:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/joyfullyjobless.com\/blog\/?p=4527"},"modified":"2011-04-27T22:08:57","modified_gmt":"2011-04-28T02:08:57","slug":"oh-the-people-youll-meet-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joyfullyjobless.com\/blog\/2011\/04\/oh-the-people-youll-meet-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Oh, the People You’ll Meet"},"content":{"rendered":"

Make sure if your story ever gets into someone\u2019s book <\/em>that it\u2019s used as an example and not as a warning. ~ <\/em>Jim Rohn<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

It was still hours until daylight when the airport shuttle picked me up at my hotel. The driver apologized for being late and assured me that he wouldn\u2019t speed since he\u2019d been a policeman for eighteen years and had enough of fast cars.<\/p>\n

We drove to an apartment complex that looked like a charming village to fetch the next passenger. He was chatty, too, and introduced himself as Rueben. I commented that his neighborhood looked nice.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh,\u201d he scoffed, \u201cit\u2019s like living in prison.\u201d He gave us a long list of his complaints including the fact that the management had no tolerance for bounced checks.<\/p>\n

He told us he\u2019d always lived in houses in California and this was his first apartment experience. \u201cWhat brought you to Dallas?\u201d I innocently asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cA mistake,\u201d he snapped back. I decided he was a professional malcontent and ceased listening.<\/p>\n

At the next stop, a younger man bounced into the van and plunked down beside me. \u201cHi,\u201d he said, extending his hand. \u201cI\u2019m Grant.\u201d<\/p>\n

When I asked him what brought him to Dallas he told us he was starting a new Internet business and had come for a meeting and training. Grant lived in Maui where he\u2019d relocated from Washington.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat brought you to Maui?\u201d I asked. (Okay, it hadn\u2019t worked with Rueben, but I really wanted to know.)<\/p>\n

Grant said he\u2019d gone there on vacation, fell in love with the place, had gone home and liquidated his business in Washington and then set up a new one in Hawaii.<\/p>\n

Rueben then told us that he\u2019d lived in Hawaii for a time himself, \u201cBefore they ruined it,\u201d he pointed out.<\/p>\n

By this time, I was far more interested in hearing what the cheerful Grant had to say. \u201cSo you\u2019re an entrepreneur,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYup,\u201d he replied. \u201cI\u2019ve had employees since I was 23. But I really want to get this new business running and I\u2019ll be a one-person enterprise. No employees is my goal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, a man after my own heart,\u201d I said. \u201cI have a one-person business too.\u201d<\/p>\n

At this point, Rueben joined the conversation again telling us how lazy people are and how hard it is to get decent employees. Rueben wasn\u2019t about to be left out of this conversation since he, too, owned his own business.<\/p>\n

I couldn\u2019t imagine being locked up with him for an entire day, but was polite enough not to point out that the problem might not be with the people he hired\u2014who all seemed to quit rather quickly.<\/p>\n

On the flight home, I pondered the Ruebens of this world. Do they not notice, I wondered, that their critical behavior is influencing the outcomes they receive?<\/p>\n

I\u2019m certain that Rueben is convinced that the way he sees things is the way things are. On the other hand, Grant is open, excited and receptive, exploring as he goes.<\/p>\n

Care to predict whose life will be filled with success?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Make sure if your story ever gets into someone\u2019s book that it\u2019s used as an example and not as a warning. ~ Jim Rohn It was still hours until daylight when the airport shuttle picked me up at my hotel. The driver apologized for being late and assured me that he wouldn\u2019t speed since he\u2019d…<\/p>\n

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