‘Can We Increase Our Value?’
‘Can We Increase Our Value?’
Michael Jordan, the legendary basketball player was born in 1963, in the slums of Brooklyn, New York. He had four siblings and his father's earnings were not enough to support whole family. Exposed to mindless violence and heavy discrimination in the slums, Jordan saw for himself only a hopeless future. His father saw in Michael, a lost soul and decided to do something.
He gave Michael, who was 13 years old, a piece of used clothing and asked: "What do you think the value of this outfit would be?" Jordan replied,"Maybe one dollar." His father asked, "Can you sell it for two dollars? If you can sell it, it would mean that you are a big help to your family." Jordan nodded his head, "I'll try, but no guarantee that I'll be successful."Jordan carefully washed the cloth clean. Because they didn't have an iron, to smoothen the cloth, he levelled it with a clothes brush on a flat board, and then kept it in the sun to dry. The next day, he brought the cloth to a crowded underground station. After offering it for more than six hours, Jordan finally managed to sell it for $2. He took the two dollar bill and ran home.
More than ten days later, his father again gave him a piece of used clothing, "Can you think of a way you can sell this for 20 dollars?" Aghast, Jordan said, "How is it possible? This outfit can only fetch two dollars at the most."His father replied, "Why don't you try it first? There might be a way." After breaking his head for a few hours, finally, Jordan got an idea. He asked for cousin's help to paint a picture of Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse on the garment. He stood outside a school where rich children studied. Soon a lady, who was there to pick her child, bought that outfit for his master. She loved it so much and she gave a five dollars tip too. 25 dollars was a huge amount for Jordan, equivalent to one month's salary of his father.
When he got home, his father gave him yet another piece of used clothing, "Will you be able to resell it at a price of 200 dollars?" Jordan's eyes lit up. This time, Jordan accepted the cloth without slightest doubt. Two months later, a popular movie actress from the movie "Charlie's Angels", Farah Fawcett came to New York for her Movie promos. After the press conference, Jordan made his way through the security forces to reach the side of Farah Fawcett and requested her autograph on the piece of clothing. When Fawcett saw this
innocent child asking for her autograph, she gladly signed it. Jordan was shouting very excitedly, "This is a jersey signed by Miss Farah Fawcett, the selling price is 200 dollars!" He auctioned off the clothes, to a businessman for a price of 1,200 dollars!
Upon returning home, his father broke into tears and said, "I am amazed that you did it my child! You're really great! "That night, Jordan slept alongside his father. His father said, "Son, in your experience selling these three pieces of clothing, what did you learn about success?"
Jordan replied, "Where there's a will, there's a way."
His father nodded his head, and then shook his head, "What you say is not entirely wrong! But that was not my intention. I just wanted to show you that a piece of used clothing which is worth only a dollar can also be increased in value, then how about us - living and thinking humans? We may be darker and
poorer, but what if we CAN increase our VALUE."
Let’s start digging for our huge untapped potential and let us all further increase our value, each day, bit by bit, with discipline and passion!
Happy Reading!!
Regards-
Prakash Daga