Give the Gift of Understanding

With the pinnacle of the holiday gift giving season upon us, and a few days from entering a new year, I found time last week to do two things that have always been important to me and our business.

The first was to mail greeting cards to all my staff, team members, business partners, and closest acquaintances.

Please note that I said, “mailed” and not “emailed.”

You see, I learned a longtime ago that valuing and maintaining professional and personal relationships require not just reaching out to special people during certain times of the year, but also require touching them and letting them know that you really care.

Email does a wonderful job to quickly reach people and to say hello.

However, when those close to you receive a greeting card in their mailboxes, they not only know that this message was specifically intended for them, but they also can see and feel the care that was taken to personally greet and thank them for being involved in your business and your life.

The second is to include in my seasonal collection of gifts, the Gift of Understanding.

It took me a while to truly grasp the importance of this special and life changing gift. However, when we think of all the challenges we all have in being our own authentic selves in this complicated and perplexing world filled with uniqueness and differences, we should seek the answer to this question. “What can I do to be a better person and human being in all seasons?”

To help you appreciate the power and importance of the Gift of Understanding, I share below a story that I recently received from a dear and long-time friend. I feel that the story stands on its own in describing this extraordinary “gift.”

A shop owner placed a sign above his door that said: “Puppies For Sale.” Signs like this always have a way of attracting young children, and to no surprise, a boy saw the sign and approached the owner; “How much are you going to sell the puppies for?” he asked. The store owner replied, “Anywhere from $30 to $50.” The little boy pulled out some change from his pocket. “I have $2.37,” he said. “Can I please look at them?” The shop owner smiled and whistled. Out of the kennel came Lady, who ran down the aisle of his shop followed by five teeny, tiny balls of fur. One puppy was lagging considerably behind. Immediately the little boy singled out the lagging, limping puppy and said, “What’s wrong with that little dog?” The shop owner explained that the veterinarian had examined the little puppy and had discovered it didn’t have a hip socket. It would always limp. It would always be lame. The little boy became excited. “ That is the puppy that I want to buy.” The shop owner said, “No, you don’t want to buy that little dog. If you really want him, I’ll just give him to you.” The little boy got quite upset. He looked straight into the store owner’s eyes, pointing his finger, and said: “I don’t want you to give him to me. That little dog is worth every bit as much as all the other dogs and I’ll pay full price. In fact, I’ll give you $2.37 now, and 50 cents a month until I have him paid for.” The shop owner countered, “You really don’t want to buy this little dog. He is never going to be able to run and jump and play with you like the other puppies.” To his surprise, the little boy reached down and rolled up his pant leg to reveal a badly twisted, crippled left leg supported by a big metal brace. He looked up at the shop owner and softly replied, “Well, I don’t run so well myself, and the little puppy will need someone who understands!”

Wishing you the best of the holiday season and a most prosperous 2024.

Ervin (Earl) Cobb, CEO and Managing Partner, Richer Life, LLC