The Rich Shoeshiner :

A WA university forward, and many may have read it. In this story the sacrifice made for long term interest is what I would like to highlight.

Every morning, the CEO of a major bank in Manhattan went to the corner where a shoeshine man was always there .

He used to sit on the chair , read the Wall Street Journal , and the shoeshine man gave his shoes a shiny , great look .

One morning, the shoeshine man asks the CEO:

"What do you think of the stock market situation ?"

The CEO arrogantly asks him:

"Why are you so interested in this subject ?"

The shoeshine man replies:

"I have twenty million dollars deposited in your bank and I am thinking about investing part of the money in the stock market"

The CEO of the bank asks:

"What is your name ?"

He replies:

"John Smith H ."

The CEO arrives at the bank and asks the Manager of the Major Accounts Department:

"Do we have a customer named John Smith H.?"

The Customer Service Manager for Major Accounts replies:

*We certainly do , Sir !

He is an extremely esteemed customer ! He has twenty million dollars in his account ."

The CEO leaves the bank , approaches the shoeshine boy , and says:

"Mr. Smith , I would like to invite you to be our guest of honor at our board meeting next Monday and tell us your life story . I'm sure we will have a lot to learn from you ."

At the board meeting , the CEO introduces him to the board members:

"We all know Mr. Smith , who makes our shoes shine like no one else . But Mr. Smith is also our valued customer , with twenty million dollars in his account .

I invited him to tell us the story of his life . I'm sure we can learn a lot from him . Please , Mr. Smith , tell us your life story ."

Then , Mr. Smith began to narrate his story:

"I came to this country thirty years ago as a young immigrant from Eastern Europe and with an unpronounceable name . I left the ship penniless in my pocket .

The first thing I did was to change my name to Smith .

I was hungry and exhausted . I started to wander in search for a job , but without success .

Suddenly , I found a coin on the sidewalk . I bought some apples .

I had two options: eat the apples and quench my hunger or start a business .

I sold the apples for 50 cents and bought more apples with the money .

When I started accumulating dollars , I managed to buy a set of used brushes and shoe polishes and started cleaning shoes .

I didn't spend a dime on fun or clothes . I only bought bread and cheese to survive .

I saved penny by penny and after a while I bought a new set of brushes and shoe polishes in different shades and colors and increased my clientele .

I lived like a monk and saved a penny after penny . After a while , I managed to buy a chair so that my customers could sit comfortably while I cleaned their shoes , which brought me more customers .

I didn't spend a dime on the pleasures of life . I kept saving every penny .

A few years ago , when the corner shoeshine colleague decided to retire , I had already saved enough money to buy his point , which was a better place than mine .

Finally , three months ago , my brother , who was a drug dealer in Chicago , passed away and left me twenty million dollars….

It was a this post from Namita Pandey which inspired me to share this story:

https://www.dhirubhai.net/posts/namita-pandey-65848615_selfcontrol-positive-success-activity-7182926663679188992-Ogw8?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

#selfcontrol #longrun #present #sacrifice #discipline