The Dinosaur Word Of The Day

Napoleon Hill once said, "Great achievement is usually born of great sacrifice and is never the result of selfishness." Nabbing free sugar cookies in the bakery department at Harris Teeter isn't a true rule to teach by. A set of young willing eyes sees only one thing: Why should I try? Which is why I don't coupon shop. Totally my loss right? That would be the act of selfishness Napoleon is speaking of. Somewhere in the food chain hard working dedicated employees making next to nothing aren't encouraged to succeed but ordered by micromanaging department heads to give away everything while pulling private profits into the scene. Have you ever lived with a school teacher? The term, "They can always find another job..." doesn't work anymore. "Sacrifice" is the dinosaur word of the day. Why should we sacrifice inside a buy one get one free economic environment? If my overbearing extremely strong Grandma Bakken were here today she'd lose in a battle of words, "Nothing in life is free! Free may be the appearance but the bill will come due one day." The end result: Greatness has no soil to dip its roots into. Therefore the desire to achieve "Great" no longer comes with a price tag. Giving only 25% is acceptable behavior. Look at how it's changed the way we build our foundations; Rugged Warehouse, Concord Mills and other Outlets that sell clothes that failed to make the "Quality" list instantly becoming a commodity. People will buy damaged merchandise if the price is right. I'm usually the guy laughing at McDonald's, Wendy's and Taco Bell when a burger, burrito or diet soft drink turn into a commodity you didn't order while sitting in the car. Within seconds the angered one pushes their way through the doors. Impatiently the patron stands at the busy counter, lip and inner cheek bitten by teeth that want better service, index finger tapping and foot shaking to a rhythm Flo Rida and Pitbull should one day master. I want so badly to be the manager that gently explains, "I see you purchased your shirt from the nearby Outlet store. Hmm and yet you want perfect from my team?" "No soup for you!" A new student to Tae Kwon Do, a white belt asked me last night, "I see you're a 2nd Dan Black Belt. How did you get that?" "I earned it..." "I don't understand," he said in the most innocent fashion. Most would walk away. I chose to walk the path of Master Harris and listen. The situation quickly took me back to a prominent radio advertiser that asked, "What can I do for you to guarantee my son will get a Black Belt inside a year?" I stopped producing his commercials... Both situations immediately made me look like an ego maniac ass... Just as much as showing current on-air talent newer and better ways to voice and produce better commercials seems to ignite discontent caused by an unknown sickness linked to "Quality." Reverting back to the pages that make up the book: Secrets of a Martial Arts Master; Richard Andrew King explains how achievement and learning go hand in hand with price and sacrifice. In his own words he writes, "There's a price to get a Black Belt that involves years of dedication, devotion, determination, discipline, commitment, courage and consistency." Martial Arts fails moviegoer's in the way of never having to explain how all seven of the above mentioned words affects everything in a student's life. Ticketholder's see kicks, blocks. screams and flips on the big screen without taking the time to jot down the journey. Nobody grows into the rank of a Black Belt without bumping into the walls of highly anticipated expectations from a Master that lives the path of "Sacrifice." I bowed to the person handing me a $25 Hooter's gift certificate at work. A coworker loudly laughed while trying to gain access to more comedy by impersonating the act just performed. Richard Andrew King teaches, "To the end we must not fool ourselves. True sacrifice is surrendering the things we value most." A "Living Sacrifice" is making your beliefs known then walking through each day being true to everything involved. I cannot complain about a gas stations bathroom being dirty if mine looks the same. A radio station program director horridly shouting, "We're losing in the ratings race!" But does nothing to make their jocks or their endorsement commercials sound better, brighter and more inviting to a passerby listener that just happened to land on your vibes but only for a second. The dinosaur word of the day is "Sacrifice." What little is left might be just enough to make up a lizard. I will always believe in you first... arroe@arroe.net