Listen To Frank
As its Easter the focus is on religion and the beliefs that provide each of us with our own moral values and codes. Whenever the discussion of ‘life rules’ comes up I’m always reminded of a random drunken chat when I was just seventeen.
This was when I was just out of college and had my first day job (yes I did have one once) working up in central London. After a tough day the guys I worked with insisted on taking me out drinking and ended up in one of them posh swanky wine bars in Marylebone. In the private function room of this wine bar there was some engagement party, we knew this because the father of the bride-to-be had got bored and randomly joined us in main bar.
This was Frank, interesting fella, but know nowt about him now. But I do remember something he told me that has stayed with me and has been one of the life rules I’ve followed ever since.
Just hold your hands up, apologise and don’t hinder them to help themselves”.
At the time I just thought ‘I have no problem helping people’, what can I say, I’m a nice guy really. It would seem that over the years this has its own rewards, whether its karma or whatever I don’t know.
Even a small action on my part could help someone out in a big way, and when you help somebody out they usually want to return the favour at an equal or greater value. So that one act from me, that may have helped them big time, when they wish to return on this when I need it, it comes in very handy.
The way this life lesson was put to me was not with reward in mind, and should not be carried out with the expectation of having a reward. That’s not how this works. Sure, there are the people I’ve helped when they’ve needed it and been quite a one way trade, but sometimes you may not even know when they’ve helped you. Just a positive word to the right person about you, can have its own rewards.
If you were in a position to help someone, they ask for your help and you say no? Would this not bare down on your concious? Even psychologists have reported on the benefits of a positive mental attitude. People with a positive outlook have better luck, and some of the doors that have opened along the road of my career were purely down to luck and being in the right place at the right time.
So on this, a religious holiday, it doesn’t matter if you look for a belief system for your moral compass, look to karma to keep you on the straight and narrow or have some life lessons to guide you through. This is one lesson I have heard in many other forms but think it was the way Frank put it that made me always keep it in mind.