A story of gratitude to start the year

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to read a story about gratitude and appreciation, which I want to share in this space. I hope you find this story interesting, which was sent to me by the economic analyst Marc Faber.

A young man applied for a management position in a large company. He passed the initial interview and then had a meeting with the CEO.

The principal discovered from the curriculum that the young man’s academic achievements were excellent. He asked him: “Did you manage to get scholarships at your school?”, to which the young man replied, “no”.

So your dad paid your tuition?

– My dad passed away when I was one year old; It was my mother who paid the tuition, she replied.

Where did your mother work?

– My mother was a laundress.

The director asked the young man to show him his hands. The young man displayed a perfectly soft and smooth pair of hands.

Have you ever helped your mother do the laundry?

– Never, my mother always preferred that I study and read. Also, she does laundry faster than me.

Then, the director told him: “I have an order for you: when you go home today, clean your mother’s hands and come see me tomorrow.”

The young man felt that he had a great opportunity to get the job. When he returned home, he asked his mother to let him clean his hands. His mother was surprised. She was pleased, but with mixed feelings she showed her hands to her son.

Slowly, the young man cleaned his mother’s hands. Tears streamed down his face as he did so. It was the first time he had noticed that his mother’s hands were very wrinkled and full of bruises. Some hurt so much that his mother winced when he touched them.

That was the first time the young man realized that those hands washed clothes daily so he could go to school. The injuries were the price she paid for her son’s education and future.

Finishing washing his hands, the young man silently washed the rest of his mother’s clothes.

That night, mother and son talked for a long time.

The next morning, the young man appeared at the principal’s office.

The principal noticed the tears in the young man’s eyes when he asked him: “Could you tell me what you learned yesterday at home?”

The young man replied, “I cleaned my mom’s hands and also finished the laundry for her.”

– Now I know what appreciation is. Without my mother, he would not be the man I am now. By helping her, I learned how difficult and hard it is to have your own achievements. And now I appreciate the importance and value of helping the family.

The director told him: “This is what I look for in a manager. I want to recruit a person who values ​​the help of others, a person who knows the suffering of others to achieve things and that money is not the only value in his life.

A child who is overprotected and given everything they ask for will develop an “entitlement mentality” and will always be selfish. He won’t mind the efforts of his parents. If we are this kind of overprotective parent, are we really showing love or are we destroying our children?

Your children will be able to live in a big house, eat a big meal, learn the piano and have a big screen TV. But when you mow the lawn, let them experience it too. After eating, let them wash their dishes with their brothers and sisters. It’s not because you can’t hire a maid, but because you have to love them the right way. You want them to understand that no matter how wealthy their parents are, they will one day have gray hair, just like the mother of the young man in the story.

The most important thing is that your children learn to value effort, experience difficulty, and learn to work as a team to get things done.

I take this opportunity to wish you prosperity and growth in the coming year.

*President and Founder of Grupo Salinas

Place: https://www.ricardosalinas.com/

Twitter: @RicardoBSalinas