Friday, October 25, 2013

A Lifetime of Happiness


If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap.
If you want happiness for a day, go fishing.  
If you want happiness for a month, get married. 
If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. 
If you want happiness for a lifetime, help someone else.
Chinese Proverb
This Chinese Proverb came to mind as I thought about Make a Difference Day, which is tomorrow. In my quest to do something special today, I was inspired by a compelling video. Before I use a story I research it, as much as possible, to be certain that it is not a hoax. To determine what is real and what is not, I use www.snopes.com. After only typing in a few words, many times it will find the exact story that I had read and report whether it is true or fabricated.
The video I watched today was broadcast by a major network news station, which seemed to give it credibility. It is a feel good story about a debt collection company with a heart. The owner said that people in debt don’t have money so there is no reason to brow beat them.
He wants to help people get out of debt. He hires customer care specialists who are rewarded not on the amount of money they collect, but for the number of free services that they give away. The specialists will write a person’s resume, set up an interview and even call to remind the person about their meeting. The company will help renegotiate all of their debts, not just the one with his company. The owner says that it pays to be nice and that he is doing two times better than his competition. When the interviewer asks him why he does business this way he said it is because if they help people get out of debt, then his company gets paid.
It sounded like a great story, until I did my research. The owner was one of the richest people in America, that is until he was indicted on 57 federal felony counts for the same type of business! Forbes titled their article about him Return of the Billionaire Huckster. He did not serve time in prison and claims that it was due to overzealous prosecutors and one of his former employees who broke the law.
After I read this, I threw away my notes and decided to move on to another story. Then I got my notes out of the trashcan. This man is trying to solve the debt that 35 million American consumers have amassed and helping people solve their problems. Can he be all that bad if he is doing so much good? You can decide for yourself by perusing these news reports:
This made me reconsider the gift I had planned but later dismissed for today. It was one I had previously given to someone else. When I read this story, I realized that each and every person that the debt collector business helps, a real difference is made to them.
So today’s gift was sending a heartfelt note to a woman with whom I had a work relationship and who is advancing in years. I wanted her to know that I still think about her often and how I loved listening to her fascinating life stories. I want to help someone else and make a difference to them, which the proverb says will give me happiness for a lifetime.
In Giving,
Robin

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