Listen, Learn and Earn
I know two free lessons anyone can use to become either a Rich
Jerk, a millionaire, a billionaire, or just a successful person.
And these lessons are cheap, priceless, and won't cost you a
dime, yet alone $97 for an ebook. With these lessons you can
start today, no matter where you're at in life. Because they sum
up two important factors in getting what you want: learn to
listen, and always be willing to learn.
Ten years ago, while attending a small local college to study
Telecommunications as a full time student, I had learned these
two important lessons that would later help me in my career
path. And they didn't come from a classroom or a professor. It
came from an unlikely place, the janitorial department, where I
worked part time to earn money, and get my clothes dirty from
mopping floors. But this place, unbeknownst to me, would be my
real learning classroom. The lessons I would learn would come
from my two supervisors, Jack and Santiago.
The first lesson was from Jack, who was the main boss, a huge
man who almost resembled Jackie Gleason, the actor who played
Ralph Kramden from the television series, The Honeymooners. If I
didn't do a certain job right, like not completely mow the grass
like I was suppose to, Jack would walk right up to my face and
question me. His big presence alone would send chills down my
back. So to get out of this situation, I quickly interrupted his
talking, giving him an avalanche of excuses. Then Jack would
wave his gigantic hand in my face, point at both sides of his
ears, and say, "I'm going to ask you for a favor: close your
mouth and open your ears."
Then I would shut up! I would not speak until I heard what Jack
had to say. And when I did speak, he would listen to me, without
interrupting my sentence. Today, when I get the temptation to
cut someone off from speaking, especially from a conversation
about making money, I still remember Jack pointing to his ears,
reminding me to Close your mouth and open your ears. Do the same.
The second advice came from Santiago, a Hispanic male in his
late thirties. One day in our small break area, Santiago entered
and asked me if I knew how to paint. He was looking for an extra
body to help him finish paint an office. I told him I didn't.
Then he would ask me another question, "But you're willing to
learn, right?"
Every time Santiago would ask me if I knew how to do something,
such as use a sander, operate a lawn mower, or use a drill gun,
I would again say, "I don't know." Santiago would throw his
hands up in the air, and again asked, "Are you willing to learn?"
Santiago would never let me get off the hook! He taught me on
how to use our equipment, and I Iater learned how to paint, sand
a wall, and drill a nail threw a wall. But I never forgot what
he told me, "Remember these five words: always be willing to
learn. Trust me; you'll go farther in life."
He was right. Today, I don't scrubs toilets. Instead I work for
a university as a lab supervisor for an internet department,
where I assist in providing online courses to students around
the globe. And I got here by being willing to listen and learn.
Trust me, if you follow the advices of my former supervisors,
you'll open more doors of opportunity for yourself and learn
something new that could sharpen your mind. Like mowing the
grass better!
Jose Guzman is an Internet Lab Supervisor for an online
university. He is also the webmaster of Get Rich Hype.Com
(www.getrichhype.com), where visitors can review and post their
comments on the latest "get rich" information products, such as
books, e-books, and more.