Effective friendships, we all need them if we plan on being useful in life. So what are some of the keys to effective friendships? Let me tell you a story.
Mrs. Neese was an Executive Assistant to Tom VanBeek; she was fantastic, best he had ever had, she could work tirelessly day in and day out. After twelve years of outstanding performance Mrs. Neese decided to retire, Tom was saddened by her decision but happy for her. He decided to throw her a party, the entire office staff was present when Mrs. Neese arrived, and then moments later Mrs. Neese came! What?
You see there was two of them, identical twins that lived together; the first Mrs. Neese would work from eight until noon, go home for lunch and her sister wearing the same clothes would take the afternoon shift, and know one knew. Effective friends will multiply your efforts and divide your sorrows!
Effective friends don’t show you their wealth they help you discover yours. Andrew Carnegie, the penniless lad from Scotland who built the steel industry, became one of the wealthiest men that ever lived. During his lifetime gave away over 365 million which is equivalent to 70 billion today. He had several millionaires that stayed working for him and when asked why they remained in his employment they said, “Because that is the man that was willing to remove the two tons of dirt from our lives to find the one ounce of gold.”
There was an argument between the wind and the sun. They saw a man walking wearing a large coat. The wind said to the sun, “I can get that man to take off his coat.” So he began to blow as fierce as he could and the more he blew the man tightened the coat around his body all the more. The sun said “Watch me,” he gently began to send down rays of warm sunshine towards the man, and after a while, he gladly took off his coat. Effective friendship uses kindness not force, effective friendship thinks about the well-being of others. Effective friendship gives much and expects little. Effective friendship knows that you can attract more bees with honey, not vinegar! Effective friendship sees hearts, not history, sees a future, not the past, sees potential, not past problems.
For a lot more on this subject, download my series “Inspirational Stories.”
