SELF-CONTROL 5IIin the manner that people who have no intention of buying often
do. Most of the salespeople gave her the "once over" and busied
themselves by straightening the stock on their shelves so as to avoid
being troubled by her. One of the young men saw her and made it his
business to inquire politely if he might serve her. She informed him that
she was only waiting for it to stop raining; that she did not wish to make
any purchases. The young man assured her that she was welcome, and
by engaging her in conversation made her feel that he had meant what
he said. When she was ready to go, he accompanied her to the street
and raised her umbrella for her. She asked for his card and went on
her way.
The incident had been forgotten by the young man, when one day
he was called into the office by the head of the firm and shown a letter
from a lady who wanted a salesman to go to Scotland and take an order
for the furnishings for a mansion.
That lady was Andrew Carnegie's mother; she was also the same
woman whom the young man had so courteously escorted to the street
many months previously.
In the letter, Mrs. Carnegie specified that this young man was the
one whom she desired be sent to take her order. That order amounted
to an enormous sum, and the incident brought to the young man an
opportunity for advancement that he might never have had except for
his courtesy to an old lady who did not look like a "ready sale:'
Just as the great fundamental laws of life are wrapped up in the
commonest sort of everyday experiences that most of us never notice,
so are the real opportunities often hidden in the seemingly unimportant
transactions of life.
Ask the next ten people whom you meet why it is they have not
accomplished more in their respective lines of endeavor, and at least
nine of them will tell you that opportunity does not seem to come
their way. Go a step further and analyze each of these nine accurately
by observing their actions for one single day, and the chances are you