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I teased the "old man" of the group last week about looking like 65. I
know he's not, because I've known Johnny Fonville 45 years, and he had
already made his fortune in the jewelry business when I met him. He
claims to be 89, and I know him to be a truthful man.
Johnny retired from the jewelry business long ago, but he's kept his
hand in both the store and the community. He and his wife are really
retiring this time, to a "retirement village" in Denton, where John
Charles lives. We'll miss his cheerful countenance and gentle humor.
Creamy McCree moved up to chairman of the Coffee Bunch - a spot
reserved for the oldest of the group. He's another one who took working
seriously and couldn't find time to really retire.
Bill Hubbs never started working, so he didn't have anything to retire
from. He and John Charles were talking up air shows when I stopped in
last week.
I don't know whether Bob Sebesta considers himself retired or not. Do
pastors work?
George Vasquez has turned the everyday business at the furniture store
over to his son, Eddie, but I think he works as hard as ever. Maybe he
and Lois get away for a trip more often.
Then there's Harold Elder, a retired banker, and Jesse Stephens,
retired from Texas-New Mexico Power Co. and several businesses. Greg
Luna escaped from a looney bin - oh, they don't call it that anymore. I
know he's too young to retire, but maybe managing a mental hospital
makes you old before your time.
There are others in the group who didn't make it for the photo and
goodbye event for Johnny. They are a fun bunch. If you take a close look
at their picture in today's Golden Years section, you will see them
laughing merrily. Instead of asking them to say "cheese" for the camera,
I said, "say sex." That always gets a grin, especially from the
over-the-hill gang.
"..wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can
compare with her." Proverbs 8:11, NIV.
EDITOR'S Note: Peggy McCracken is an Enterprise writer and editor whose
column appears each Tuesday.
The IRS telephone ``helpline'' has been a cruel joke on taxpayers for
the past several years.
It is extremely difficult to get through. Most calls end in busy
signals.
For those lucky enough to get a live employee on the line, there's the
wonderfully reassuring fact that the IRS frequently gives incorrect
answers to even basic tax questions -and saying you did only what the
IRS told you to do is not an accepted legal defense in an audit or in
tax court. ...
--The Parkersburg (W.Va.) News
It's very difficult to reach any destination or plot a course for
reaching any destination if you have no idea where you are. Virtually
every reader will recognize the logic in that opening sentence. There
are many people who try to go places and have no idea where they are at
many stops along the way, however. Let's look at two specific examples:
The first example comes from the world of selling. Research
conclusively proves that, everything else being equal, the salesperson
who keeps records on why he did or did not sell a prospect will sell
substantially more merchandise than the salesperson who does not keep
records. The salesperson who knows not only what happened, but why it
happened, and how he can utilize that information to his benefit,
however, will sell considerably more. Knowing the "why" makes it
possible to take care of the "how" and lessens the salesperson's
inclination to kid himself or herself about why results are not better.
The second example has to do with dieting. Evidence is solid that we
lose weight faster and keep it off longer if we keep a detailed written
account of exactly what we're eating and the circumstances under which
we eat. This way, we never kid ourselves about "not eating a thing." We
even remember to write down what we ate on the run or standing up, while
we were in the coffee shop or when we stopped by a friend's desk and
picked up a little "goodie" that was there for the taking.
Regardless of what you're doing in life, understand that if you know
what you want and have a plan of action to get there, you're far more
likely to make more sales, lose that weight, get that education or reach
whatever objective you have set. Take that approach, and I'll see you at
the top!
***
"Liberty is the right to discipline ourselves in order not to be
disciplined by others." - Clemenceau
EDITOR'S NOTE: Zig Ziglar is a motivational speaker whose column is
copyrighted and distributed by Creators Syndicate Inc.
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