“Bank has started callingAnd the wolves are at my doorThree dollars and change at the pumpCost of livin's high and goin' up.”
--Ronnie Dunn from Cost of Livin’
One of my favorite feel good stories is the true life story of millionaire-gone-belly-up, Michael Gates, in How Starbucks Saved my Life. Its subtitle, A Son of Privilege learns to live like everyone else, attests to something I’ve tried to instill in my children for years: Having money does not equal happiness.
Please don’t misunderstand—I am not some Robin Hood persona gleefully enjoying the misfortune of the once rich and famous. What I do enjoy is when the underdog climbs off the porch with a huge, “WOOF!” This book had me rooting for the underdog, hoping that MG Gates would persevere in spite of bankruptcy, advancing age, a failed marriage, and a tumor.
I will admit that some would consider this selection primarily for those interested in training staff on good customer service, but it’s much more. It’s about how we should treat ourselves and others, and isn’t that the true secret for good relationships? Treating others well?
I have thought about the author’s not so subtle views on how adults still struggle with peer pressure. In a passage from the book, our main character muses, “ Be honest, Mike,” I thought, calling myself by my new Starbucks name. “You feel good about what you are doing. Just because you are wearing a green apron rather than a Brooks Brothers suit doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it!”
Sometimes the toughest job we face is being our authentic self.
