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Once upon a time…
Once there was an owner of a flooring company. Every year he went to an elderly lady to maintain for her beautiful wooden floor. Sometimes it was just cleaning the floor and applying a layer of wax. Usually, the work would take no longer than a few hours. A job that easily could have been done by one of his employees. However, the owner of the company personally went over to take care of the floor every year. It was a special old floor with a fish bone structure and he enjoyed the conversations with the old lady. So it took the man always much longer than necessary. And every year they talked about the special painting on the wall. It was an old painting with a horse on it. The man himself was an amateur painter and found it a wonderful painting. And every year the man said that the painting would be even nicer if it was restored. He had never restored a painting but he would like to learn it for sure.
Sad news…
The following year, it was time again to make an appointment to maintain the floor of the old lady. The man tried contact her but he couldn’t reach her. One day a woman came into his showroom. She introduced herself and it was the daughter of the old lady. “I have sad news for you”, she said. She told him that her mother had passed away. The woman had come to him because he was mentioned in the will of the old lady. The painting with the horse was for him to have. The only condition was that the man had to restore the painting. Something he still had never done until that very day. He offered the woman his condolences and thanked her for coming.
The following months he began to clean and repair the painting. Something he had learned by the browsing the internet, watching videos on YouTube and working very carefully.
One day he was done with his work and the painting was much nicer. Undoubtedly the painting was valuable and he would receive a lot of money if he would sell.
A Better idea!
However, he had a better idea. He called a befriended entrepreneur and invited him for a cup of coffee and to show him the painting. The friend was well-known in the city where they both lived. He did a lot for the city in the form of sponsorships and voluntary work for community projects. Also, his friend was a great lover of horses. He had a horse himself and rode regularly.
When his friend saw the painting with the horse, he was struck immediately by the beauty of the artwork. He was eager to have it and asked how much would cost. “Nothing”, replied the owner of the flooring company. “You do so much for this city. I want to thank you and would like to give you this painting. ”
Of course, his friend was extremely happy with this gift.
I don’t know happened next and where the painting is now. What I do know, is that this is a true story. A friend told it to me and I was very impressed.
A gift from the heart
The story shows the value of a gift that is given from the heart. Such a gift you cannot keep for yourself . You have to pass it on. My experience is that if you do this, there are more gifts for you to receive. Those are not necessarily gifts in true coin but can also be a special encounter, unexpected help, a discovery or an opportunity. An important condition is that you give something without expecting anything in return.
Why give?
I experience a lot of happiness and joy by giving. I feel alive when I give. By giving you can develop yourself. In your work you can do it by doing something extra for your client like I describe in my article on how to become more service-minded. I share my ideas and experiences with you in my articles. I do this because I am convinced that they are also of value to you. So it’s very easy to give someone a compliment. You can also give by making time for someone and to listen. How? Read my article with tips to listen better.
Do you recognize this? Have you ever received a gift that you have passed on? How did that make you feel? And what was the effect? Let me know in the comment box below. I look forward reading from you!
In the upcoming days I encourage you to give, to deliver an extra unexpected service or doing something without expecting anything in return. Let me know what it was and how that went.
The first 3 comments will receive a gift from me. Something I’ve received and would like to give to you.
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