I worked in a grocery store as a youngster. The Depression was on, inventories were limited and merchants frequently ran out of stock items. As a result, the merchants would borrow from each other until their next shipment came in. I was the "runner" for our store and Charlie Scott was the "runner" for the store across the street. On countless occasions Charlie would run into our store and call out to our boss, "Mr. Anderson, I need to borrow a half-dozen cans of tomatoes." Mr. Anderson would always respond, "Well, Charlie, you know where they are. Go get 'em!" Charlie would run back, pick up the cans of tomatoes, dash back to the check-out stand, scribble his name on the receipt and rush out.

One day I asked why Charlie Scott was always in such a hurry. Mr. Anderson responded, "Charlie is working for a raise - and he's going to get it." I asked him how he knew and Mr. Anderson replied, "I know he'll get a raise because if the man he's working for doesn't give it to him, I will." How true that was!

Many years later while speaking at Mississippi State University I told this story. A tall, redheaded gentleman came up to me and said, "You probably would not recognize Charlie Scott today if you saw him, would you?" I responded that no, I wouldn't, since he had left for the military before I did, and I hadn't seen him since. He smiled and said, "I didn't think you would. I'm Charlie Scott."

Later, Charlie's friends told me that Charlie had been able to retire at age fifty because he had followed that lesson of hustling throughout his life. Consequently, he had become so enormously successful that he was able to spend the rest of his life in service to his fellow man. Yes, the extra effort does pay. Buy that idea and I'll SEE YOU AT THE TOP!



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