All For Personal Gratification

Life is a road trip that needs navigating, and no better way to do it than getting compliments along the road. My granddaughter thanked me for doing one of the many tasks that I customarily do for her every morning whilst getting her ready for school. Then when she realized, I wasn’t going to respond by complimenting her, she snapped, and! She was expecting me to say, ‘You’re welcome!’

It made me realize how important it is for others that little bit extra. Age has taught me use self-gratification as a means to a way. In other words, compliments aren’t expected though respectfulness is. It makes sense to thank people when they make gestures of respectfulness towards me, or lend a helping hand along my path. A kind nature goes a long way. Self-gratification though is a strong tool to meet your own personal objectives and expectations.

I’ve come to terms that everyone is different. You cannot force a person to align with your own thoughts on a matter. It doesn’t matter if people like me, or not. What’s important is my own contribution to society, knowledge, and experience. Play fair, don’t take advantage of others, and commit to ongoing development. Excellence in activities is fundamental to growth!

In the early 90s a company was provided English classes on Avenida Paulista, Sao Paulo’s Fifth Avenue of the city. Public transport was used to get there. The lifts in those day had operators who sat on stalls and oversaw the control panel. You’d get in and ask politely for the floor you were going to. An empty lift, apart from the middle-aged woman at its helm sat there.

A Brazilian businessman walked directly into the lift. As he entered, he boldly spoke one word, “Um!” which means one. The operator didn’t flinch, and instead she pressed the button and served the Almighty one. This guy was on a roll. By his posture you could tell he felt his status was a cut above the simple while humble operator.

The moral of the story is that you can think you are something, even the best, but treat others as you want to be treated, with respect!

Take care!

Prof. Carl Boniface

Vocabulary builder:

Oversaw (v) = administered, managed, controlled, ran, run, directed, handled

Helm (v) = oversaw, managed, administered, controlled, directed, ran

Boldly (adv) =confidently, brashly, shamelessly, cheekily, impudently, (ant) timidly

Flinch (v) = recoil, shy away, draw back, stand her ground, cringe

The Almighty one "Almighty one" refers to God as an entity with unlimited power, also known as omnipotence. The term can also describe something with "very great power, influence, or importance," though in this context, "almighty one" is most commonly used in a religious sense to denote the supreme, all-powerful being.