I began my financial career in retail.
Although we were called, “Account Managers”, the entire job entailed selling investment products to consumers.
I would spend most of my days on the phone speaking with interesting people – many of whom were retirees.
The retirees loved to tell me their life stories.
Some would even share sob stories.
I tried to cheer them up.
One day, I was speaking with an elderly woman named, Estelle. She told me how depressed she had been feeling lately and how she longed for happiness.
I told her that the city of happiness lies in the state of mind.
She seemed to really like that. She said, “that is beautiful and so very true.”
I confessed to her that I had read it on a milk carton that morning which was really funny considering I never drink milk as it has been known to give some people really bad gas.
She laughed.
Estelle and I would speak once or twice a week.
She never once bought a stock or a bond or even one share of a Dean Witter mutual fund from me.
But, I didn’t care. Because in my State, making someone’s day feels a lot better than making a sale.
206 blog posts down – 159 to go…
Rantings of a Stoic 