For those of you who know me, I’m a big believer in, “The early bird gets the worm” and here’s how it works.
So, I’m speaking to my friend Howard a few days
ago. Howie (as he is known) and I met in high school many years ago. An
excellent athlete and a mensh of menshes, Howie’s always inspired me. We
speak every week or two, catch up, compare notes and invariably talk about our
children. His are Dylan and Codey. Mine are Jason and Amanda. All
four are high achievers.
Codey and her partner, Joey (both in their mid 20’s)
left Canada a couple weeks ago to settle in Australia – it’s a big step for
sure. And Howie tells me that Joey has already got a job.
“What? So soon? I guess he got an
inter-company transfer”, I asked.
“Nope, nothing of the sort,” said Howie.
“He’s an early riser”.
“You see”, Howie continued. “Codey and him are
staying with my old friend Gary. Early one morning last week, Joey got the worm”.
I met Gary eons ago before we both left South
Africa in the late 80’s. Gary’s one of the top veterinarians in
Australia. He wakes up early to tend his clients, (horses).
So on one particular morning ten days
ago, Joey asks Gary if he can join Gary in his morning
rounds. “Sure”, Gary said – and so just after 5 am they set off, first to
make a stop at the local coffee joint for a morning java.
Gary’s a regular there. The owner knows
him – and as Gary and Joey walked in, they were just in time to hear
the coffee shop’s owner’s almost silent rant about how hard it is to get a
manager for the early morning shift (5 to 10am).
As Gary and Joey ordered their
coffee, Joey spoke up. “You know,” he said. “I’m an early riser and I
would love the 5am shift. I promise I’ll be the best 5am guy you’ve ever
met.” He was hired at 5:05am and started at 5:00am the next morning.
So here’s the deal. Will Joey be the best 5am coffee guy you’ve ever met? Will he spend the rest of his life
pouring coffee and heating muffins? Who knows! But that’s not the
point.
The point is clear – and there are two.
The first is to wake up early. And the second is to ask.
I think we all (including me) have what to
learn from this young man.
Howie, thanks for inspiring me and ps - I’m
writing this at 5:09am – nice and early and can you please get me a coffee? Or
better yet, tell Joey that I’m writing this because of you (and him)
Thanks for the inspiration
