REWARDING
GENIUS
Someone
wondered if I was spreading myself too thin. I'm doing websites, doing
illustrations, programming, singing, helping here, helping there, etc.
"do you get any business from this?" I had to think about that
one.
Kevin
was only 5 years old when he was given the task to cut the weeds in their
garden. He wondered if there was an easier tool than the scissors his
father gave him. He pondered and developed an idea. He went around the
junkyard and got a small motor, a long pipe, and a long electrical extension.
He went to a mechanic uncle and gave him a sketch of how he wanted these
pieces to be put together. He attached short wires on a circular motor
and put this at the tip of the stick. He plugged it to an electric cord.
When he tested these rotating wires on the weeds it trimmed beautifully.
He asked his father if they could sell his idea. His father thought it
was silly. A businessman was driving by and saw what was going on. In
a few months there was a new invention in the gardening market --- a "weed
cutter!"
Russ
was courting his (then) college sweetheart who rode a bike in the campus
late at night. Concerned for her safety, he bought reflectors ordinarily
placed at the back and attached them on the spokes of the wheels. At night
the spinning reflections would warn a driver that his girlfriend was on
the road. Years later, Russ was watching a TV interview with the man who
invented the "Bike
Wheel Spoke Reflectors" and the man said he was inspired by a
woman on a bike at night when he was in college.
We've
all heard about successful innovators. But seldom do we hear about fortunes
that slipped away. But lest you feel sorry for Kevin and Russ' lost opportunities
remember that money is not the only reward. True genius never stagnates.
For the truly gifted, there's a lot more where their ideas come from.
My 2 friends are nice people. They've moved on instead of feeling cheated.
Back to the question. Do I make money when I volunteer? Sometimes I do
... but I think the driving force is the fun. Gifts are meant to be shared.
The joy in sharing is the reward. What's your gift? Are you sharing ...
or are you counting the cost? Hmmm ...
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Wisdom
from Tom of Pasadena, CA 
'If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed, if you do
read the newspaper you are misinformed.' --- Mark Twain
Thanks
to this week's winners:
Tom and Art of Pasadena; Don of Kelowna; Grace of Tempe.
"Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when
it is in your power to do it." --- Proverbs 3:27
Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what
is yours, do not demand it back. --- Luke 6:30
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