"It is easy to live for others,
everybody does.
I call on you to live for yourself."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
[This is a classic post I found and wanted to re-share from 2-5-15. The subject friend is Greg Martin, salesman and human being extraordinaire. Greg just passed over a few weeks ago. But, I know that he is here still; albeit, invisible to the naked eye. Once hearts are touched, they are forever touched. Once loved, always loved.]
I called a friend and longtime client today just to give him some love since I haven't chatted with him in a while. He is an avid reader of these Daily Inspirations so he will know I am talking about him, but I had to do it. He's my hero.
We talked about the car business and how he did last year and he rocked the boat pretty dang well I would say. That didn't surprise me in the least because he is a pro at what he does running a commercial truck department. He seems to do well all the time, and he expects to do well, and so that is a successful pattern.
I've known him for some time now and he has always been up early and at the dealership, before the day begins for everyone else and this allows him to get ahead of his day's tasks and get much more done. I understand and appreciate that attitude.
One thing that we both know all too well is that in general, the car business has a tendency to expect you work a lot of hours, and weekends off is not in the cards for most auto salespeople. That's one great advantage of the commercial truck department because during the week is when that business moves, but even with that, the business has a tendency to chew you up and spit you out. It wears you down with the hours, and in many other ways.
He, on the other hand, has created such an open schedule for himself and still outperforms the others. I told him that freedom like that is so powerful. And rare in that business. I can appreciate it because I have more freedom myself than I ever have had and I love it more than money.
What that freedom allows is a life. It allows time to get home early, experience the family, have dinner with the family, be a dad, be a good husband, be a participant, and still have a great career and great financial income to boot.
All of that is absolutely wonderful, and to top it off with a cherry on top, he loves what he does, and if anyone watches him for even a few minutes, you know its true. He loves what he does. He loves where he does it. He loves the freedom that being successful has given him. He loves his family and he loves being a participant. He has flexibility, and he is full of love. He is my hero.
[This is a picture of Greg in 2011 and not included in the original post]
That's how you succeed in the car business. Find a good dealer, better yet, find a great dealer who is also a wonderful person. Settle in and give it your best. Learn and expand. Love what you do. Love the customers you do it for. Grow every year. There's always a way to grow. Keep doing that, all the while enjoying your family life and being a part of the community. He's at the height of his game for the moment, but I have zero doubts that he will continue to expand and improve, and love it all even more.
Making A Life Is More Important Than Making A Living.
Spread Some Joy Today--by finding a way to love what you do and love your life.
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