The Most Important Lesson - Grasshopper

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned in life?

You might have to sit with that question for a moment – but it’s worth the reflection.

For me, the answer goes all the way back to my teenage years.

My dad was a bricklayer. My uncle was a steamfitter. Together, they invested their savings into a part-time business and bought a Tastee-Freez ice cream franchise.

All the employees were family members, and for me, it was my very first job. I started out working just a few hours a week, then picked up more hours as I got a bit older.

The store was open from May ’til the end of October, 7 days a week from 9 a.m. ‘til 11 p.m. We lived in the northeast, and there was little business to be had from November through April, so we were closed during those months.

One late October night, I was working with my dad. The weather was rainy and raw. It was now 10 o’clock, and we hadn’t had a customer for at least an hour and a half.

So I said to my dad, “maybe we should close up and go home because it looks like no one’s coming out for ice cream.”

He looked at me and said, “We’re open ’til 11. What if a dad pulls up before closing with a carful of kids and we’re not open? What will he remember? The bad weather? No, he’ll remember that he disappointed his kids and that we weren’t open for our posted hours. Where will he go the next time? Not here.”

I remember saying under my breath, "like that’s gonna happen."

So I went back to doing busy work around the store, just trying to pass the time.

Then, at quarter ’til eleven – lo and behold – a car pulls up. Inside is a man and a gaggle of kids, all wanting ice cream.

I couldn’t believe it.

We served them, and they drove off smiling.

The lesson I learned that night was simple: Do what you say you’re going to do. And it’s been my guiding light ever since.

Sure, I’ve slipped up a few times. But not often enough to keep me from applying that lesson throughout my life.

So what’s your most important lesson?

And if you haven’t found it yet, it’s worth exploring. Because once you do, it becomes a noble asset – one that will serve you not only from May through October, but for a lifetime.