We all can use an occasional dose of inspiration. Otherwise, the tyranny of the present will overwhelm us with minutia.
Recently, I re-read a book about an inspiring man, William Volker. Few people have ever heard of him, yet he changed America and -- indirectly -- the world. The book is titled "Mr. Anonymous" (1951). He died in 1946. He would have forbidden its publication. He hated personal publicity. I call him the unknown American.
He was a fabulously successful businessman in ho-hum fields: home furnishings wholesaling and window shade manufacture. He was a pioneer of profit sharing with his employees. He personally oversaw the development of America's first Board of Public Welfare in 1910, which initially was private. He put up much of its money. It later was taken over by politicians, including Tom Pendergast, Missouri's political boss. Pendergast later got Harry Truman elected U.S. Senator, which eventually led to Hiroshima and Nagasaki -- world-changing events. Volker admitted later that it had been a mistake to let the politicians take over the Board's funding.
He gave away millions when a million dollars were like $20 million. He started with nothing except a capacity for hard work and a knowledge of double-entry bookkeeping.
Is there an equivalent person in your field? Read about what made him tick. See what lessons you can learn. Then apply them.
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