by Mariah Rittel
“Whatever goes around, comes around,” V.J. Smith exclaimed to the crowd, kicking off the YP Network’s first ever “Epic Impact” event on Tuesday, November 18. Smith proceeded to captivate the crowd with stories — stories that were chock-full of life lessons. All of these lessons centered on a man named Marty, a man who had a profound impact on Smith, inspiring him to write the book The Richest Man In Town, and changed his life forever. Smith then went on to give an inspirational presentation about the lessons Marty taught him and which, in turn, he now tells to people all over the country.
As I sat in the auditorium at the UND Center for Family Medicine and listened to Smith’s stories I picked up a few lessons to share with you.
Care
Smith believes the most important word in the world is “care.” Care even trumps the word “love” because, according to Smith, it is included in care. Everyone is judged by this word. We are judged by how much we care about our job, how much we care about our relationships, how much we care about ourselves and much more. Smith said that if you care, you take an extra step for others.
Hustle
Hustle is an offshoot of the word care. Smith believes when people care, they are willing to hustle, to take it up a notch. This means that people move quicker for others and themselves. In Smith’s story about a slow walking manager, he said to the manager, “You will not make it far in this job or any job if you don’t hustle.” Smith then discussed his experience with a Dallas bus driver that hustled for his customers. In the end, the bus driver received more thanks and bigger tips because he hustled for them.
Say Thank You and Be Grateful
One of the most important lessons Smith emphasized in his presentation was to always say “thank you.” In fact, he grabbed stacks of small cards at the front of the auditorium and threw them into the crowd to further emphasize this lesson. The small yellow, green, and pink cards sprawled throughout the auditorium were decorated with the words “thank you” on both sides. We all like to be thanked, not just for others but for ourselves as well. I learned that you won’t believe how good you will feel when you say thanks. Smith exclaimed, “Being grateful is life changing.”
