‘YOU’RE ROLLING OUT THE RED CARPET TO THE WRONG PERSON’ By Miriam Mukasa

There’s a story that is often shared around dinner parties in London, about an occasion when a few, young and prosperous men &...


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There’s a story that is often shared around dinner parties in London, about an occasion when a few, young and prosperous men & women were enjoying dinner and in the course of the evening,  some used this platform as an opportunity to “Big Themselves Up”.

The investment bankers were talking about the huge mega deals they were putting together, the lawyers were talking about their successful cases, property sales people were discussing the rise and rise of their property valuations and so forth. But one man kept quiet – and they all assumed that perhaps he was the least successful of them all and proceeded to ignore him all night. At the end of the evening, one guest at the table turned to this quiet man (whether it was to embarrass or include him in to the conversation, no one knows), and asked:

Richard: “You’ve been quiet all night, what do you do?”

Tom: “Oh nothing as exciting as you all. I just fly planes …”

What no one knew was, Tom was not just any pilot, he was actually an F-16 fighter pilot.

Now, whether this story is true or not, it does make a strong point about the fact that often, we roll out the red carpet for people who are the loudest, be this in person, old media, social media (including:showcasing their material possessions), when in actual fact, it is the quiet ones that we need to be watching since the most successful men and women do not have to, nor do they feel the need, to “Talk Up Their Books”.

Some time back, there was a photo of Bill Gates at a steak restaurant in Europe. He was accompanied by his daughter and sat at a corner table, ordered his food and was very polite & courteous to the waiters. When he had finished, he accepted the waiters’ request for a selfie and left them all with a great tip. The waiters made the comment to the papers that here was a billionaire who had come to their simple restaurant and had treated them far better than their regular customers. Bill Gates had been so quiet and discreet that apparently it was only when he was leaving and some security men were leading the way quietly, that the people in the neighbouring tables realised that all evening, they’d had a VIP in their midst but no one had taken much notice since Bill Gates had been very quiet, discreet and humble.

Now contrast this with the so called “Millionaires” that we follow online? The one who show off their cars, phones, clothes and so forth on social media. Are they really as successful or as rich as they try to make out? Are we simply witnesses watching them burn through their money and getting drunk on the reality shows they are directing? So, next time you want to identify the really successful person, look out for the quiet one(s) sitting in a corner. S/he could be Bill Gates sitting quietly while being ignored by us as we focus our attention on the loud participants in the centre table of the restaurant. Watch the REAL (clean) millionaires and other successful people and learn how they handle themselves – see how humble they are. This is how clean, successful people behave and carry themselves. To read more posts by Miriam, click HERE

Photo Credit: www.ecustoms.com

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