Carlos considered himself an important employee at the neighborhood deli he co-managed. He worked the night shift, while Ernie, the other manager, handled the day time duties.

One Saturday night, Carlos sent Missy home early before her shift ended at 10 p.m. Knowing that Missy had a new boyfriend, he felt compelled to give her the opportunity to spend time with him. She accepted his good deed. He remained alone to close up the deli.

Fifteen minutes to 12 a.m., a man Carlos recognized from the neighborhood stopped in to order a sandwich. The man browsed around for a few minutes then left. Before Carlos closed, he made one final round of sweeping to keep the store in order. He discovered, in the center of the store, a manila envelope with about $3,500 cash inside. He was beside himself.

When he made it home, he told his roommate about his discovery. She cautioned him that someone would come looking for the money and, at some point; he had to make a decision about how he wanted to proceed. He strongly contemplated on keeping the money.

The next afternoon, the same man from the night before stopped in again. The man asked Ernie if anyone found an envelope the night before. Ernie had no knowledge of the situation, and replied, “No.” As the mystery man was leaving, Carlos spoke up and admitted to finding the envelope. He did the right thing and returned the envelope to the man.

The man gave him a $50 reward. Carlos accepted the reward but gave it to Missy. He believed Missy and her boyfriend would enjoy a nice meal together. To his surprise, he felt better giving the money back than keeping it.

That night when he got home, his roommate said to him, “I was wondering what you would do. In my heart I knew you would do the right thing. I admire you for your act of goodness.”

Jody had a unique position of employment – one that most people would probably enjoy. Though it did have its draw backs, allow me to explain…

Jody visited the R&H Discount Emporium to buy stockings. When she arrived, she headed to the information desk to inquire about where she could find the item. Sarah, the very polite clerk, gave her the information and sent Jody on her way.

Jody walked toward the self that held the stockings. Fifteen feet away from her goal, Jody purposely knocked over a display of “malted milk balls” that were on a shelf near the stockings. The nearby clerk, Tre, rushed over screaming, “do you realize how long that will take me to restock!” Jody was unhappy with Tre’s rude tone but, true to her nature, she walked off.

What no-one knew, but would find out the next morning, is that Jody was a “mystery shopper” sent by the store to conduct research on how employees functioned. Pursuant to her report, Sarah was promoted to a higher position, and commended for her customer service skills. Tre, on the other hand, was given a pink slip and let go. He had to take a trip to the unemployment line.

The moral of this story: you, the consumer/customer, must be treated with respect in all situations. Understand that companies must serve your needs and not their own. Never allow your rights or freedom to be compromised. You’re the reason why businesses exist!

Mary Lou used to consider her a “weird” individual, because she had an uncanny knack for remembering everything that was said on television shows. She developed this ability from the young age of seven. Her parents tended to side with others, and thought she was strange.

To the outsiders, the strangeness, if you will, came from their lack of understanding of how a person of 22 years old could remember every word said on T.V., but could not remember details of her own personal life such as hospital visits, job interviews, etc.

At 22 years old, Mary Lou decided to explore why she was so able in one area and not the others. She felt memory was the cornerstone of all areas. She met Dr. Lindstrom for an examination. He ran routine brain scans to determine where this dissection came from. His report concluded that she had a mild form of a disease that blocked certain brain waves. He informed her that treatment was available.

Mary Lou took advantage of her medical options. Over a 4 1/2 month period, she went through intensive procedures to correct her condition. Today at 25 years old, Mary Lou is blessed to have sought out Dr. Lindstrom. Great strides have taken place in her life over the last 2 years.

Mary Lou now works at one of the most prestigious brokerage firms in her city. She is using her talents to memorize and dispense statistics to fellow traders. Her unique talent speeds up the process of decision making on long-term investing. She is presently one of the greatest assets to the company.

Luckily, Mary Lou didn’t give in to her disease. She found ways to capitalize on her asset. One lesson she thought: to be an asset, you must cultivate your asset!