When I was in the 6th grade, I got a drum kit for my birthday. My parents, then, apparently wanting to be equitable, enrolled my 4th-grade sister in cello lessons. Big mistake.
Try to imagine one instrument creating its own cacophony. My sister made that cello sound like (alternatively or in combination): nails on a chalkboard, a wounded cat, deflated bag pipes, a very ill cat, someone hitting telephone wires with a ball-peen hammer, a tortured cat, a shrieking ghost, a dying cat. Needless to say, when it was time for my sister's cello practice, I left the house as quickly as possible. Even the memory conjures up migraine headaches.
Naturally, when my 10-year old daughter had to choose an instrument for her school's orchestra, she of course set her heart on the cello. I begged her to pick something else. "What about the flute?" I suggested, "It's nice and quiet." She was not to be deterred. My wife (the true decision-maker in our household) sided with my daughter, and that was that. Sadly, and with great trepidation, I drove to the music store and rented a cello.
That was over a month ago. Remarkably, the infernal discord I had dreaded never materialized. It turns out my daughter is a pretty decent little cello-player. I actually look forward to the pleasant refrains of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and "Hot Cross Buns" on a stringed instrument. While she won't be giving Yo-Yo Ma a run for his money anytime soon, even when my daughter simply proceeds through musical scales, the notes are melodious, not mind-jarring.
I definitely learned a lesson! Or at least my daughter re-emphasized an old moral for me: Judge each person and situation on their own merits, and don't let past bad experiences be a bar to new experiences. It's a lesson that is applicable to business, especially sales. In my role with Stewart Title, I have seen many examples. I might receive an order from a commercial broker and the file is a complete mess: tax liens, broken chain of title, etc. But the next order from that broker might be clean as a whistle. If I had turned away the later business because of the first order, I'd have lost out on a good client. Sometimes networking groups are the same way, especially if the membership rotates. One meeting might yield no prospects, but the next one will result in a bunch of great referrals.
So, I am thankful to my daughter for the reminder... If my sister comes over, though, she's not allowed near the cello!
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