That Something

An essay from William W. Woodbridge.

I have mixed feelings about this little book. The message is profound and one that I would want to share with everyone. The tone however is a little on the border of... dishonest. Not in any malicious way, but enough to give me pause.

The essay is about a beggar that approached a well suited man and asked for food. Instead he was given life advice to find “that something” that was missing in his life that allowed him to be ok with being a beggar.

This awoken something in the man and changed his approach to everything in his life, he was more helpful, and attentive. He wasn’t sorry for himself. He was positive and confident. He showed up to work rather than continue to beg and that put him in the right place at all the right times for upward movement. Great story.

What’s unfortunate is that throughout the story, he is many times confronted with a direct question such as why are you here, who do you know, do you work here? His responses are vague enough to be deceptive and is highlighted in the reaction of the supervisor towards the end as he finds out he was tricked.

I believe that That Something is real and is within all of us, yet I also believe that we can achieve the greatness we desire while maintaining a high level of integrity.

Thanks for the message William, but let’s tweak it a little.