Right now there is such a surplus of employers in Calgary that companies that get bad employer reputations are wasting thousands of dollars training people who will then walk away to better paying jobs.  They have not created employee loyalty.

I remember, many years ago, working in a garage for a wise old mechanic.  At that time he was in his late sixties; now he’s in his late eighties or possibly nineties.  One day in the middle of the summer while I was working on some relatively unimportant project a couple of the neighbourhood kids came by with some very old, worn and holey inner tubes for a bit of repair.  After about seventeen patches the young boys and girls pooled their money which in total didn’t amount to five dollars; not even close to paying for the patches.  Mr. Beddie, the owner/mechanic of the service station, simply said “that’s good” and sent them on their way. 

The revealing part of this event actually happened afterward when a customer suggested to Mr. Beddie that he wouldn’t get rich that way.  All he said (at sixty-eight years) was "they’re my customers of tomorrow."  We all knew he wouldn’t likely be in business for more than ten years, but to him that didn’t matter.  What mattered most to him was that he act in integrity with his principles.  Mr. Beddie is still alive today and often visited by those same children.  I’m sure he doesn’t regret for a moment that 'poor' business sense as he reaps the benefits with the many generous visits and calls he continues to receive today.

His dream was humble; it was to be of service, to do good work and to make the world a better place.  He is not particularly wealthy in the financial sense although he is certainly comfortable.  More importantly he is wealthy in the ways that matter most to him.  He is regarded highly in his community and will never lack for friends and admirers. 

Today his dream is still incomplete, he still has purpose.  That humble mechanic still has people calling on him to lend of his talents and wisdom.  His vision continues to give him life.  And all he did to fulfill his vision was to cultivate his good habits, something every one of us can do.