Never Stop Questioning

            A lot of business schools use the account of Ray Kroc. It is true that he saw something in MacDonald’s that other failed to see. The difference in him and many other is he never stopped questioning. He walked into a San Bernardino fast food restaurant a milkshake mixer salesman but left, a business school legend. He kept his eyes open, but his dreams and ideals had to remain open also. The world and his employers saw him as a salesman, but Mr. Kroc had to have known he was more. Even while his company grew to extraordinary heights many didn’t grasp what business Ray Kroc was in. He sold hamburgers but he was in the real-estate business.

I was watching the football game and I heard that the coach of the team I am a fan of had said to his team that they were playing to keep the game close and then they were going to come out and steal the game at the end. It upset me to hear that was his plan. His plan was to steal the game. That statement told his team they were not as good as their opponent. I believe that his statement helped seal that fate. They had it in their heads that they were going to steal the game and not earn the victory. Be careful of your self-talk.

I was at the project yesterday and was framing the exterior walls. I came to one wall that housed the master bedroom walk-in closet and the back-to-back bathrooms. As I checked the window schedule I noticed the size in relationship to the placement of these windows. I was not pleased. I asked the owner to come over and look at the plans and asked him what he thought. He didn’t see what I was looking at so I painted him a picture. I told him his wife was ill and was in the tub soaking when nature called upon her. When she stood to use the toilet, she was clearly exposed to anyone out side because of the sizing of the window. Those windows weren’t large enough to be practical exits so they were an air supply to eliminate the need for the bathroom exhaust fan. He understood what I saw and wanted to know if we could change it. I told him probably if he asked to. I needed to call the architect to get the approval first. While he was there, he asked if there was anything else I didn’t like. I told him I did not like that the front door swung into a six-foot wide by 4-foot-tall window. I told him I’d prefer to have it swing into the counter top of the cabinetry.  A couple of hinge mount door stops could keep the swing safe, but a door knob going into that window bay was not a good thing for me. Needless to say I questioned the architect and changes were approved.  The homeowner saw the need to adapt the changes. The architect drew the changes and did the new calculation needed to get them approved and I believe that a better structure was built.

I could have just built the building as drawn and been paid the same. Ray Kroc could have sold those milkshake mixers and left with the security of his employment, but Ray knew he was more than a milkshake machine salesman. I know I do more than build unit and sell real estate. I am in the business of helping people fill their housing needs. I am sort of the one stop housing stop. It is okay to take another approach, it is okay to be something that others don’t grasp. It is okay to question everything, including yourself and what business your in. If you can see it you can achieve it. It may be a rough climb but its your destiny. Dare to question and reach for something more. Success awaits those who reach for what the average person doesn’t see.

Note: Images on this blog site are from a free source or taken by the author. No image or group of photos is intended to represent the people the author serves. The author does not care about Race (that is a politically correct term that he does not like because we are all of the same Race, the Human Race. He prefers the term ethnicity, color, religion, sex, gender, marital status, disability, genetic information, national origin, source of income, Veteran or military status, ancestry, citizenship, primary language or immigration status.) He is a service provider for all people. We will all rise together when we band together and help one another. Joseph Erwin is a Real Estate Broker, DRE # O2131799, and a CA general contractor # B 696662. He’s a member of the CRMLS and The East Valley Association of Realtors located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California.