Seeing Details in the Bigger Picture
Welcome to the sixteenth edition of “In Touch.” As always, I would love to continue the conversation so please hit “reply” and let me know what you think.
Story of the Week: Seeing Details in the Bigger Picture
This year one message stood out from the rest.
It came from a former colleague of my father, who had seen a post marking the fourth year of his passing and chose not to share her thoughts on Facebook but rather to e-mail me instead.
Here is what her message read:
“Michael, I wanted to share something with you that made an impression on me. It involved your late father and the only reason I have not shared it on Facebook is because the real-life example gives credit to myself also.
It was a normal working morning, during my first few days at Virardi Enterprises, when Mr. Virardi suddenly shouted: ‘A pen, guys. Don’t you have a pen for me to write something down with?’
I immediately took the pen I was holding, turned the point towards my wrist and offered it to him. He was impressed. Impressed by the ‘correct’ way I had handed him the pen. He wasted no time in informing the rest of the staff about the incident and telling them that such a small but important detail revealed a great deal about a person’s upbringing and character.
I don’t know about you, Michael, but this impressed me because it also showed his own character. At the time I was 49–50 years old and no-one had ever paid any attention to those ‘small but important details’.
Hoping that you are all well as we remember and celebrate Mr. Virardi.”
What a beautiful story! Thank you Beatrice Vrahimi for sharing it. One of the ways in which I like to keep the flame of my father’s legacy burning is to share some of his values and principles with my friends and fans but your story caught me off-guard.
There are many take-aways from this story and I would love to hear yours. My take-away is that people reveal their true nature and upbringing in the small details of their behaviour, which tend to go unnoticed but actually say so much to those who are perceptive enough to see and interpret them, as my father did with everyone. Respect.
Words of Wisdom
Taylor Swift sings the praises of goodness:
“No matter what happens in life, be good to people. Being good to people is a wonderful legacy to leave behind.”
Taylor Swift
American singer-songwriter
“Big George” on the ‘secret’ behind leaving a legacy:
“It’s very important that people know that I really enjoy everything that has happened to me. And I tell my kids… you’re not going to be the tallest, fastest, prettiest, the best track runner, but you can be the nicest human being that someone has ever met in their life. And I just want to leave that legacy that being nice is a true treasure.”
George Foreman
Former professional boxer, entrepreneur, minister and author
A Question to Ponder, dear reader.
“What kind of stories would you like people to tell about you when you are gone?”
Hit reply and let me know what you believe.
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Best Regards,
Michael R. Virardi
