Before Amazon or Ebay came online, there was something called the door-to-door salesperson. It is a traditional style of business in which a salesperson sells products or services from one house to another.
In the world of door-to-door, there was one exceptional man who had inspired a lot of businessman and consumers of his time through an incredible story of will, determination, and guts. His name was Bill Porter.
Bill was born with cerebral palsy that caused slurred speech and a contorted body. However, he was taught by his mother at a very young age to never dwell on his disability. After high school, he began job hunting but faced rejection after rejection.
One day after receiving yet another ‘No’, Bill saw his mother patiently waiting for him in the parking lot. With that, he stepped back in and dared the manager to give him a chance. Impressed by his determination, the manager gave Bill a shot.
Every day Bill would walk 8 – 10 miles to offer, sell and deliver products. Some would but, some wouldn’t, and some would mock him; yet he never thought of quitting, for he had always lived by his mother’s words: patience and persistence.
After months of hard work, Bill was awarded Salesman of the Year. His story of his courage and perseverance made him a legend and companies like Nike and Amway invited him to deliver motivational talk to their staff and continued to do until his passing.
Have you ever felt that something has “had a hold on you”?
何かが「あなたを支配している」と感じたことはありますか？
何かに支配されていると感じたことはありませんねぇ。
かといって、何もかもに自由だとも思いませんが…。
とりあえず普通に仕事はできるとは思います。
I have never felt that something has “had a hold on me”. I have never felt any limitation about my physical activity. I am not so smart and always not great in discussion, but I have normal ability about doing business, I think.
Why do you think so many people said ‘No’ to Bill?
なぜそんなに多くの人がビルに「ノー」と言ったと思いますか？
それはやっぱり、ビルが見た目に仕事ができると思えなかったからでしょう。
それを答えにしようと思います。
I think because Bill had been slurred speech and a contorted body. I think many people thought that Bill could not do the normal business by his behavior.
I have always shown persistence in my work recently. I have to discuss a lot of things with stakeholders and explain about planning of renovation. Also, I have to receive their complain and find out another solution.
What would you say was the most important lesson you learned from someone in your family?
家族の誰かから学んだ最も重要な教訓は何だと思いますか？
両親ですかね。
自分のことよりも、子供のことを考えてくれていました。
なので、僕も自分のことよりも、子供のためにいろんなことをしてあげたいと思います。
It is to think a lot for the other people before think of yourself. My parents had done a lot things for me as much as they could. So, I want to do similar things to my sons.
Almost a perfect job today Ko, You readily accept and grasp new ideas and explanation with such ease. You continue to read so well and I can’t wait to discuss the interesting new lesson with you tomorrow. Good morning!
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