A friend of mine sent me this story today. I've kept his name out (he can identify himself if he's so inclined). I thought it was a good thing to post because it shows that maybe there still are some youth out there with a bit of personal initiative and drive:
We often slag the young for being lazy -- but about 15 minutes ago the doorbell rang. There, in the middle of the storm, was a kid that look about 12 with a simple, direct pitch,
"Excuse me sir, could I shovel your driveway for $10?"
He looked a bit disappointed when I explained that we contracted a company to do it, but I wanted to reward his interest in actually working for money, so I gave him $5 to do the walkway and taught him a bit about negotiation in the process. I don't think he timed his work, but I bet he got the sense that it was a pretty good hourly rate.
Then he headed off to the neighbour's with his shovel.
So there is hope for this generation...
That message struck home because I used to do that when I was a kid, and there was good money in it. Around Ottawa, it's harder going because there's a lot more snow than there was in St. Catharines and thus many people have snow removal contracts. But the kid is making an effort instead of sitting in front of a computer writing blog posts playing video games and that deserves praise. Well done!
Recent Comments