The Alfred Dunhill Story

A church in London had rules that it would not employ anyone, without formal high school education.  The old pastor was benign and not stickler of rules. He allowed Alfred Dunhill (who lacked formal education) as the caretaker to clean the pew, sweep the floor and keep the podium spick and span.

Dunhill had put off taking his high school examination till it became too late. Once the old pastor retired, he was replaced by a younger person who followed the rule book. As he came to know about the caretaker’s education, he issued a notice to him that either he should get a high school certificate in six months or he should resign.

Dunhill knew that you could not teach an old dog new tricks and that he had no option but to resign. He started out his afternoon stroll in deep thought and got into Bond Street. Suddenly, he felt an urge to smoke.

He could not find a single tobacco shop on the entire street. He walked further down into a side street where he could purchase his cigarette.

He came back on the busy Bond Street.

He realized that a small cigarette shop in the street would be a sound business proposition.

He resigned at the church and started a small shop on the Bond Street which succeeded way beyond his expectations.

He noticed that many of his customers were coming from the other side of the street. He started another shop on that side of Bond Street.

The two shops multiplied to four and then sixteen. In three years, Alfred Dunhill & Co. was a leading tobacconist of England. 

He started machine-rolling cigarettes and introduced his own brand of Dunhill cigarettes. In five years, he was a millionaire many times over.

To ensure a consistent supply of tobacco, he entered into an annual purchase agreement with a couple of American tobacco farmers and went to America to meet them.

It was a big boost for the American tobacco farmers and the contract signing ceremony was converted into a media circus, with a Senator and Governor participating.

When the contracts were actually signed, Dunhill affixed his thumb impression because he had not learnt to sign his name.

The Governor was impressed and said, “Well Sir! This is awesome. Even without a formal education you have achieved so much. Just imagine what you would have done if you had a formal education!”

Dunhill’s characteristic often repeated reply was, “If I knew how to read and write, I would still be sweeping the church!” 

Management by Crisis / Accident -The Italian Fire Department

One dark night in a small town of Roselle Park, New Jersey a fire started inside the local sausage factory. In a blink the building was engulfed in flames. The alarm went out to all the fire departments for miles around.

When the first fire fighters appeared on the scene, the sausage company president rushed to the fire chief and said, 'All of our secret sausage recipes are in the vault in the center of the plant. They have to be saved,so I will donate $50,000 to the fire company that brings them out and delivers them to me.

But the roaring flames held the firefighters off. Soon more fire departments had to be called in because the situation became desperate. As the firemen arrived, the president announced that the offer to extricate the secret recipes was now $100,000!

Suddenly from up the road, a lone siren was heard as another fire truck came into sight. It was the fire engine of the nearby Peterstown section of Eizabeth, NJ. This fire department was composed mainly of Italian firefighters over the age of 65.

To everyone's amazement, the little run-down fire engine, operated by these Italian firefighters, passed fire engines parked outside the plant, and drove straight into the middle of the inferno! Outside, the other firemen watched in amazement as the Italian old timers jumped off and began to fight the fire as if they were fighting to save their own lives. Within a short time, the old timers had extinguished the fire and saved the secret recipes.

The grateful sausage company president joyfully announced that for such a superhuman accomplishment he was raising the reward to $200,000, and walked over to personally thank each of the brave elderly Italian
firefighters.

A TV news crew rushed in after capturing the eventon film. The 'on camera' reporter asked the Italian fire chief, 'What are you going to do with all that money?'

'Wella, ' said Chief Pasquale De Luccinelli, the 70-year-old fire chief, 'de fursta tinga we gonna do isza fixa de brakes on dat fockinna truck!!'

The Tunnel

By Author Unknown

Zenkai, the son of a samurai, journeyed to Edo and there became the retainer of a high official. He fell in love with the official's wife and was discovered. In self-defense, he slew the official. Then he ran away with the wife.*

*Both of them later became thieves. But the woman was so greedy that Zenkai grew disgusted. Finally, leaving her, he journeyed far away to the province of Buzen, where he became a wandering mendicant.*

*To atone for his past, Zenkai resolved to accomplish some good deed in his lifetime. Knowing of a dangerous road over a cliff that had caused the death and injury of many persons, he resolved to cut a tunnel through the
mountain there.*

*Begging food in the daytime, Zenkai worked at night digging his tunnel. When thirty years had gone by, the tunnel was 2,280 feet long, 20 feet high, and 30 feet wide.*

*Two years before the work was completed, the son of the official he had slain, who was a skillful swordsman, found Zenkai out and came to kill him in revenge.*

*"I will give you my life willingly," said Zenkai. "Only let me finish this work. On the day it is completed, then you may kill me."*

*So the son awaited the day. Several months passed and Zendai kept on  digging. The son grew tired of doing nothing and began to help with the digging. After he had helped for more than a year, he came to admire
Zenkai's strong will and character.*

*At last the tunnel was completed and the people could use it and travel in safety.*

*"Now cut off my head," said Zenkai. "My work is done."*

*"How can I cut off my own teacher's head?" asked the younger man with tears in his eyes.*

Bury The Worry

By CA Hemant C. Lodha

Worry is like building a high tower consisting of blocks of negative emotions. Holding negative thoughts in mind makes people depressed. In reality, it's an imaginary fear and the prevailing situation might be totally opposite or better than thought. 

Anxiety is not bad to certain extent. In fact, it’s a good tool to check over confidence or over-enthusiasm. But, as soon as it crosses line of control, it starts causing stress and eventually leads to bad health. 

One can face worry due to ‘n’ number of reasons such as failure in exam, ill health, breakup in relationship, lack of timely completion of work, boss's anger etc. There is a saying that “If a problem can be solved then there is no need to worry however, if it cannot be solved, then what’s the use of worrying”. There is a great difference between worry and concern. To illustrate, worried person sees a problem, while concerned person solves the problem. Worry is an interest paid on trouble before its maturity. 

 Tips to Bury the Worry

1. Do not assume. Check the facts. 

2. Try to think of innovative solution of a problem. 

3. Take help of experts. 

4. Think positive. 

5. Make plan ‘B’.