#7 – It’s not about how much you do but what you do.

Even at my age, I see things that make me wonder about “quality vs. quantity.” I think sometimes people focus too much on the “how much” when they should be more concerned about the “what.”   As I’ve said, I’m not getting rich from my business, at least not yet, but I am doing something and everyone has to start somewhere.

Donating and helping other people is the same thing.  Since I started my business and I was donating right away to help foster kids in my community, people wanted to know “how much” I was giving.   Back then, I didn’t really have any idea of how much to give.  My dad explained that most really big companies don’t give more than 5% and many give less.  And that 5% for them is usually from their profits which is a very different amount than gross sales which is what I did.  It didn’t take me long to figure out that part.

After awhile, I didn’t care if people thought it wasn’t enough.  I knew I was doing good things and as I’ve said, “even the smallest things can make a difference to someone.”   So I try to encourage other kids to help out if they can.  If kids can get in the habit early to do something for other people, then we’ll probably grow up and keep doing that. 

The same thing goes for grades in school.  Even though I’m a good student and get A’s most of the time, it shouldn’t be about “how high” the letter or percentage is.  Almost anyone can memorize long enough to remember for a test but that isn’t really learning for the long run.   The more we have to remember, the less we really know.