Losing Focus Just Before Getting Paid

This Christmas my son in his youthful and enthusiastic way decided to sell his old toys to  have some extra money to spend. Good choice. People are spending more during the holidays. So, he carefully built and cleaned up two large Lego sets and listed them on ebay - quite an impressive feat for one so young I thought. To all our surprise both sold immediately. He carefully bubble wrapped each one and set it gently into each box, the shipping labels were the final piece. He danced around the house at the thought of the many dollars that would soon be coming his way. 

Each day passed and he would ask if the carefully packed shipments had arrived and the funds on PayPal would be released. Each day the answer was no until today. Two emails arrived both crying foul on ebay. Apparently in his excitement, he mixed the boxes up and shipped the two items to the wrong individuals. After an apology and receiving promises of help from both buyers, he has since sorted things out. He agreed to pay for the extra shipping costs with the hope that the individuals who purchased from him would be honest and send all the parts after carefully re-packaging them and ship them on time. 

This extra expense, concern and delay now is a great lesson in hurry and haste for all of us. How many times have I cried foul after moving too quickly and not thinking and watching carefully what had to be done next because my focus was on the reward and not the task at hand? One more moment in prayer, work, hesitation before speaking or stepping up would have saved so much time and loss later on. It's staying on the highway instead of taking the exit that looks so much like the main road - at least at first.

While he still gets a great financial reward for his efforts and the sale of his toys (assuming that everyone is honest and does what they say when they say they would do it), the greater lesson is the life lesson about putting the reward in the back and pulling the work and the moment he is in to the front until it is done correctly and well.

A wise leader by the name of Enzio Busche said, "In thoroughness is satisfaction."  You can see it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snAjZ8mfoYw

Make it great today.