Throw a Ball on Less than Five Dollars Extra a Day

Good morning, Live Better than a Billionaire-a-Holics!

Are you feeling motivated this morning? I hope so because I have exciting things to share with you today.

My trek at the Champions Tour continued yesterday as the last round of the golf tournament headed towards an exciting conclusion with Mark McNulty (whom I had followed for three days) winning a sudden death three-way playoff with a birdie on the difficult par three hole, number 17.

I noticed several little things that interested me yesterday that provided much food for thought.

While watching the players warm up on the driving range around 11:30, a caddy walked over to the bleachers and said hello to two sixteenish boys. The caddy handed the boys two lunch coupons and pointed towards here the boys could use the coupons. Then the caddy quickly walked back to attending his player.

This reminded me of the time my younger son had caddied for a touring pro. The event sponsors inundated the pro with merchandise and free coupons, and the pro gave them all to my son. In addition to his caddying fee, my son received hundreds of dollars worth of gifts. He was thrilled!

Next, I walked over to the first tee where the leaders would soon be starting their rounds. While there, I could not help but look over to the tenth tee and see an enormous crowd. It was the biggest gallery on the course . . . and it was there to watch the player in last place, Mr. Arnold Palmer. The crowd was boisterous and happy. They didn't care how Mr. Palmer was playing. They were just glad he was there.

Can you imagine all of the good things that Mr. Palmer must have done for his fans over the years to attract such loyalty? I can't . . . but I'm truly humbled by the thought.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to create a celebration for others . . . just by showing up? Mr. Palmer wouldn't have to spend a dime . . . even though he could well afford to do so.

Having been impressed by that experience, I later caught a glimpse of how you can throw a ball that will be a lifetime memory for someone else. Coming up the 9th fairway, Mark McNulty was in a tie for the lead with Tom Purtzer. They were playing in the same threesome and knew how they stood. On the 9th green, Mr. McNulty made his birdie putt and went into the lead. It was a big turning point for him. As Mr. McNulty and his caddy walked off the green to go to the next hole, the caddy spotted an eight-year-old boy and tossed the ball that Mr. McNulty had been playing to the boy.

The boy's eyes widened . . . but he caught the ball. He was speechless. The moment must have seemed overwhelming to him. As he stood there staring at the ball as the players and caddies receded behind him, I turned to the boy and said, "If he wins the tournament, he'll autograph that ball for you afterwards." The boy stood there still dumbstruck. I went on to say, "And you'll have the most important ball in the tournament." As I headed off, the boy was still staring wordlessly at the ball in his hand.

I could immediately imagine the boy following Mark McNulty whenever he plays in our area for the rest of their mutual lives. That made me realize how large a small gesture can be.

In my own life, I treasure a small gift that I received in a similar way. I greatly admired the CEO of our company when I was a young corporate planner. Hicks Waldron is a man who can make anyone feel appreciated and he enjoys doing that.

I had just finished running a three day seminar for our senior executives to help them gain more from the planning process. Hicks had kindly offered to speak to the group to sum up the three days of lessons. At the end of his talk, he called me up and handed me a gavel to thank me for my work. He explained that it was a special gavel, one he had torn off a Junior Achievement trophy to give to me, and he hoped I didn't mind that there were two empty holes on one side. I still have that gavel today, almost 30 years later, and the memory of the moment is just as fresh as though it just happened. Thanks, Hicks!

Who can you throw a ball to today?

Donald W. Mitchell, Your Dream Concierge

Copyright 2005 Donald W. Mitchell

Be sure to check out my blog dated May 30, 2005 on Plan Your Best Fourth of July! To find that blog, keep clicking on the oldest blog entry you can find in the right hand column until you find the title "Plan Your Best Fourth of July."