2-MOWING THE LAWN
There was once a young man who walked home everyday from school past a house most kids tried to avoid. In this house live a lady from a foreign country and was known to be very mean. She lived on a corner lot and she would often scold children for cutting through here lawn to get home quicker. One day this young man was especially late in coming home from school. When he came to this lady's house he decided he would chance cutting across her lawn. Looking around he could see no one. So off he ran across her lawn. As he rounded the corner of her house he ran right into this lady. Scared to death he awaited the scolding of this lady. She said, "I know who you are. I'll tell you what I want you to do. I want you to come here next Tuesday and mow my lawn. I will pay you what you think it is worth. Don't tell me you won't. I see you in town just fooling around on Tuesday's so I know that you don't have anything else better to do. So, will I see you on Tuesday?" The frightened young man, willing to say or do anything to escape, agreed.
Next Tuesday rolled around and the young man had thought several times about the lady's unusual request. He began to realize that just maybe he had not been scolded at all. Maybe this could be a good opportunity for him. He never had enough money for candy and the other necessities of life. The more he thought about it the more he wanted to do what the lady requested. He finally made up his mind to go over and mow the lady's lawn and he would ask for a quarter. That would take care of his needs for a whole week at least. He went over to the lady's house and rang the bell. The lady answered the door as if she was expecting him and reaffirmed her offer to pay him what he thought his efforts were worth with, of course, her approval of his work. He got out the lawn mower, mowed the lawn, and then returned and rang the bell. He asked for his quarter. She came out, looked around, and agreed to his price. She then went on to say that it was an adequate job, but few people could do a $5 job and no one could do a $10 job. She asked him to return the next Tuesday to do the job again to which he agreed. Satisfied the young man skipped off to the candy store.
The next Tuesday rolled around with a repeat of the previous performance and the previous reward. The lady repeated her offer and that few could do a $5 job and no one could do a $10 job. As the young man became accustom to his work and reward he began to grow dissatisfied. He wanted more and realized that if he did a better job for the lady he may earn more money. He decided to try trimming her lawn and perhaps do some sweeping. Then he could ask for 75¢. One Tuesday he tried it and found that the lady was willing to pay him the 75¢. He continued with this wealthy arrangement for some time. He was quite proud of his business arrangement and other kids began to envy him.
But as he continued in his endeavors, the statement made every time by the lady about few could do a $5 job and no one could do a $10 job began to haunt him. What does she mean by that? What is a $5 job or a $10 job? Why does she keep saying that? He found himself obsessed with the statement. Is it possible that he could do the $5 job? What could he do to do a $5 job. As he thought, he slowly, bit by bit, began to get ideas of other things he could do to make his work even more excellent. He, in his bare feet, could feel worm mounds in the lawn that were unsightly and uncomfortable to his feed. She could not feel them wearing her shoes. He remembered that here hedges, well, they weren't perfect, and he could trim them to utter perfection. He began looking for work and things that could be improved
around her yard. The flower beds could be weeded and raked, the lawn could be mowed in a more excellent way, and the lawn trimming, in the past, was sloppily done at best. He decided that he was going to do the $5 job. But it would take more time so he told the lady that he would be by Saturday instead of Tuesday so that he could devote the entire day to it. As he made his plans the $5 job began to eat at him and eat at him. In his quest for excellence there was something wrong, very wrong. It was just not enough! There was only one thing that was good enough for him--the $10 job! Nothing else would satisfy him now. He had to be the best and do the best. Excellence had become an obsession with him. It was all or nothing. Any effort except that to be the best was a waste of time. He could not tolerate substandard work or thought any longer. He began to make elaborate plans for Saturday.
The next Saturday he got up early, earlier than he did for school or anything else. He was driven. He gathered his tools and went to the lady's house and was underway by the time the sun rose. He began by mowing the lawn this way 3 times and then mowing the lawn that way three times. He put together this old drum and filled it with rocks to give it weight and began the laborious task of rolling out the worm mounds in the lawn. He found that as he got tired, he could lie down and take a short 2-3 minute nap. These periodic naps allowed him to continue working indefinitely throughout the day. After the worm mounds were completely gone, he remowed the lawn in a multiple fashion as before. He then embarked on lawn trimming, first with the crude clippers and then with his mother's scissors. He continued until not a blade of grass was out of place. He launched into the hedges carefully clipping a little at a time until not a single leaf was out of place. He would stand back and look at the hedges until not a single line irritated his perfection lust. He dug out every single weed in the flower beds and yard not satisfied until the roots and all were entirely gone. He raked the surfaces smooth not stopping until every particle of soil was in military formation. He had to carefully walk around the yard three times with a piercing scrutinizing eye, correcting every single possible flaw. Finally, everything seemed in perfect shape. Not a single item was out of place. So he strode up to the door, rang the bell and the lady came to the door. She asked, "How much do you think your work is worth." This was the same question she always asked.
Boldly he said with piercing confidence, "I want $10!" The lady appeared greatly surprised and immediately walked out into the yard a began an intense inspection. All this time the young man was grinning confidently not willing to accept a dime less than the $10. When the lady returned the young man was prepared to argue for his $10. He knew what his work was worth, yet he had given no thought to the value of the $10. He had thought only of the job. The job was more important than the reward. Then the lady said something a bit strange. "It must have been a wonderful feeling when you knew that you could do a $10 job!"
Excellence is the only endeavor worth your time! Don't waste your time with just enough to get by.