• Dressed and ready for school – Check
• Brushed Teeth – Check
• Combed Hair – Check
• Lunch Packed – um…wait…oh, lunch boxes are at Mom’s house. Hmm…

OK, I certainly don’t have one of those brown paper lunch bags. You know what…I’ll just use a plastic shopping bag. I’ve got a bunch of them in the closet.

So I pull out two plastic Walmart bags, and pack up the lunches. Good, right?

Collin: “a Walmart bag, Dad?”

Dad: “Yes, Collin. Do you know who Sam Walton is?”

Collin: “no”

Dad: “Sam Walton is the man who founded Walmart.”

Collin: “what’s founded?”

Dad: “he started it… Just listen. Sam Walton was from Arkansas, and he grew up very, very poor. He worked really hard and started Walmart, and by the time he passed away, he was one of the richest men in the entire world. He was so rich, that he split up his money between his 4 kids, and each of them was then one of the richest people in the whole world.  Can you believe that?”

Collin: “ok”

Dad: “You’re not getting it dude…

Collin: “What? He was rich?”

Dad: “Yeah, he was rich, but that’s not what’s really amazing.  Listen my man…you have more than Sam Walton did when he was a kid. More stuff, a better house, more opportunities, better schools…you name it dude…you’ve got waaaay more than Sam Walton did.

Collin: “ok”

Dad: “So what does that mean?”

Collin: (shoulder shrug)

Dad: “If Sam Walton can start poor and with nothing…and be one of the richest men in the world…just think what YOU can do.

You can be absolutely anything you want to be…  You can make the world a better place.  You can literally move mountains. 

You can serve others.  You can have fun.  You can travel.  You can build an empire. 

If you work hard, if you make progress every day, if you carry yourself with a positive attitude, if you do good in school and treat people right. There is NOTHING you can’t accomplish. 

So when you eat lunch today, look at that Walmart bag and think of Sam Walton.”

Collin: “ok”

Dad: “good talk son…”

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