COURAGE

I  just read a quote..."The Most Important Form Of Courage is Moral Courage."  It's not hard to snatch a baby away from a fireplace or stop them from running into traffic. It is much harder to take a moral stance that is not popular or trendy....I always give more than the customer paid for when I'm packing up my boxes of fish to ship off....

One of my friends told me that was silly and excessive and totally unnecessary and I would never turn a handsome profit if I continued to do that...you know what?  I don't care. I believe in old fashioned values and customer service and giving my customers just a little bit more than they paid for...if only a brand new fish net and some hardwood leaves in their box...it's a little more time consuming for me...but I don't care. I want to give a little bit more of my business to others. They are the people that support me and make this wonderful venture and business possible...why wouldn't I want to give them a little something extra with their orders?? I feel sorry for my friend with the cold heart of a tax accountant...but the bottom line for me is I will continue to give a little bit more each and every day...I don't believe that giving will make me go broke... I believe that giving comes back to me 10x over in many different forms and fashions.

I'm not a spendthrift. I don't throw my money or my products away. I've styled and dyed and high-lighted my own hair at home in the bathroom for years. No, it's not trendy...no it's not chic...but my hair looks good and I save all that fancy salon price to have somebody else do it for me. I'm fully functioning and capable of using the mirror and pulling little bits of hair through a plastic cap and then washing it out after the recommended period of time. Why would I pay somebody else $100 to do this for me? Now, that doesn't make good sense to me.

The money I save on beauty treatments and hair styling... I re-invest and spend on my fish and purchasing more breeding stock. I also don't have a brand new car with outrageous payments. I drive a pick up truck and a 15 year old standard shift car. Again..not trendy or chic...but it works for me and the money I save on those high car payments I again use to invest in breeding stock or fish equiptment or supplies or soy candle wax and candle scenting fragrances and wicks and tea light containers.

I think it takes moral courage to stand up for yourself and decide what is important to you...and act on your decisions no matter what your friends...your neighbors...the media...or even your family may think.  You are the one who has to live with what you do day in...day out...and when you lay down to sleep...if you are doing what you believe is right...you won't waste time tossing and turning and worrying about tomorrow...you'll go right to sleep...eager to get up and do what you love doing all over again.