Something About Coke

About a hundred years ago, an old country doctor drove to town, hitched his horse, and slipped into a drug store, and began talking to the young clerk. The old doctor was trying to sell something to the young man.

After a while the old doctor went out to his buggy and brought back a large old- fashioned kettle and a big wooden paddle, used for stirring the contents of the kettle, and showed it to the clerk.

The clerk inspected the kettle, reached into his pocket and took out few hundred dollars, his entire savings, and gave it to the doctor.

The doctor handed over a small slip of paper, on which was written a secret formula. The words on the piece of paper were worth a great fortune, which neither the doctor nor the young man knew then.

The old doctor was glad to sell the kettle and its contents for few hundred dollars, and the young clerk was taking a big chance by staking his entire life’s savings on an old kettle and a mere scrap of paper.

What the clerk really purchased was an idea! The rest is history because the clerk’s name was Asa Candler, and the old country doctor was John Pemberton, and the old kettle and the small scrap of paper led to the introduction of Coca-Cola to the world.

Great successes involve having or recognizing an idea and taking a big amount of risk. Asa Chandler parted with his entire life’s saving of few hundred dollars for an old kettle with a secret formula written on a small scrap of paper. If he had not taken the risk we would not hear of Coca-Cola today. But because of the great risk he took, he was richly rewarded and the whole world is able to enjoy a drink of Coke!

Most successful people have not achieved their distinction by having some new talent or opportunity presented to them. They developed the opportunity that was at hand by taking risk. Too cautious and careful people always aiming to preserve their reputation, social standing, security and certainty can never bring about a reform, a change, something new or better to the world and to their lives. Often the difference between a successful person and a failure is not one's better abilities or ideas, but the courage that one has to bet on his ideas, to take a calculated risk on opportunities, and to act. All life is an experiment. It is inherently risky. There is only one big risk you should avoid at all costs, and that is the risk of doing nothing or missing opportunities. It requires the courage to let go of certainties. Life is trying things to see if they work. Take a chance! All life is a chance. The person who goes farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare.

You don't make progress by standing on the sidelines just watching, thinking, whimpering, criticizing, cribbing, complaining or embracing certainty. You make progress by taking risks to grab and work on opportunities, by implementing ideas. To recognize and risk opportunity is the difference between success and failure. Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don't recognize them. Even when opportunity knocks, one still has to get up off his/her seat and open the door. Opportunity is often missed because we are broadcasting when we should be tuning in or too many of us are thinking of security and certainty instead of opportunity and risks. The right person is the one who seizes the moment. There is no certainty on this earth; there is only opportunity. Opportunities always look bigger going than coming. Nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity and ability is of little account without opportunity. A person who misses his/her opportunity and monkey who misses his/her branch, cannot be saved. If a window of opportunity appears, don't pull down the shade. If a door is opened, dare to enter it - a fortune may be waiting for you.

To try is to risk failure.

To live is to risk dying.

To hope is to risk despair.

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.

To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.

To love is to risk not being loved in return.

To reach out for another is to risk involvement.

To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self.

To place your ideas, your dreams, before a crowd is to risk their loss.

But risks must be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.

 

Biggest risk of all is to not take one.