You will laugh at evil and it will die untasted.
In Greenlights, by Matthew McConaughey, he mentions a book early on that changes his life. Matthew was bored at a friend’s house. Turned on sports, nope; grabbed a porno magazine, nope. He likes the female figure as much as a warm-blooded man from Texas can, but nothing was sticking. His roaming eye saw a thin book thrown by the side of the coffee table, The Greatest Salesman in the World. He asked his friend if he could borrow it. His friend said, “heck you can keep it”. While one man could care less about this book, Matthew made it his Bible for 10 months. It was in his back pocket for 300 days. He read the scrolls as prescribed and by the end his entire life path was changed. Matthew spent the majority of his adolescence planning to be a lawyer. Now, Matthew was going to film school. Not a single cell in his body would allow him to choose otherwise.
Before I even finished Greenlights, which is one hell of a book, I said to myself, “if this book made such a big difference in McConaughey’s life, then I have to read it.” And Amazon delivered.
The framework of The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino is an old-timey story about how a camel boy becomes the greatest salesman in the world. There is a full circle moment, religious in nature, which ties a pretty bow on the entire thing that will please readers, but the meat of the novella are the ten scrolls. Each scroll contains wisdom on how to live, and if you follow them you will basically succeed at life.
As I read the scrolls, I scribbled in the margins their modern day equivalents. The words I read were those of another generation, but the concepts are still alive today.
Scroll three: I will persist until I succeed.
This immediately made me think of Karissa Kouchis. I hear her voice, “life cannot go wrong.” Of course you’re going to fail. Of course everything isn’t always going to go right. Mandino writes, “each frown I meet only prepares me for the smile to come. Each misfortune I encounter will carry in it the seed of tomorrow’s good luck.” Everything that doesn’t work out… guess what? It still worked out exactly how it was supposed to. 😏 Side note: Gary Vaynerchuck would agree that kids who get 8th place trophies wouldn’t be able to handle scroll three.
Scroll Four: I am nature’s greatest miracle.
This takes me to Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo. I used to think I wasn’t special. That no one would care about my story. Heard it before, been there done that. It turns out it doesn’t matter if I am the twentieth female dentist to have a book blog. I might say the same thing in a different way, that hits with someone, and changes their life. So I must. And that’s because I am the only me. This is why I must have my own practice. This is why I must write a novel. This is why I must create. Social media makes it easy to not feel special. Don’t fall for it. You are special. You do you. Marie turned on the light for me, and made me realize I have a story to tell. Maybe she learned it all from Mandino.
Another quote from scroll four that resonated with me - “Vain attempts to imitate others no longer will I make. Instead will I place my uniqueness on display in the market place.” I am living as my truest self, right now, moreso than I ever have in my life. I am growing in so many directions, on so many levels. And I am not hiding anymore. Check the red hair. 🔥 I will be seen. YES.
Scroll Seven: I will laugh at the world.
“I will laugh at my failures and they will vanish in clouds of new dreams… I will laugh at evil and it will die untasted.” Just YES. It takes a certain amount of confidence, a clear sense of purpose and self, to laugh like this. This type of laugh is freedom. Can you also see how the scrolls build upon each other. You definitely have to master scroll three to go on to master scroll seven.
Scroll Eight: Today I will multiply my value a hundredfold.
This one is definitely about abundance and immediately made me think of my mentor Dr. Jessica Emery 💜
The point is, the lessons in this book are timeless. It’s a quick read, but worth it. I tried to read each scroll for 30 days each the way Matthew did. I got bored and didn’t stick with it. BUT still worth the read.
Rating: 4 Teeth
The Greatest Salesman in the World is the coronal remnant of a primary first molar. Just go pluck it off the shelf. It’s easy to extract, quick, but makes a big difference. Once you feel like you’ve gotten everything you need from Mandino you can leave it under your pillow for the tooth fairy, or pass it along to a friend.
Tweetable bites for an after-dinner snack! YUM! Click to Tweet!
// I will form good habits and become their slave. //
// I am a lion and I refuse to talk, to walk, to sleep with the sheep. //
// Where dry desert ends, green grass grows. //