Loyalty appears to be going the way of the dinosaur or the dial telephone. Think about it. Loyalty has changed drastically in so many areas of our lives.
Loyalty from employer to employee and vice versa. Loyalty among family members. Loyalty to teams in most every sport. Loyalty to products, services, and brands. Loyalty to home cities and states. Loyalty to spouses and significant others.
The reasons are numerous and varied … many of which probably can’t or won’t be changed. It’s the evolution of progress. However, as an individual, you might want to pause a moment and ponder the consequences of this tragic loss of loyalty. While it affects everyone in different ways, few take the time or make an effort to examine those crucial consequences which affect them in so many aspects of their lives.
Consider this story as an illustration of potential outcomes resulting from the loss of loyalty.
There once was a blind girl who hated herself just because she was blind. She hated everyone … except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her—unconditionally! She said that if she could only see the world, she would marry her boyfriend.
One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her and then she could see everything, including the loyal boyfriend she loved so much. Her boyfriend asked her, “Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?” The girl was shocked when she discovered that her boyfriend was blind too … and she refused to marry him!
Her boyfriend was heartbroken and devastated, walking away in tears. He later wrote a letter to her saying, “JUST TAKE CARE OF MY EYES PLEASE!”
This is an example of how people often change when their status changes in life. Very few remember what life was like before … who was always there for them when times were most difficult … what was important to them at that time … promises they made under those circumstances.
This was an extreme status change. However, similar results have been observed as a result of a job promotion, inheritance, move to a new location, lottery win, job loss, death in the family, new career, etc. Why not take a moment and examine the many aspects of your own life to determine the importance of “loyalty” to your personal success. It might be an eye-opener!
About Harry K. Jones
Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.