Be Encouraged

 

It's Easier to Succeed Than to Fail - a book review

 

It's Easier to Succeed Than to Fail by S. Truett Cathy is the amazing story of the life of the founder of Chick-fil-A.  We always enjoy stopping at Chick-fil-A for lunch when we are out running errands and our son, at one time, was the general manager for a free standing Chick-fil-A unit in NC.  When I did a post on genuine kindness in the world of business, my friend Barbara commented that she had read his book and that at one time had been given a tour of Chick-fil-A.   Her comment made me curious about the book.

I'm so glad that I ordered the book because it truly is amazing the obstacles in life that Mr. Cathy overcame in order to bring about such success.  He had two primary mantras in life...put God first and don't be afraid of hard work.  

He and his brother Ben started out with a little establishment called Dwarf Grill, which was named so because of how small it was.  That business flourished and he eventually opened a second establishment called Dwarf House.  Both places of business did very well...until the second establishment burned down to the ground.  

There was a point when Mr. Cathy struggled with his health...serious health issues, but he didn't give up.  

He also lost two brothers, Ben (who had been his business partner from the get go) and Horace, in a plane crash. While devastated by this, S. Truett didn't give up.

He and his wife had three children...two sons and a daughter.  At one point, all three of his children were involved with Chick-fil-A at the Atlanta headquarters.  Eventually, his daughter gave up her position because she and her husband felt called of God to go to South America as missionaries.  The two sons continued on.

Before Chick-fil-A came into existence, S. Truett "practiced" his chicken sandwich on his customers at the Dwarf Grill.  He tried different spices in his breading until his customers quit saying anything about it.  He felt that was a good indicator of their satisfaction with the taste.  

You will need to read the book in order to find out just how Chick-fil-A came into existence, but I have to say that I highly recommend this book.  It's not only the story of a successful business man's life, but it's also a very inspirational book in many ways. 

From My Journal

 TODAY IS: July 1, 2024

AROUND ME: wonderfully cool temperatures predicted for today...72F.  It will be glorious after all of the high temperatures we've been experiencing with very little rain!

I AM PONDERING: how fun it is to surprise people with visits!  

AMONG MY FAVORITE THINGS:   blueberries finishing their ripening

BOOKS I AM CURRENTLY ENJOYING:  

  Refreshment for the Soul is a collection of Richard Sibbes thoughts on different topics and is compiled as a devotional.  So, it will be an ongoing reading throughout this year.

The Soul's Conflict  by Richard Sibbes

John Owen by Sinclair Ferguson ...I did make some progress in this book last week, but still not quite finished.

I AM THANKFUL FOR:  Last Thursday was one of Strongheart's sisters birthday.  She lives about two hours east of us so we surprised her with a birthday visit.  She was so tickled.  While we were in the same area we visited Strongheart's last living aunt on his dad's side of the family.  That was also a surprise visit for her.  We really enjoyed our time with her and her daughter.  Such a fun day...sharing memories of days gone by as well as making new ones.

FROM THE KITCHEN:  using lots of fresh veggies from the garden...lettuce of different varities, spinach, kale, radishes, golden beets, yellow summer squash, zuchinni, red raspberries, blueberries, gooseberries, currants.

Currant Pie fresh from the oven.

SOMETHING I REALLY ENJOY:  being able to get caught up on housework.  I was able to reach my goals for the month of June where this is concerned.  I finished on Friday by washing up all of the curtains and doing the blinds and windows on the main floor of the house. There were things I wanted to  make certain I had done in June because I know canning, freezing and making jam are in my near future. 

TO DO LIST FOR TODAY:  A quick clean of the house and begin organizing the upright freezer upstairs.

"So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom."

Psalm 90:12