Are You Protecting Your Profits Or Your Ego?

The subconscious mind is a very powerful force.  It can dominate our thoughts without us discovering how it dominates us with ease.  We often times cannot hear what we are saying.  We often times cannot see how we are reacting.  The subconscious mind moves around in our lives even when we try to ignore it.  We can use our conscious mind to help control it and fail without noticing we failed.

The other day I was standing near our sales counter as two young men came to purchase a couple of small items each.  They were not traveling together.  The first young man in line was mentally challenged.  He is a regular customer.  He has a heart of gold.  The young man behind him was someone new, I have never seen him before.  As they were waiting to step up in line to check out, both were looking out of the glass double doors of our retail facility.  The first young man was chatting with the sales clerk as he moved slowly to the counter.  These two young men were the only two customers present at this time.

Outside the two glass entryway doors were two young ladies coming in.  We know them.  One was the mother of the young high school aged girl.  They are also regular customers to our store.  Just about the time the two guys at the sales counter were looking outside a heavy gust of wind blew a small windshield wiper mobile display rack over.  It blew over onto the mother of the two ladies just before they came into the store. One of the arms of the wiper blade display rack became caught up inside the medium low cut top of the mother when she walked by the rack.  It did not hurt her but did get tangled up momentarily in the top of her bra and sleeveless summer shirt.  She was also a well-built woman.  The two ladies had a good giggle outside as they both unhooked the arm of the wiper blade rack from the interesting landing on the woman outside.  The two guys inside the store noticed the 'quick-happening' event caused by the large gust of wind.  I witnessed the surprise, also.  Before the two ladies could enter the store, the first guy at the counter said, "Wow, did you see the wind blow that lady over onto the "rack" of that woman?"  Keep in mind, the first guy is truly mentally challenged and the second guy behind him in line did not know the first guy.  The first guys comment caught my attention, as well as the attention of the second guy in line.  The second guy in line began to giggle at the comment but tried hard to conceal his giggle.  It was obvious to me that he did not want to embarrass the mentally challenged young man.

Suddenly, the first guy turned to see why the guy behind him was laughing at the lady who got hit by the falling rack.  He almost gave the second guy a scowling look.  For a brief moment, the second guy noticed how the challenged first guy truly did not notice what he had just said.  The moment was priceless and completely innocent.  As if by magic, the challenged young man put two and two together and said to the second guy in line who was trying not to laugh, he said, "Wow, did I say it hit her rack?"  The mentally challenged young man was obviously embarrassed but began to laugh at himself out of control...and I mean out of control.  The whole experience was very funny.  It was one of those moments that did not need much more to happen in order for the laughter to explode.  The second guy in line began to laugh harder at how innocent the mentally challenged guy was and how much he was making fun of himself for noticing his slip of the tongue comment.  It was a priceless moment.  As I walked around the counter to go move the wiper blade display inside and see if the lady was fine, the two guys began laughing out of control.  They were both laughing in tears and both became embarrassed about the elevation of the event.  Both young men stepped away from the counter as the lady and her daughter started to come inside the store.

Both of the young men worked their laughter towards the back of the store, getting each other out of sight like two young friends in church who could not quit laughing at each other.  It was one of those moments where you could say anything and it would burst out into some tear producing laughter.  They were out of sight in one of the nearby product isles but I could hear them laughing out of control.  The humor was continuing to be fed by the effort to apologize for the mistaken comment the challenged young man was trying to share with the second guy.  It was a priceless moment.  It truly was very funny, even to the one who was challenged.  I believe he liked the attention he was getting.  It made his day as a special piece for producing a great memory he could share as a part of who he was.  The ladies when they came inside the store, did not know what was going on.  The two young men seemed to work together to shield why they were laughing away from the knowledge of the two young ladies in the entryway.

Several days later the young man who was challenged came into the store and asked if I "got it" when he said it hit her rack?  He was so funny because he tried to describe to me how he did not mean to say what he said.  In his innocence he actually described what I am trying to share with every reader of this blog about the power of the subconscious mind.  He said his 'other mind' was thinking about how it hit her private parts when the wind blew the display rack over.  He explained to me that sometimes people use the word "rack" to describe the physical nature of a woman's top-side body.  He explained to me how he did not want to say what his 'other mind' was thinking.  He said it was so funny how he was trying to explain that mistake to the other guy he did not know, the guy who was laughing at him about the mistake he made.  He said he was so embarrassed for letting that other guy know what his 'other mind' was thinking.  He said he was certain that is why the other guy was laughing so hard.  Then he suddenly asked me this question, "How is the lady? Is she OK?"  He asked that question with all sincerity.  I answered him, "Dean, she is fine.  It did not hurt her at all.  Dean...you just described a process of truth that so many people do not understand, yet you completely grasp  the power both of our minds have over each other.  A lot of people in this world never 'get that truth.'  You understand it completely, you are very special.  It happens to everybody.  You are one of the few people who will actually admit it.  You are so special, my friend."

We do not always practice what we preach.  We do not always admit how we think and how we move.  Our subconscious mind dominates our thoughts more than we are willing to admit.  I know I am guilty.  My ego has found its way into my subconscious mind more than I should ever allow it to become.  Every business leader needs to work harder on learning how to recognize the difference Dean described in how the two minds work their powers.  Every business owner needs to become more disciplined in working harder on producing the thoughts and actions that support profitable business mechanics instead of protecting our egos and ugly personal pleasures.  It is hard work.  If Dean knows the difference, it should be easy stuff for the rest of us.

Learn how to ignore the urge to protect the personal ego pleasures we harbor inside our hearts.  Learn how to function as a business leader who respects the actions that produce proper business profits, not because they protect our egos, but because they are the right things to do.  Protect your profits, not your ego.  Dean gave us all a great lesson to learn.  In his own words, "You will not likely know how your own 'other mind' is running your thoughts and actions, until it is too late."

Do not allow your ego to become more important than your profits.  It will be very hard to detect.  According to Dean...your 'other mind' is very sneaky.

Until next time...