It’s amazing how much we can do for others when we invest a little of ourselves in them.

One of the most fascinating stories I’ve ever heard comes out of Holland. The citizens in the little village of Ida in Holland were astonished when Hans Bergen died because he left an estate of $40,000 to a young girl named Anne Martin. She, of all people, was the most surprised villager of all, for she had never spoken to Hans Bergen. How could such a thing happen to her? Well, Hans Bergen’s will told the story. It seems that one day Anne Martin smiled at him. It was the only smile he had ever received in his lifetime. Grotesquely ugly, Hans had lived a lonely, affection-starved life. His ugliness frightened and repulsed the villagers and they avoided him like the plague. Perhaps Anne Martin saw the extreme loneliness in Hans and gave him the only thing she could - a smile.

It’s amazing how much we can do for others when we invest a little of ourselves in them. That builds winning relationships because people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care - about them.