The Greatest Salesman in the World
If I said the name Og Mandino, would you recognize it? To be honest, before the mid-1990s, I had no idea who he was either. Augustine “Og” Mandino was an American military hero, author, and salesman. He wrote the bestselling book The Greatest Salesman in the World. His books have sold more than 50 million copies and have been translated into more than 25 languages.
During World War II, Mandino was an officer in the U.S. Army Air Corp, flying 30 bombing missions over Germany onboard a B-24 Liberator, some with fellow pilot Jimmy Stewart, the star of one of my favorite movies, It’s a Wonderful Life.
After the war, Mandino went into insurance sales but struggled with alcoholism. On the verge of suicide, he visited a public library in Cleveland and self-help, success, and motivation books caught his attention. In time he went on to read hundreds of books on those topics which helped him overcome his addiction. He claimed that the book Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude by W. Clement Stone changed his life. Mandino went to work for Stone at Combined Insurance Company and in time took a position with Stone’s magazine Success Unlimited and, in 1966, became executive editor of the magazine. Over the years he became a successful writer and speaker. His books were inspired by the Bible, W. Clement Stone, Napoleon Hill, and Emmet Fox.
My husband John and I had the pleasure of working with Og Mandino when he was a speaker on the television network TPN, a station that broadcasted motivational and inspiring shows 24/7, including many featuring Mandino and his inspiring messages.
We were in the audience in Dallas, Texas, watching as countless TPN shows were taped (think Ted Talks 1990s style). This gave us the opportunity to not only watch Og Mandino make many of his presentations live, but also it gave us the chance to meet him in 1996, several months before he passed away. It was a moment John and I will never forget.
During one talk, Mandino said something so profound, that I have carried this message with me the 30 years since then. He mentioned the Bible quote from Matthew 12:7, “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.” Those are outstanding words to live by, but Mandino expanded upon that sentiment. He challenged us to approach every person we encounter each day, and imagine it’s their last day on this planet. How would you treat them? Would you go out of your way to be kind to them? Would you want their last memory of you to be a good one, even if it was the one and only time you’d ever met? Would this make it easier to let go of past hurts and focus on the good in every one?
Through the years people have commented on how kind I am. I’m always humbled by those words, and I attribute that character trait to not only living the life of a joyous Catholic, but also to the words I’d heard so long ago from Og Mandino. I try to live them out every day. Wouldn’t that be something if countless people chose to make that their mission in life too? We can’t change the whole world, but we can change us, and in time the world will change. How about giving it a try?