Reader:

Success isn't just measured by how much you earn, but by how many you help along the way!

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Morning Minute – November 4, 2025

Sara, home from college for a short break, was visiting Doug, her grandfather.

He asked how school was going. “I’ve got a 3.9 GPA,” she said proudly. “It’s tough, though. I barely have time for anything else.”

Doug smiled. “That’s impressive, Sara. I’m proud of what you have accomplished in school!”

After a moment, she asked, “Grandpa, what did you do before you retired?”

He replied, “I sold cars for 41 years.”

Immediately her tone changed. “You sold cars? For that long? How could you spend your life taking advantage of other people?”

Doug chuckled softly. “Let me tell you a story about a young man named Mike.”

“Mike was 22, living with his mom and younger brother. He’d dropped out of school at 17 and made some bad choices. But he was trying to turn his life around. He’d just landed a warehouse job when his car died. Without transportation, he’d lose that job.”

“So, he called me,” Doug said. “He had very little money and no credit. I found a way to get him into an old car. He put $700 down, traded in his broken car, and I secured him a high-interest loan—24%. It wasn’t ideal, but it got him to work.”

Sara frowned. “Grandpa… that sounds like you did take advantage of him.”

Doug smiled again. “That’s what I thought you’d say. But here’s what happened next. Mike made every payment on time. After 18 months, he traded that car for a better one—with an 11% rate. A couple of years later, he bought a new truck at 5%—for the delivery business he’d started. Over 12 years, Mike and his family bought 11 vehicles from me.”

Then Doug leaned forward. “Sara, I didn’t just sell cars—I helped people move forward. Every job can be a chance to serve others, if you choose to see it that way.”

Sara sat quietly, then nodded. “Grandpa… now I understand.”

From that day on, their relationship was built on a new kind of respect—and a shared belief that success isn’t just measured by how much you earn, it’s also by how many people you help along the way.

“Working Toward Success - By Serving Others!”

That is today’s Morning Minute!

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If a family member, coworker, or someone you know may find this message helpful, interesting, and/or informative, please share it with them.

As always, your comments, your questions, and your observations are greatly appreciated! Reach out to me at ​lab@larryonlearning.com​.

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SPECIAL MESSAGE:

In recent Morning Minutes I introduced several ideas to help improve your team's performance in 2026. These include:

1) How to create a 2026 projection that your managers and team members will own and work furiously to accomplish.

2) How to save money on broadcast media for 2026, while ensuring you get the best placement and rates.

3) How to effectively lead your teams in 2026 by successfully managing the 4 Ps: People, Processes, Products/Services, & Promotion.

Indicate which of these improvements opportunities would most help your team improve their performance in 2026 via email at lab@larryonlearning.com or text at 864-630-2625. I will respond personally and confidentially.

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Here are some recent Morning Minutes you may have missed with actionable ideas, useful instruction, and step-by-step methods to help you, your family, and/or your team to be more, do more, and achieve more.

"Train Yourself to Blame Yourself!" How great leaders stay in control when everything goes wrong. View a football team who had 2 bad calls by referees costing them 14 points in the first half. Discover how that true leaders rise to the moment when events beyond their control get out of hand. Learn how they win by taking hold of what they do control to overcome obstacles instead of making excuses.

"LEADERS: Be Someone Worth Following!" Your actions, and your character, speak much louder than your words. From my book WORK WITH ME NOT FOR ME learn the 6 leadership roles required of the most successful leaders. Discover 4 examples from my life that share how leaders, both good and not-so-good, have taught me how to be a leader worth following!

"When Your Plan Isn't Working - Change It!" How adaptability can turn setbacks into breakthroughs! Discover how the American Army in WW2 changed their tactics to defeat hundreds of powerful German tanks counterattacking just days after the D-Day invasion of France. Learn how that by changing tactics American engineers succeeded in building the Panama canal connecting the Pacific & Atlantic oceans. Discover my 6 step program to change directions turning defeat into victory.

"Life's A Journey - Not A Guilt Trip!" Don't allow past mistakes, bad choices, or events to destroy the rest of your life! Life sometimes is negatively affected by bad choices or unexpected events. Learn how to overcome those set-backs. Discover 4 actionable steps to lesson the pain or loss you experience when these setbacks occur.

"FAMILY: Building Your Most Important Team!" This is your guide to creating strong families through love, devotion, and consistent action! Discover 7 key characteristics of strong families. Learn how that shared responsibility, open dialog, setting an example of acceptable behaviors, accepting & demonstrating life skills like honesty & forgiveness, plus personal & financial responsibility develops children into strong adults. Discover the importance of keeping God in your family life!

"Supercharge Your Sales Using OPTIONS & the Rule of 3!" Help clients first decide what they want. Then show them how to get it! Discover John, a car salesman who learned the value of offering his clients multiple payment options. Learn how the "Rule of 3" helps you not only provide choices to your clients - it helps you client decide which option provides them with a better outcome.

"Anticipating & Benefiting from the Unexpected!" This video discusses how to use the power of critical thinking to achieve your goals & defeat your enemies. Discover how that General Douglas MacArthur & Elon Musk have used this process to anticipate challenges, take bold action, and achieve remarkable successes. Learn how the process of critical thinking can help you turn your vision into your reality.

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May God bless you, your family, and your team!

Larry A. Bonorato

lab@larryonlearning.com 864-630-2625

(published by Bonorato Creative Group, LLC; al rights reserved)