YOU can be Just Like Marty!
Everyone in the world should want to be like Marty! Out of all the people we could choose from, Marty would probably be the intelligent choice. Why? Because in the years he was on this earth, Marty was able to first, master kindness, compassion, understanding, love, gratitude, faith, loyalty, friendship, sharing, helpfulness, philanthropy and servanthood. Second, he was able to teach others these traits and life lessons simply by allowing them to observe how he utilized them in the actions of his everyday life, especially where he worked. Yup…I want to be just like Marty!
You might immediately think that Marty was a famous person. Famous? Well, he sure was to the people that lived in, and around, Brookings, South Dakota. Currently, that’s a town of about 25,000. Brookings is also home to South Dakota’s largest college, South Dakota State University, which adds about another 12,000 during the school year. Aaron "Marty" Martinson was born in 1926 and died in 2004. Just before his death, Marty was in the hospital. When word got out about Marty being hospitalized, his hospital room was flooded with over 400 get-well cards. Have you ever known anyone who received over 400 get-well cards when they were in the hospital? Me neither. Plus, Marty had a best-selling book written about his personal character. Those two facts alone kinda qualifies him as being famous from where I’m sitting. Sure does seem to be a lot of benefits from being just like Marty.
You might immediately think that Marty was a wealthy person. After all, there was a best-selling book written about him called "The Richest Man in Town." But if you measure wealth and being rich by how much money a person has, well, Marty wouldn’t have made it on your list. The title referenced the similarity the author felt Marty shared with the lead character, George Bailey, in the movie "It’s a Wonderful Life" especially near the end of the movie when George’s brother makes a toast claiming George as "the richest man in town" even though he hardly had a penny to his name. It was the impact he had had on the town that made him the richest, not the amount of money he had. Wouldn’t anyone want to
The author of the book, V.J. Smith, happened upon Marty quite by accident when he ended up in a check-out line at the local Wal-Mart where Marty was the cashier. So unique was his experience being served by Marty that he studied all the things that made Marty different. He was curious about Marty’s personal life, his family, how he had been raised, who he looked up to, how serving in the war had impacted him, what his co-workers and manager thought of him and especially why people were willing to stand eight or more deep in Marty’s check-out line, sometimes waiting over 20 minutes just to be checked-out by Marty, when there were open lanes right next to his that people refused to use. It wasn’t logical. But selfless character traits rarely are. V.J. first wrote a speech about Marty and was overwhelmed by the impact Marty’s story immediately had on the people hearing it. That’s what lead to him transforming the speech into a best-selling book. What would the world look like if everyone attempted to be just like Marty each day?
Marty kept things simple. When asked why he treated everyone so kindly he’d respond, “I just want to be a friend.” Simple yet unique when you consider the thought process. Marty took being a friend to a whole new level. Over time he became what can best be described as a "professional friend" to everyone he met. Pause for a moment and use that incredible brain of yours to imagine what your life would look like if you had a personal business card that said ‘"professional friend" as your job title. Imagine how others would perceive you if that was the term that best described you. What would our community look like if every member was a professional friend just like Marty?
Again, in keeping things simple, Marty indicated that his consistently joyous life was based on three thought processes. The first was: Relationships matter most in life. Second: Try to do a little more. Third: Only you can make you happy. Every day, each one of us should attempt to be just like Marty.
The book had a powerful impact on my life, and I called the author about five years ago to see if I could get a discount on a bulk purchase. I wanted to use them as gifts. The love we both have for the movie "It’s a Wonderful Life" went on for quite some time as we both were able to perfectly quote dialogue from several scenes each of us knew by heart. V.J. is actually a lot like Marty. You can purchase your own copy from his website www.vj-smith.com and using the phone number on his contact page you can even call and have a chat with V.J. and he’ll autograph and personalize your copy of "The Richest Man in Town" if you order one (or more to use as gifts). You can tell him that Paul White inspired you to call. He won’t remember me, but it will create a powerful moment for him knowing that Marty continues to inspire people around the world to be a professional friend. And besides, that’s what Marty would do. So c’mon, Let’s all be just like Marty! And don’t forget to GiddyUp!