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| James Cash Penny founder of J. C. Penny |
"I am grateful for all of my problems. After each one was overcome, I became stronger and more able to meet those that were still to come. I grew in all my difficulties."
American Businessman
1875 - 1971
What problems are you grateful for? We all face challenges in our lives and we sometimes let these challenges affect us emotionally and psychologically. We need to learn to be thankful for the gifts hidden within the problems. Every problem we face has something to teach us, something to give us. Creative leaders face problems and challenges in their personal and financial lives like everyone else. The difference is that we have been given the gift of creativity. Don't just use your gift for your art. Use it to solve the problems in your life.
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| James Cash Penny, age 27 |
In 1898 at the age of 23 James Cash Penny went to work for a small chain of retail stores. Four years later, he was offered a third ownership in one store for which he paid $2,000 dollars. In 1907, he bought and owned three stores. By 1912 he owned 34 stores. In 1913 at the age of 38, he incorporated his business under the name of J. C. Penny. By 1929 the company had 1,400 stores. The stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression left James Cash Penny in financial ruin. He borrowed against the cash value of his life insurance policies to pay the payroll in his stores. The financial setbacks took a toll on his health and he checked himself into a sanitarium. He later recovered emotionally and financially and spent the rest of his life involved in charitable works.
What challenges are you facing today? What changes can you make in your life that will help you solve these problems? The problems we face are gifts that can make us stronger and better artists and writers. Be thankful that you have an opportunity to learn and grow into a better person.
