The Rotary motto, “Service above self,” fits hand in glove with the Fortunebuilders motto: “People first, profits second.” It also fits with the Hermit Haus mission to do good in the world by making lives better one house at a time.

At the last Cameron Rotary meeting, we had district PR representative speak to the club about promoting Rotary and the missions the clubs undertake. One thing that was said struck home. They said, what you do isn’t interesting. It’s why you do it that matters.

Somehow, I’ve know this. I mean, the back office parts of this business—the parts that fascinate me and take up so much of my time would be dreadfully boring to a normal person. Even the visible activities of our business—color choices, hammer swinging, and so on—aren’t particularly interesting in themselves, despite there being so many television shows somewhat dedicated to the topic. None of that is what drags my old butt away from the bucolic lifestyle at the ranch.

Why I continue to work everyday can be summed up in one story.

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We bought a house from an elderly woman who was being “taken care of” by her grandson. It broke my heart to see her basically locked in a house without any utilities. The locks on the front door were openable from the outside, not the inside. She basically lived on her couch and wore the same clothes every day. Sometimes she had help to get up and go to the restroom. Sometimes she didn’t. Her situation was as close to hell on earth as I care to imagine.

We knew that most, if not all, of the money from the sale would end up with the grandson who kept this woman in such desperate conditions. But we also know that she would end up in a nursing home where she would be cared for much better than she was at home. After the sale, we got word that she was indeed in a nursing home. She was being kept clean and fed. Doing that much for her was worth more money than we’d ever see from renovating and selling the house.

That’s my why. Whenever I feel down because a deal goes south or we make a bad decision that loses money, I think of this old woman and of all the others like her that are out there in the world waiting for some kind of help. I believe we saved her life, or at least helped put her in a situation where she could be healthier, longer. If I can make that kind of difference in someone’s life buy buying and selling a house, how heartless would I be to stay home and rest on my assets?

So, what’s your why?