The Fred Factor

I am reading this “National Bestseller” called The Fred Factor – Mark Sanborn . At the time I am typing this post out I have read about half the book and am going to put down my thoughts at this point. Maybe I’ll have another post when I am through reading it.
So far what I have read is good and pretty inspirational. (Are these the right words? Maybe I am sure you can add in a few of your favourite words that you use when describing these inspirational, straight from the heart kind of books.) OK I know what you are thinking right now. You are thinking that I am about to launch into a long-winded tirade condemning this book or pointing out something out of the ordinary here right?
NO!
I like what I have read so far in this book. But the thing is that I don’t quite get the peoples reactions… “Hey I know a Fred!” just like finding out that an old stock that they found in their granddad’s bunch of papers is worth a small fortune. C’mon they should be ashamed and go about changing quietly. I wouldn’t like to buy a $12 book that told me what my parents told me to do in the first place!! Or maybe they just didn’t say “These thing also apply when you are making money”
In school we are taught to say ‘Good Morning’, ‘Please’, ‘Thank you’ etc. and mean it. We are taught that ‘Honesty is the best policy’ blah… blah… blah… But doesn’t any of this apply when we go out to make money and build our own little financial empires. Would it not be more profitable to make money and make people feel like humans at the same time? Wouldn’t relationships esp. business ones improve?
Or maybe at work these things don’t matter. He is like that and he won’t change so why the hell should I not pay him back in his own coin? Maybe “his” is a reaction to my perception of his character! Which means that we could all be reacting to someone else’s imaginary character!
Ok this is a little far fetched with the likes of the people our gaols are filled with, but I think that most of us would classify as normal sane people. Guess this would also qualify all of us as potential Freds. But we are held back by some peers opinion of how an ‘X’ year old should behave. Is that why when we are kids we can make friends with any other kid but when we are older well there always has to be an ulterior motive?
This book is an extremely well written book and really gives one an outside look at the goodness that happens. I guess only then can one make an effort to perhaps live the Fred way.
I haven’t yet come across anything about turning the other cheek in this book but then again I haven’t finished reading it.