Yesterday, Santa stopped by our studio and told us how he stays so jolly.
Today, we want to share a story about two of Santa's helpers - you may or may not be familiar with it. Listen & read here.
The BIGG Successs Show
Santa's Helpers
Welcome to our 30th Big Success Show. Today, we'll share an inspiring story about a legacy of giving. The Big Success Show with George and Mary Lynn. That show, Mary Lynn, we got a visit from Santa Claus. And it's amazing that he could take time out of his schedule this time of year to talk with us. And if you haven't heard this, especially if you're dealing with the stress of the holidays, we've got a link to that show, listen to it, and you're sure to get some laughter in. And it's getting some tips on staying jolly. Yes, that's good stuff. And today, we're going to talk about some of Santa's helpers. And specifically, this is a story, and Mary Lynn, this is one of the most inspiring stories I think I've ever heard. It both, you know, gives you joy, but it also, you know- It makes you want to cry. It does. I don't want to say that as a man. A good cry, though, because it just makes you feel so warm inside. But we'll talk about these two men because they symbolize all this good in this holiday season. Well, this story began 27 years ago. A guy by the name of Larry Stewart was broke, but he was very, very hungry. And he saw a restaurant and decided he was going to go in, order a big old breakfast- And dine and dish. Well, sort of. He was going to say that he'd lost his wall when the bill came. Well, but something miraculous happened. The owner came out from behind the counter. You know, and the owner must have had some sort of a six cents about people, because he came over to where Larry was sitting. He bent down. He came up with a $20 bill in his hand, and he said, "You must have dropped this." And from that day forward, you know, I mean, it made such a difference to Larry Stewart that he vowed from that day forward, he would try to do the same thing for people. And what I really like about that, too, is that he didn't put Larry on the spot. Oh, you must have dropped this, not here, you know. And so like you said, Larry decided that he would help other people whenever he could, and he began giving away money immediately. And I don't think he wasn't wealthy at this point. I mean, but he was better. I mean, he wasn't, you know, begging for food, but. Right. But even still, when he didn't have a lot, he was giving it away. And he did become a successful businessman. So every year, whether he had a lot of money or not, he was looking for people to help at Christmas time, giving them cash and asking only that they help someone in return. Pay it forward. That's awesome. And the thing is, we're saying Larry Stewart over and over again. Right. But until last year, nobody knew his name. Exactly. And he did that on purpose. But last year was his last Christmas. He knew it was his last Christmas. He knew he was losing his fight with cancer. And so he decided to go ahead and reveal himself as the secret Santa. But, you know, Mary Lynn, the amazing thing, you know, just giving away a little bit every single year. Over the course of his life, he gave about $1.3 million to strangers. Wow. And part of the reason why he did reveal what he was doing was because he wanted somebody to carry it on. To take the reins, so to speak. And a friend of his and a business colleague did just that, promised him he would do that. And this year, the new secret Santa has been crossing the United States, going to thrift stores just like Larry did, going into the laundromats, bus stations and the like, handing out $100 bills, $200 bills or more to people in need. And so the results are by this, by Christmas this year, the new secret Santa will have given out $75,000 of his own money to people in need. And he says he does it because he gets a tremendous return on investment. I find that so striking. You know, he gets a return on investment because the joy it gives him and helping others. But also seeing the joy that people have because they know it's unconditional. They know it's just one human being reaching out and caring for another. Providing hope to someone who may not have it this Christmas. That's right. I write a story about secret Santa in action this year, going to the doorstep of a family who had lost a son to a rare form of cancer. Imagine the grief. You know, you've lost a son, the medical bills, incredible. They have three other kids and they've been telling their kids, we're not going to have much of a Christmas this year. Don't get your hopes up. You know, we just don't have enough money. Secret Santa shows up with a thousand dollars. Wow, that's awesome. I know. It's just incredible. Well, you know, I was in JC's for a long time. And of course, I have to admit, I'm too old now to be in JC still. But you know, service organization, but one of the projects we did every year at Christmas was to find out from different social service agencies, families that had a special need, kind of a one time thing. Something had happened like a family member with health problems. And their Christmas was just, they weren't going to, I mean, it was destroyed. They weren't going to have one. And we were able to reach out. And it's amazing how you feel when you're able to do that. You feel that return on investment? You sure do. You're talking about just knowing that you're helping someone else and providing them some joy. And coming up, some final thoughts on finding the Santa in you. Today, we talked about two men who've made a difference in the lives of so many people. Marilyn, you can't even begin to count them all. Absolutely not. It's amazing. And you can get a written summary of today's show on our blog at BigSuccess.com. And what's our big quote for the day, George? Well, we thought it was only right to quote the new Secret Santa. All right. And it's a great quote. The new Secret Santa says, "Secret Santa lives in each and every one of us. It's just a matter of letting him out." And the good news is, is that this whole thing is catching on. Yeah, that's awesome. There are people contacting the new Secret Santa and even interning with him this year, hanging out with him, watching how he approaches people and just seeing how he gets it done. That's cool. The tricks of the trade. Yeah. And if you want to see Secret Santa in action yourself, we've got a link on our blog today to a video. CBS did a special where they followed him around. You don't really get to see his face completely. It's kind of like Wilson in what? Tool time. Home improvement. There you go. Or Charlie in Charlie's Angels, right? Oh, okay. Yeah. But when you watch the video, bring your hanky, right? Oh, bring a tissue something. And next show, we're going, you know, next show is Christmas Eve. We're going to talk about timeless secrets for overcoming all the odds, making your star shine bright. And until then, here's to your big success. The Big Success Show at B-I-G-G Success.com. [Music] [BLANK_AUDIO]