BOOK REVIEW
(Investigator
159, 2014 November)
A Drop
of Ink To Make Millions Think (1985) Dianne Vecchiet and Helen
Hazell
I found a
filthy, dilapidated copy of this 92-page book during a walk among
sheoaks and "prickly acacia" on unused land on Kangaroo Island.
The book
represents a cross-section of "Thoughts for the Day" shared by
attendees at S.W.A.P. breakfasts to inspire one another.
SWAP
stands for "Salesmen With A Purpose".
SWAP Clubs Australia was founded by John Nevin in 1973 to encourage
high standards among sales and business people and included a weekly
hour-long breakfast.
The
inspiring ideas in A Drop of Ink To Make Millions Think start
in the Introduction where Dianne Vecchiet writes:
A
vision without a task is a dream,
A task without
a vision is drudgery —
The two
combined make for SUCCESS.
The
"thoughts" are organized into fifteen chapters.
Many come from Power Ideas for Happy Family and Discover
Your Possibilities (1972 & 1978) by Robert H. Schuller, Gentle
Freedom, Gentle Courage (1980) Diane Westlake, and This Is Your
Life (1978) Susan Polis Schutz.
The
thoughts on page 76 are typical and include:
- What
turns the ordinary into the extraordinary is the extra you put into it.
- No one
can make you feel inferior without your consent.
And a few
from page 77:
- An
apology is better than an explanation — and quicker.
- Forgiveness
does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.
- Six
essential qualities that are the key to success: sincerity, personal
integrity, humility, courtesy, wisdom and charity.
SWAP seems
religious in character. Andrew West, writing in the Sydney Morning
Herald, reported there were three SWAP clubs in Sydney with 350
members and says: “A SWAP breakfast … begins with a prayer and the
national anthem…” (June 8, 1988)
The
thoughts in A Drop of Ink To Make Millions Think are meant to
advance your personal growth and goals, encourage you to become better
than you are, and increase your
sales.