"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might." Ecclesiastes 9:10
It is often said, "If you wish to succeed follow your passion." The trouble is many people don't know what they are passionate about. A common trait I have discovered among successful people is their tendency to work hard on whatever tasks they were given, which is reflective of the biblical principle outlined in Ecclesiastes 9:10; 'Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might." The life of James Cash Penney Jr., founder of the JC Penney Company, is one of the success stories that exemplifies this principle.
After graduating from high school James had planned to attend college in the hopes of becoming an attorney. However, his father's untimely death forced him to reconsider his plans, and forced him to take a job as a store clerk so he could help support the family. His health eventually got in the way and again he had to alter his life plans by moving to Longmont, Colorado.
In 1898, Penney began working for a small chain of stores called the Golden Rule Stores. In 1902, impressed by his work ethic and salesmanship the owners, Guy Johnson and Thomas Callahan offered him one-third partnership in a new store they planned. Penney invested $2,000 of his own money, and moved to Kemmerer, Wyoming to open the store as manager. He participated in opening two more stores, and when Callahan and Johnson dissolved their partnership in 1907, he purchased full interest in all three stores.
By 1912, there were 34 stores in the Rocky Mountain States and in 1913, he moved the company to the Kearns Building in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. The company was incorporated under the new name, J. C. Penney Company. In 1916, he began to expand the chain nationwide and by the end of 1929, the number of stores totaled 1,400. In 1924, Penney reported an income of more than $1 million annually. The large income allowed Penney to be heavily involved in many philanthropic causes during the 1920s.
In 1921 Penney had a home (Belle Isle) on Biscayne Bay in Miami. This would be followed by heavy investments in Florida real estate including 120,000 acres in Clay County with business partner Ralph W. Gwinn. Some of this land later became Penney Farms. This was also the start of Foremost Dairy Products Inc., which would be managed by Paul E. Reinhold, who was recruited by Penney himself. Most of this work was halted when the stock market crash in 1929 and the Great Depression left Penney in financial ruin.
In the 1929 stock market crash, Penney lost virtually all his personal wealth and borrowed against his life insurance policies to help the company meet its payroll. The financial setbacks took such a toll on his health he checked himself into *the Battle Creek Sanitarium where he was treated. After hearing the hymn "God Will Take Care of You" (written by Civilla Durfee Martin) being sung at a service in the hospital's chapel, Penney became a born-again Christian.
After much improvement in his health, Penney continued to be actively involved in managing the company and its stores. In 1940, during a visit to a store in Des Moines, Iowa, he trained a young ✦Sam Walton on how to wrap packages with a minimal amount of paper and ribbon. He remained the chairman of the board until 1946, and after that as honorary chairman until his death in 1971. Until the end of his life, he continued to go to his offices.
We are surrounded by people who used biblical principles to achieve both personal and business success while finding happiness and fulfilment in a life well lived. Someone once stated, "Success leaves clues and you can find them everywhere if you know what you are looking for." If you are looking for your purpose continue to work diligently on all tasks you are given and over time it will become self-evident.
*The Battle Creek Sanitarium was a world-renowned health resort in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States. It started in 1866 on health principles advocated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church and from 1876 to 1943 was managed by Dr. John Harvey Kellogg
✦ Sam Walton is the founder of Wal-Mart.