My Financial Career
My Financial Career
My Financial Career
by Stephen Leacock.
Summary
"My Financial Career" is a delightful story full of pleasant humor. The writer was
fully aware that the very sight of a bank made him nervous. The moment he
entered the building he became an Irresponsible fool. His salary was raised by fifty
Vastav Shastri
Assistant Professor
SDJ International College, Surat
dollars a month. He did not know what to do with the additional amount of money
expect to deposit it in a bank.
The writer was becoming more and more nervous. He had his hand in his
pocket and In It he clutched notes worth fifty-six dollars tightly. He asked, "Are
you the manager?" "Yes", the manager replied. "Can I see you alone".
The manager looked at him with some alarm. He, however, took him to his office
and locked the door, Then they sat down and looked at each other. At last the
manager asked him if he belonged to Pinkerton’s detective agency. The writer
replied, "No, not from Pinkerton’s".
Then he told him that he was not a detective, and he had come to open an
account. The’ manager thought that his visitor was a son of a very rich family, that
was why he had come straight to him for opening an account.
He asked "A large account I suppose". "Fairly large", the writer whispered.
When the manager learned that the 'fairly large’ amount was only fifty-six dollars,
he was not pleased. He called to the accountant and told him to help the gentleman
open his account of fifty-six dollars.
The writer stood up, said good morning and entered the big iron door
thinking it to be the exit. It was not. He had entered the safe of the bank .The
manager quickly got him out-and showed the right door.The writer went up to the
accountant’s window and pushed the ball of money towards him very quickly as if
he was performing a juggler's trick. He signed some papers and the account was
opened at last. By now the writer had become extremely nervous.
The bank swam before his eyes. He wished to draw six dollars for present
use, but in his confusion he wrote fifty-six dollars on the cheque instead of six. The
clerk could not believe it. He asked him if he wished to draw all his money. The
writer felt unable to explain the mistake. So he tried to look like a man with a
fearful temper and said, "Yes, the whole thing".
Vastav Shastri
Assistant Professor
SDJ International College, Surat
He hoped that the spectators who had been watching his funny behavior
might think that someone had misbehaved with him and he had changed his mind
to do business with the bank. The clerk asked him how he would have his money.
The writer could not understand what he meant but soon he caught his meaning
and replied, "In fifty-dollar notes".
Of course he could get only one fifty-dollar note. As soon as the remaining six
dollars were paid, he rushed out of the bank. As he went out, he heard a roar of
laughter which hit the ceiling. Since that day, he keeps his money In his pocket and
his savings In silver dollars In a sock.
Grammar
Adverbial Suffixes
1. Stephen looked at the clerks shyly. (In this sentence shyly qualifies the
verb looked.)
3. He left the bank very fearfully (Fearfully qualifies another adverb Very)
Many adverbs are derived from adjectives and end with the suffix – ly for example
fairly, shyly, fearfully etc. But some adverbs are formed without ly suffix. For
example : just, too, seldom, also, already, well etc.
Vastav Shastri
Assistant Professor
SDJ International College, Surat
Rewrite the following sentences using the adverbial forms.
We all have different personalities, different wants and needs, and different
ways of showing our emotions. Navigating through this all takes tact and
cleverness – especially if we hope to succeed in life. This is where emotional
intelligence becomes important. Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize
your emotions, understand what they're telling you, and realize how your emotions
affect people around you. It also involves your perception of others: when you
understand how they feel, this allows you to manage relationships more
effectively.
Vastav Shastri
Assistant Professor
SDJ International College, Surat
Q.2 What is emotional quotient? How is it different from Intelligence
quotient?
What is EQ?
According to the University of New Hampshire psychology department,
emotional intelligence is the "ability to validly reason with emotions and to use
emotions to enhance thought." EQ refers to an individual's ability to perceive,
control, evaluate, and express emotions. People with high EQ can manage
emotions, use their emotions to facilitate thinking, understand emotional
meanings and accurately perceive others' emotions. EQ is partially determined
by how a person relates to others and maintains emotional control.
What is IQ?
Intelligence quotient or IQ is a score received from standardized assessments
designed to test intelligence. IQ relates directly to intellectual pursuits such as
the ability to learn as well as understand and apply information to skill sets. IQ
covers logical reasoning, word comprehension and math skills. People with
higher IQ can think in abstracts and make connections by making
generalizations easier.
Difference between IQ and EQ
It is said that while IQ ensures your success in school, EQ ensures your success in
life. It works in this way. Suppose you find out about a problem at your office. You
know the facts and the reason behind the failure. That is your IQ. When you use
these to motivate your employees, that’s your EQ. If you know the facts, but are
unable to empathize with your employees, berate and de motivate them, you have a
low EQ. When you try to convince someone by facts alone, it shows your IQ, but
when you appeal to his emotions and reason together with the use of facts, that’s
your EQ!
So far as the technicalities are concerned, the results of an IQ test and an EQ test
may be very different. For instance, children with autism tend to have a high IQ,
but they usually have a low EQ count.
Your EQ decides how you interact with people in your life. It therefore has a
profound bearing on both your success and your happiness. A person with a high
Vastav Shastri
Assistant Professor
SDJ International College, Surat
EQ will know how to make an individual work by appealing to his emotions and
reason. That is the secret of success behind every man.
The most important difference between the two is that while EQ can be learned, IQ
is something that a person is born with. You cannot alter a person’s intelligence or
reasoning powers. However, you can teach him to handle emotions and to make
them work for him. That is the greatest difference between the two and perhaps the
greatest advantage of EQ!
The customer may always right, but that doesn't mean all customers are easy to
deal with. Finding techniques that help you disarm unhappy customers and win
them to your site is the key to providing great customer service. Here are few
points to be keep in mind when you are dealing with difficult customers;
Active Listening - Do not try to talk over the customer or argue with them. Let the
customer have their say, even if you know what they are going to say next, and
even if they may not have all the information or be mistaken. As you listen, take
the opportunity to build rapport with the customer.
Build rapport through empathy. Put yourself in the customer's shoes. Echo back
the source of their frustration and show that you understand their position and
situation. If you can identify with a customer's issue, it will help calm them down.
Lower your voice. If the customer gets louder, start speaking more slowly and in a
lower tone. Your calm demeanor will reflect on them and will help them to settle
down. As you approach the situation with a calm, clear mind, unaffected by the
customer's tone or volume, anger will generally dissipate.
Never get angry or upset. If the customer is swearing or being verbally abusive,
take a deep breath and continue as if you didn't hear them. Responding in kind will
not solve anything, and it will usually escalate the situation in a negative direction.
Instead, remind the customer that you are there to help them and their best
immediate chance of resolving the situation - often this simple statement will help
defuse the situation.
Vastav Shastri
Assistant Professor
SDJ International College, Surat
Proverbs
1. People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.
It means that people should not criticize other people for faults that they
have themselves. It’s so easy to criticize other people, and so hard to give a single
honest compliment. It’s so easy to see yourself in a good light and at the same time
focus on imperfections of other people.
Vastav Shastri
Assistant Professor
SDJ International College, Surat