Charlie Ward died when he was 73 years of age, but oh, what a life he lived. When I read this true story of Charlie Ward in the excellent book “The 25 Most Common Problems in Business” by Jim Zabloski, I knew it was a story that I had to share with you. The reason I wanted to share his story is because it represents thousands, perhaps millions, of people across America who started out on the wrong side of the tracks but became an exemplary model of what a human life is meant to be.

If you suffer from low self-esteem because you were not born into the privileged class, do not possess looks or a body that causes others to stare, do not have an Ivy League education, or all the other advantages of those starting out with a “can’t miss” label, this story is for you. Let me say here in the beginning, the reason Charlie Ward became a tremendous success is because he discovered an age-old principle that will work for anyone who has the good sense to use it. I will be happy to tell you what it is, but first this story about the late Charlie Ward.

Charlie came into the world on the worst side of town. As a young boy he sold newspapers to help pay his family’s debts. Then he shined shoes, and as a teen found himself serving others as a cabin boy on a freighter. He tired of life in Seattle, Washington, and tired of serving others. He did what every young man daydreams of doing: he hit the rails and traveled with bums on passing trains.

Charlie saw the states and made his living by stealing and petty thievery. The railroad journeys satisfied him for several years, until Mexico enticed him. He drank, he fought. He won, but more often he lost. He discovered gambling, which allowed him to win bigger and to lose bigger. Finally U.S. authorities caught him and tried him for trafficking in narcotics. Bitter and angry, Charlie claimed the authorities framed him as he passed through the gates of Leavenworth Prison. Many inmates read my column, so I hope you will listen up. At age 34, Charlie Ward hung on the end of his emotional rope. He had lived for himself for 16 years. He had given to no one and had taken from all.

But his life turned around when he read the only material then available to prisoners: the Bible. By reading and re-reading it, Charlie’s life transformed into something he never thought possible. He burned into his mind to forgive those who had wronged him. He decided to become Leavenworth’s model prisoner. He wanted to improve himself, and his opportunity came. He learned from a prison guard whom he had befriended that there would be an opening for a trustee in the prison electric plant in three months. Charlie knew the railroads, not electricity. He read every book on electricity in the prison library.

He prayed and asked God to help him get that job, and in return he would learn to give. He studied, and at the end of three months he not only passed the test, but due to his vibrant personality, he won the hearts of the prison officials. Charlie went on to become an outstanding success. He later befriended a white collar inmate who told him to come see him when he got out of prison. He came to work for this man and took a $3 million company to a $50 million company, until his death at age 73.

Here is the principle that Charlie learned that led to his great success, “Give and it will be given to you, pressed down, shaken together and running over.” This simply means, “We cannot out give God.”

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(Editor’s Note: For a personally signed copy of my new book ‘Your Future Begins Today’ send $20, which includes postage and handling, to Jim Davidson, 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034.)