Bill Porter the American Salesman

A world that dares to bow at the feet of those they consider worthy of praise, respect, and admiration, is a world that continues to reject those who fail to pass their expectations of someone who is not a hero. In our world, mankind has opposed many that have the characteristics of a real hero; instead we continue to idolize those who linger towards the direction of fame rather than true heroism. However, one man found himself being admired for his actions, personality, and spirit. Through his hard work, determination, and courage, Bill Porter was able to pursue his dreams of being treated normally. In addition to his courage, he never gave up when people put him down, not allowing negative attitudes to overcome his hope and positivity; this is why Bill Porter is a genuine hero.

A very friendly Bill Porter posing for the camera (http://lifeunlimited.i.ph/photo/d/145-1/bill+porter.jpg)

In 1932, in the large, bustling city of San Francisco, a hero was born. Unlike a multitudinous amount of people, Bill Porter was born with cerebral palsy, a condition in which a group of disorders slow the functions of the brain and nervous system. Although he grew up battling cerebral palsy, Bill Porter did not allow this disease to interfere with his happiness and overall essence. As the years had passed, Bill realized that he needed a job. After immeasurable amounts of unsuccessful job interviews, Bill finally landed a job. Understanding how crucial this was to him, he was completely obligated to his first job and extremely dedicated. For example, “Once, during an ice storm, the door-to-door salesman, who suffers from cerebral palsy, crawled the last part of his seven-mile route on his hands and knees. How positive and upbeat is Porter? This positive and upbeat: He describes that day--during which he also dragged his briefcase full of catalogs and order forms up his iced-over driveway--as "one of the best I ever had selling. More people were home because of the storm" (Horsburgh). From his dedication, Bill Porter wasn’t only able to land a job, as the years passed, he was able to gain the hearts of many, becoming an inspiration, a hero to all through his actions.

Bill Porter and his assistant Shelly. (http://www.soentpiet.com/images/shelly.jpg)

Courage is a heroic trait, a characteristic that Bill Porter has much of. By proving everyone else wrong with a bit of encouragement and words of wisdom, Bill was able to drive himself towards success. Although not many believed in him, Bill Porter was still able to succeed from his courage. His mother had strengthened him with the words “patience” and “persistence”, emphasizing that no matter what, if he had faith in himself, he’d overthrow all his obstacles. From that belief, Bill went beyond his expectations. “Bill Porter is a perfect example of an individual succeeding because he stayed focused on something he felt passionate about" (Valenzano). Being passionate about his job drove Bill and empowered him to do better, proving that he had an engine running on determination. Bill was not only a salesman, but he was valiant enough to be an inventor as well. An example of his courage was when “Porter said he first started selling to local Oklahoma dealers ‘who liked it and came back for more.’ Then local distributors wanted to be involved; they now stock his products” (Checket-Hanks). Bill Porter was audacious, taking a chance at being an inventor. Even if he wasn’t sure he’d do well in this category, he still attempted this job. He never gave up and continued to try his best in whatever he did, whether it was selling products to a customer, walking door-to-door, or being an inventor. He was a bona fide example of courage.

Having countless amounts of doors slammed in his face only encouraged Bill Porter to try harder to prove himself. His persistent attitude allowed him to push himself farther. Even when his hope was on a shortage and he found that he could no longer hold on, he’d constantly remind himself not to give up and keep on trying. “Bill has his own words of encouragement for any young person with a disability seeking the dignity of a job and a regular paycheck. ‘Keep on trying,’ he says. ‘Opportunities will come eventually, as they did for me” (Horsburgh). His words are evidence of the patience and perseverance that have made him such a success not only in business, but also in the hearts of millions of people. "People change their minds when they fully understand," he adds. "Never give up” (Horsburgh)! Bill Porter is considered a hero because he follows his own advice of “never give up” and “keep on trying.” He encourages variety of people, handicapped or not, to never give up, being an inspiration to all.

Bill Porter laughing as he's doing his job. (http://www.oknation.net/blog/home/blog_data/586/39586/images/BillPorter2.jpg)

Although most people looked down upon Bill’s actions, he didn’t allow their negative attitudes to influence him. Instead, he kept moving forward until he reached success and satisfaction. For example, when two people are having a conversation and things turn out badly, some of the hurtful comments are engraved into that person’s mind. Luckily for Bill, comments like that were never able to penetrate through his positive attitude. When he received a negative remark, he’d let it slide. “Yet Bill would be the last person to characterize his success in this way. He attributes it instead to his determination to see all situations as sales opportunities. Even when his body ached from seven to ten miles of walking a day, Bill says, ‘motivation ... and a responsibility to the customers kept me going. If a door slammed, then I tried a little harder at the next door to persuade them to hear me out” (Valenzano)! From this we could see that even when a customer had slammed a door, he wouldn’t let that change him negatively. He wouldn’t say, “I should just stop trying now.” No, he kept going, striving for what he believed what was right, doing what he was capable of. “By comparison, Porter was named “Salesman of the Year'' in 1989 for sales of $42,460” (Heller). A sudden rush of emotions overcame Bill Porter when it was announced that he was the salesman of the year. Those who had doubted him and his abilities started to believe in him. He didn’t allow other peoples’ negative attitudes to change him or his ethics.

A world that consistently idolizes the wrong people, is a world that will discover the wrongs they have committed in the nearby future. This man, Bill Porter was rendered a heroic figure for a reason, because he has consistently transgressed the acts of a hero. Although he was born with cerebral palsy, during the tough times, Bill looked at his beliefs in courage. When lost in a dark abyss, Bill never gave up to find the light. And lastly, when shunned repeatedly, Bill never allowed that to influence him as a whole. If someone were to depict the heroic characteristics of Bill Porter, different traits in each color, onto a blank canvas, we’d find not only an assortment of colors, but also a rainbow radiating from the once blank canvas, continuing to illuminate hope on each of us. In hope that one day our society will recognize Bill Porter as a genuine hero.