This morning, a friend sent me a link to this article about Danny Almonte, the dominant 12 year old… er… 14 year old pitcher from the 2001 Little League World Series and the kid he struck out to win the U.S. Championship that year.  As it turns out, Almonte probably won't have a career in the Big Leagues while the scrawny kid he dominated in the Championship Game will have a shot.  It's a great read.

How many times have you had something similar happen?  My karma moment was when I harshly criticized a colleague in business school for his energy monitoring device in 2004.  He went on to do fairly well in our school's business plan competition while I finished dead last… and there is actually a business emerging in/around his idea.  Similarly, I had a friend criticize my purchase of a used Ford Explorer in 1999 after the electrical system went out.  That was the last problem I had with the car, 105k miles ago.  Several years later, he bought a brand new Acura, and sure enough it went up in flames (yes it was pretty much destroyed) after an aftermarket radio caused a short.  I don't think his insurance even covered it.  Not without a fight.  Karma is a bitch.

Regardless of the level of success you achieve, you can't escape the old adage that "whatever goes around, comes around."  Treat each other as you want to be treated.  It might limit your immediate opportunity, but you'll be happier and probably better off for it in the long run.