Befriending a Bully With Kindness ~ By Sparticus

During the first week of my second semester sophomore year, the first thing I happen to hear is that there's a new kid at school. From what was being spread around, this student was being portrayed as a big mean bully, someone that was expelled for getting in a fight at a school nearby.

In my mind, though, I could only think how awful and how uncomfortable I would feel as a new student with a reputation already set out for me.

So the next thing I did was I searched for the new student. I ran all over campus to find and locate him, until I found him, head sulked down and with a weary expression upon his face. Without hesitating, I approached him, introduced myself and asked him if he was new to the campus and if he needed any help getting around.

With a relief, he replied that he was new and was looking for the computer lab for his next class. He showed me his class schedule. I then offered to walk him to the room, and as I walked with him, I could feel the tension built up inside him begin to fade. Before I left him to his class I told him to let me know if he ever needed anything else. Looking at his face, I knew that he would not have any more trouble or problems at this school, and if he ever does I'll still be there for him or any one else that needs it.

And still today he's been one of my best friends.

Old Man on a Bicycle ~ By Rashmi

Kindness acts are a great excuse to believe in ourselves and our world.

Once I had been invited for the lunch at one of my relative’s house. My aunty gave me the address and told me to come to her house for the meal, until I got settled into the new city. In trying to get to her house, I got lost and was desperately looking for help on the lonely roads for more than half an hour.

In a bit, I saw an old man on bicycle. I didn't want to stop him but I had no choice so I asked him for the address; he explained the route but it just didn't sink in; I was so tired of hunting around for the place and at this point, I was super hungry and thirsty too.

Well, that old man was a dear soul. Seeing the frustration and helplessness on my face, he accompanied me all the way to my aunt's house. When I reached my aunts house, I thanked that old man for guiding me till the house. He smiled and left.

When I shared my story with my Aunt, she mentioned that he was the "watchman" for their community and that he was going home for his lunch break. And that because his lunch breaks are only 15 minutes, he basically skipped his lunch to help me today.

That was the day I realised the value of kindness. Kindness is divinity personified.

Sunglasses in the Custodian Closet ~ By Aurelia

I'm new to the Smile Cards, but here's my first experience with the cards.

I work in a school and after all the kids are gone for the day a sweet young lady Claire comes in to clean the school classrooms and offices. I'm there late once a week and I often chat for a few minutes with her.

She always makes me feel so good because she's not full of herself and instead she wants to hear about me or will talk about her children. Our conversations are always great.
Last week she wasn't her happy self and told me how her husband had lost his job of 15 years and that she didn't know what they would do without his income.

I wanted to cheer her up some how, but couldn't think of anything at that time. Later that week I was in a department store I noticed all the pretty summer clothing and racks of sunglasses. I tried on several pairs and finally found the perfect pair, and I smiled at my reflection in the mirror, then I thought, "Wow Claire would look great in these!" I already had a pair that would be fine again this year, so I bought the glasses for Claire.

I was too excited to wait until my one late night that I worked, so I put them in a pretty bag and left them in the custodians closet for her!
When I came in the next day a fellow employee told me that she was talking to Claire as she went to the closet and opened it. When Claire saw the bag and took out the sunglasses and read the Smile Card her face lit up! She put the glasses on and smiled a BIG grin. She said she hadn't had anything to smile about in a few days and it felt good.

She left me a note about how she was having a rough day and that my act of kindness meant so much to her. It made me feel good knowing that I got her the sunglasses instead of myself. I wish I could do more for her, but at least she knows I am thinking of her even when I'm not at work. I look forward to creating more Smile Moments.

Semi; My Son

It was a few years ago that I witnessed something remarkable, a lesson from life in which my child was the teacher. My son Justin is a unique young man, and as a mother I always knew this. When Justin was born he had the umbilical cord wrapped around his little neck. At the time we didn't realize just exactly how that affected him, but over the years watching him reach his developmental milestones achingly slow, we realized that his birth did in fact alter his life's destination.

After many visits to many specialist Justin was diagnosed as having a very mild form of cerebral palsy. It was a shock to my system to hear that diagnosis. "Not my son! He can walk! He doesn't look it!" The diagnosis lead to a quick and in depth lesson on what cerebral palsy is, and all the different forms it can take.

Now when most people look at Justin they see strong young man. Tall for his age and fully able. What they don't see is his low muscle tone, and his poor coordination. They don't notice the slight outward turn of his feet, nor can they see his learning disabilities, and central auditory processing disorder. It's only after talking with Justin, and watching him for a bit that one will notice what makes him unique. I cannot even begin to count the number of puzzled looks we've received once this dawns on people.

Justin, like many children, was often subjected to bullying at school and on the playground from other children. In their eyes he was an easy target. It always broke my heart when this would happen, and all I wanted to do was pull him close to me and protect him.

That is why when he wanted to join a tag football team I was so nervous. I knew it would be difficult for him. I knew he wouldn't be able to keep up, and I knew the other kids would make fun of him. Against my better judgment, and at his constant urging, I went ahead and signed the permission slip.

Justin was so proud of being part of the team, and never missed a practice. I would watch from the sidelines as he awkwardly ran down the field....often times appearing lost at what he should do. I could see the other boys snickering at times, whispering to each other and knowing they were laughing at Justin. Every time it took all I had in me not to pull him off the field and take him home to protect him from others.

The coaches would run through drills with the boys, and Justin never quite got the hang of the "tag" part of football, as he ran his coaches down. It didn't take long for him to get the name "Semi."

The end of the season came, and the coaches treated the boys to a bowling party where trophies were awarded to the best players. Justin was so excited to go to the party even though he knew he most likely wouldn't get a trophy for being the best.

The kids bowled a few games, and ate their pizza. It was at the end of the party, with the parents watching, that the coaches awarded trophies to the boys. Justin received a participant trophy as did all the other boys. Then came the special trophies for the players that had the best skills. I watched my son applaud loudly for each boy as their name was called. He was genuinely excited and happy for each player who received a trophy.

It was the end of the ceremony when the coach told the boys and parents that there was one more trophy to hand out. The coach told them how this one was the most important one of all. He then spoke how the player receiving it was an example to every person present. He said this player taught everyone on the team, including the coaches, what "drive and determination" was all about, and what "never giving up" truly means. It was then when he said "Semi get up here!"

Tears rolled down my face. My youngest son who was 5 at the time looked up to me and said, "That's my brother!" The other boys on the team stood up and cheered as my son, Semi, went up for his trophy. Among the adults in the room, there wasn't a dry eye in the house.

Still to this day when I think back to that moment in time, tears of pride run down my face. My son, Semi, not only taught his team members a lesson in life, but he also taught me one.....

Yes, I am very a proud mother, and I know that my son, Semi, will run into barriers in life but I am assured he will plow them down as long as I believe in him as much as he believes in himself.

The Joys of Being a Waitress By Babygirl

As a waitress you meet and see all types of people. I guess you could call it the melting pot of the highway because the food connects us all.
I was about to end my shift one afternoon when a group of people came in. As they sat down, they explained that they were trying to make it home and just had enough to buy their children a small snack and that all they needed was water. So I showed them a few things on the menu and asked them what they would like.

As I walked away to turn in their order, I just couldn't see this family leaving hungry with a snack and some water! So I asked some friends to join me in helping this family and they agreed because they know how I am when it comes to helping others and it gives them the fuzzy feeling of making a difference too.

So I went back to the table and quietly let the parents know that they could order what they wanted because it was taken care of by some strangers. At first, they didn't know what to say but with a smile and a glance at the menu, they kindly accepted.
When they left all you could see was smiles, and with a tear in my eye, I wished them a safe trip and asked them to stop by if they were ever in the area again.

I learn that with every kind gesture you connect with that person and the emotion it gives flows both ways. I guess you could say they brought me home to my heart that day and every day.

A Dozen Inspirational Quotes on ATTITUDES, - Part 1

1. It is not the level of prosperity that makes for happiness but the kinship of heart to heart and the way we look at the world. Both attitudes are within our power, so that a man is happy so long as he chooses to be happy, and no one can stop him - Aleksandra Solzhenitsyn.
2. He who restrains his appetite avoids debt – china ness proverb
3. In a customer society, there are inevitably two kinds of salves: the prisoners of addiction and the prisoners of envy. – Invan Illich
4. The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack or will. – Vine Lombardi
5. ‘We must learn to apply all that we know so we can attract all that we want.’ Jim Rohn
6. ‘Successful people develop and maintain a positive attitude towards life. They look for good in others and in the world and usually seem to find it’
7. ‘Successful people don’t get into ruts or become bored because they’re too busy looking for new experiences.’
8. Virtually nothing on earth can stop a person with a positive attitude who has his goal clearly in sight. Denis Waitley
9. Never begin the day until it’s finished on paper. Jim Rohn
10. People don’t care how much you know, they want to know how much you care
11. You may choose what job you want. Now you can choose to dress like that job. Then you will get that job. Richard Teamplar
12. Just because I say you ought to blend in doesn’t mean you have to give up your identity or become a clone or lose all sense of your individuality. Richard Templar

My First Basketball Game

I never knew I could learn so much about life and success from a game of basketball.
My mother was an athlete. She was a tom-boy, and growing up she played every sport she could. This was, of course, in the 1950s, when girls didn’t do such things and there wasn’t a lot of opportunity.

When I was growing up in the 70s, things had changed. There were girls leagues everywhere, and my mom enrolled me in all of them. I played softball, basketball, volleyball, and tennis. I don’t know whether I ever really wanted to play, but I never said no. I suppose it was peer pressure–after all, I knew lots of other girls who were playing, too, and my mom was always the coach.

When I got to high school, I tried out for the Freshman basketball team and made it. Before we started practicing, however, the coach gave us a talk and told us that it was going to be a lot of hard work. We would have to be at school at 5 a.m. for practices. He would be hard on us, and he expected us not to be quitters. If that was going to be our attitude, he said, we might as well quit now. So guess what? I quit. I decided it was too much effort. I was not my mom. I really didn’t want to be a jock. I was more interested in “girly” things like music and theatre. Trying out for Freshman basketball was the last time I ever played. That was 1982!

Whatever possessed me to join a team now, I’m not sure I will ever know. I got an email that they were starting up a church league and looking for players. Something in me just told me to join. So I did. Let me repeat: I don’t know why.
As time passed and our first game started to become a reality (there were no practices, by the way–just games every Saturday), I started panicking a little bit. It had been 25 years–did I even remember the rules? Could I shoot a basket? What the heck was I doing????

Alas, our first game day did arrive, and I headed to the church. There I met the other women on my team–all of them at least 10 years younger than I. Half of them were clearly real athletes and played all the time. More panic set in.
There were only six on our team that first day, so one person got to sit out. I was hoping to be the first, but someone else called it, so there I was, totally unsure of myself, thrown in the middle of a real game!

About two minutes into the first quarter, I was dying! It had been YEARS since I had run so much! My heart was racing, and I literally wanted to throw up. I tried to sub out but couldn’t, because I didn’t know the rules. Finally our captain told me I could go out, and so I sat on the sidelines for awhile to catch my breath and collect myself.
Again I wondered what the heck I was doing. What was to stop me from just leaving? I was too old. I wasn’t in shape. I didn’t even know the rules!

But I didn’t go home. I stayed. And when it was time to play again, I played as best I could. I didn’t make any baskets, but I passed the ball to team members who did, and I prevented the other team from making some! I sat out a lot, but I got back in when I was needed. And you know what? We won! And I knew deep down that each week, if I kept playing and kept practicing, I would get better. Running would be easier. I would understand more. And who knows? I might even score one for the team.

In the end, that’s exactly what happened. I built up the stamina to play an entire game without sitting out, and you know what what? By season’s end, I had even scored 6 points for the team.
Yes, I learned a lot about basketball that first day, but I learned more about the principles of success.

I learned that the most important thing is to STAY IN THE GAME! Maybe things aren’t going as well as you’d hoped. Maybe you feel like you’re floundering and don’t know the rules. Maybe you need to sit out for a minute and catch your breath. Just stay in the game! If you keep playing and keep practicing, you will get better. It will get easier. You will understand more, and you will win.

Copyright 2007, Margie Remmers
Margie Remmers is the author of the famous inspirational story, Parable of the Clothes. She is a business owner and entrepreneur, a mom, and, now, a basketball player. She can be reached at margie@asimplesolution.info.

A Dozen Inspirational Quotes on GOALS - Part 1

1. Successful people set goals, accomplish them and then set new goals. They accept and enjoy challenges

2. People with goals succeed because they know where they’re going. Earl nightingale
3. Goals are the starting blocks of motivation. They give us a reason to get our stuffs and get going
4. Goals helps us take charge our own lives, instead of following the crowd or wandering though life
5. Goals gives us a destination. We’re far more likely to get someplace when we know whether we’re going
6. Goals give us a sense of purpose. Life has more meaning when we’re clear on what we want
7. Instead of merely existing from one day to the next, our goals give us reasons to start really living.
8. Goals are the antidote to the most dreaded of all social diseases: boredom. How can you be bored when you’ve got exciting things to do?
9. Goals more than anything else help us reach our potential. Setting goals helps us see what’s possible.
10. Each goal completed helps us see more of what’s possible and leads to new goals and more success
11. Virtually nothing on earth can stop a person with a positive attitude who has his goal clearly in sight. Denis Waitley
12. Discipline means choice. Every time you say YES to a goal or objective. You say NO to many more. Sybil Stanton

Fear kills more people than death By General George Patton

Master success coach, Steve Chandler said, "The world’s best kept secret is that on the other side of your fear there is something safe and beneficial waiting for you. If you pass through even a thin curtain of fear you will increase the confidence you have in your ability to create your life."

Your ability to confront your fears is one of the most important keys to staying motivated. Because when you back away and do nothing, fear can quickly dominate your thinking and your emotions.

Everyone has fears and it takes courage to confront them.

Mark Twain said, "Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not- absence of fear."

When you’re afraid, you have two choices: to do nothing and let the fear fester like a cancer, or identify the person or situation that is causing your fear and deal with it immediately.

Can it be difficult?

Of course it can, but the alternative to constant worry and pain is much worse

An Enterprising Spirit By Jim Rohn

An enterprising person is one who comes across a pile of scrap metal and sees the making of a wonderful sculpture. An enterprising person is one who drives through an old decrepit part of town and sees a new housing development. An enterprising person is one who sees opportunity in all areas of life.

To be enterprising is to keep your eyes open and your mind active. It's to be skilled enough, confident enough, creative enough and disciplined enough to seize opportunities that present themselves... regardless of the economy.

A person with an enterprising attitude says, "Find out what you can before action is taken." Do your homework. Do the research. Be prepared. Be resourceful. Do all you can in preparation of what's to come.

Enterprising people always see the future in the present. Enterprising people always find a way to take advantage of a situation, not be burdened by it. And enterprising people aren't lazy. They don't wait for opportunities to come to them, they go after the opportunities. Enterprise means always finding a way to keep yourself actively working toward your ambition.

Enterprise is two things. The first is creativity. You need creativity to see what's out there and to shape it to your advantage. You need creativity to look at the world a little differently. You need creativity to take a different approach, to be different.

What goes hand-in-hand with the creativity of enterprise is the second requirement: the courage to be creative. You need courage to see things differently, courage to go against the crowd, courage to take a different approach, courage to stand alone if you have to, courage to choose activity over inactivity.

And lastly, being enterprising doesn't just relate to the ability to make money. Being enterprising also means feeling good enough about yourself, having enough self worth to want to seek advantages and opportunities that will make a difference in your future.

And by doing so you will increase your confidence, your courage, your creativity and your self-worth, your enterprising nature.

What I valued most was your time

A young man learns what’s most important in life from the guy next door.It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.

Over the phone, his mother told him, ‘Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday.’ Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.

‘Jack, did you hear me?’‘Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It’s been so long since I thought of him. I’m sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago,’ Jack said.

‘Well, he didn’t forget you. Every time I saw him he’d ask how you were doing. He’d reminisce about the many days you spent over ‘his side of the fence’ as he put it,’ Mom told him.
‘I loved that old house he lived in,’ Jack said. ‘You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man’s influence in your life,’ she said.
‘He’s the one who taught me carpentry ,’ he said. ‘I wouldn’t be in this business if it weren’t for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important… Mom, I’ll be there for the funeral,’ Jack said. As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser’s funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away. The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time.

Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time. The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture. Jack stopped suddenly.

‘What’s wrong, Jack?’ his Mom asked. ‘The box is gone,’ he said

‘What box?’ Mom asked.“There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he’d ever tell me was ‘the thing I value most’,” Jack said.

It was gone. Every thing about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.‘Now I’ll never know what was so valuable to him,’ Jack said. ‘I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom.’It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. Returning home from work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. ‘Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days,’ the note read.

Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention. ‘Mr. Harold Belser’ it read. Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack’s hands shook as he read the note inside.

‘Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It’s the thing I valued most in my life.’ A small key was taped to the letter.
His heart racing, and tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch.Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover. Inside he found these words engraved:

‘Jack, Thanks for your time!
Harold Belser.’

‘The thing he valued most was… my time’

Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days. ‘Why?’ Janet, his assistant asked.

‘I need some time to spend with my son,’ he said. ‘Oh, by the way, Janet, thanks for your time!’‘Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away.’Think about this. You may not realize it, but it’s 100% true.

1. At least 2 people in this world love you so much they would die for you.
2. At least 15 people in this world love you in some way.
3 A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don’t like you.
4. Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you before they go to sleep.
5. You mean the world to someone.
6. If not for you, someone may not be living.
7. You are special and unique.
8. When you think you have no chance of getting what you want, you probably won’t get it, but if you trust God to do what’s best, and wait on His time, sooner or later, you will get it or something better.
9. When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good can still come from it.
10. When you think the world has turned its back on you, take a look: you most likely turned your back on the world.
11. Someone that you don’t even know exists, and loves you.
12. Always remember the compliments you received. Forget about the rude remarks.
13 . Always tell someone how you feel about them; you will feel much better when they know and you’ll both be happy.
14. If you have a great friend, take the time to let them know that they are great.

Keep a Shark in Your Fish Tank

The Japanese have always loved fresh fish. But the water close to Japan has not held many fish for decades. So to feed the Japanese population, fishing boats got bigger and went farther than ever.

The farther the fishermen went, the longer it took to bring the fish. If the return trip took more time, the fish were not fresh. To solve this problem, fish companies installed freezers on their boats. They would catch the fish and freeze them at sea. Freezers allowed the boats to go farther and stay longer. However, the Japanese could taste the difference between fresh and frozen fish. And they
did not like the taste of frozen fish. The frozen fish brought a lower price. So, fishing companies installed fish tanks. They would catch the fish and stuff them in the tanks, fin to fin. After a little thrashing around, they were tired, dull, and lost their fresh-fish taste. The fishing industry faced an impending crisis! But today, they get fresh-tasting fish to Japan.

How did they manage? To keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese fishing companies still put the fish in the tanks but with a small shark. The fish are challenged and hence are constantly on the move.

The challenge they face keeps them alive and fresh!

Have you realized that some of us are also living in a pond but most of the time tired and dull? Basically in our lives, sharks are new challenges to keep us active. If you are steadily conquering challenges, you are happy. Your challenges keep you energized. Don’t create success and revel in it in a state of inertia. You have the resources, skills and abilities to make a difference. Put a shark in your tank and see how far you can really go!

“Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character” - Albert Einstein

Thoughts of Life by George Carlin

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life. We’ve added years to life not life to years. We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space We’ve done larger things, but not better things.

We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We’ve conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom.

A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete…

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn’t cost a cent.

Remember, to say, ‘I love you’ to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there to hold hands and cherish.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away!

Johnny the bagger - Written by Ken Blanchard & Barbara Glance

The simple truths of service inspired by Johnny the bagger true story as told by Barbara Glance

A few years ago I was hired by a large Supermarket chain to lead a customer service program – to build customer loyalty. During my speech I said, “Every one of you can make a difference and create memories for your customers that will motivate them to come back.” How?

Put your personal signature on the job. Think about something you can do for your customer to make them feel special – a memory that will make them come back.
About a month after I had spoken I received a phone call from a 19 year old bagger names Johnny. He proudly informed me he was a down syndrome individual and told me his story.
“I liked what you talked about,” he said, “but at first I didn’t think I could do anything special for our customers.”

“After all I’m just a bagger. Then I had an Idea,” Johnny said.
“Every night after work, I’d come home and find a thought for the day.”
“If I can’t find a saying I like,” he added, “I’d just think one up.”
When Johnny had a good thought for the day, his dad helped him set it up on the computer and print multiple copies. Johnny cut out each quote and signed the back. Then he’d bring them to work the next day.

“When I finish bagging someone’s grociers, I put my thought for the day in their bag and say, thanks for shopping with us.”
It touched me to think that this young man – with a job most people would say is not important – had made it important by creating precious memories for all of his customers. A month later the store manager called me….

“You won’t believe what happened. When I was making my rounds today, I found Johnny’s checkout line was three times longer than anyone else’s.”
“It went all the way down the frozen food aisle. So I quickly announced, ‘we need more cashiers; get more lanes open.’ As I tried to get people to change lanes. But no one would move.

They said, “No that’s OK – we want to be in Johnny’s lane. We want his thought for the day.”
The store manager continued, “It was a joy to watch Johnny delight the customers.”
“I got a lump in my throat when one woman said, ‘I used to shop at your store once a week, but now I come by every time I go by, because I want to get Johnny’s thought for the day.’”
A few months later the manager called me again.

“Johnny has transformed our store. Now when the floral department has a broken flower or unused corsage, they find and elderly women or a little girl and pin it on them. Everyone has had a lot of fun creating memories. Our customers are talking about us… they’re coming back and bringing their friends.”

A wonderful spirit of service spread throughout the entire store…all because Johnny’s chose to make a difference.

Johnny’s idea wasn’t nearly as innovative as it was loving. It came from his heart – it was real. That’s what touched the customers, his peers…and those who read this story.

Wally the Cab Driver

That's because great service is a choice.

Years ago, my friend, Harvey Mackay, told me a wonderful story about a cab driver that proved this point. He was waiting in line for a ride at the airport. When a cab pulled up, the first thing Harvey noticed was that the taxi was polished to a bright shine. Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and freshly pressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back passenger door for Harvey. He handed my friend a laminated card and said:

"I'm Wally, your driver. While I'm loading your bags in the trunk I'd like you to read my mission statement."

Taken aback, Harvey read the card. It said:

Wally's Mission Statement:
To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest and cheapest way possible in a friendly environment.

This blew Harvey away. Especially when he noticed that the inside of the cab matched the outside. Spotlessly clean!

As he slid behind the wheel, Wally said,
"Would you like a cup of coffee? I have a thermos of regular and one of decaf."

My friend said jokingly,
"No, I'd prefer a soft drink."

Wally smiled and said,
"No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular and Diet Coke, water and orange juice."

Almost stuttering, Harvey said,
"I'll take a Diet Coke."

Handing him his drink, Wally said,
"If you'd like something to read, I have The Wall Street Journal, Time, Sports Illustrated and USA Today."

As they were pulling away, Wally handed my friend another laminated card.
"These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you'd like to listen to the radio."

And as if that weren't enough, Wally told Harvey that he had the air conditioning on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for him.

Then he advised Harvey of the best route to his destination for that time of day.

He also let him know that he'd be happy to chat and tell him about some of the sights or, if Harvey preferred, to leave him with his own thoughts.
"Tell me, Wally,” my amazed friend asked the driver, "have you always served customers like this?"

Wally smiled into the rear-view mirror.
"No, not always. In fact, it's only been in the last two years.

My first five years driving, I spent most of my time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do.

Then I heard the personal growth guru, Wayne Dyer, on the radio one day. He had just written a book called You'll See It When You Believe It.
Dyer said that if you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you'll rarely disappoint yourself.
He said,
'Stop complaining!
Differentiate yourself from your competition.
Don't be a duck. Be an eagle.
Ducks quack and complain.
Eagles soar above the crowd.'"

"That hit me right between the eyes," said Wally.
"Dyer was really talking about me.
I was always quacking and complaining, so I decided to change my attitude and become an eagle.

I looked around at the other cabs and their drivers.
The cabs were dirty,
the drivers were unfriendly,
and the customers were unhappy.

So I decided to make some changes. I put in a few at a time.
When my customers responded well, I did more."
"I take it that has paid off for you," Harvey said.
"It sure has," Wally replied.
"My first year as an eagle, I doubled my income from the previous year.

This year I'll probably quadruple it.
You were lucky to get me today.
I don't sit at cabstands anymore.
My customers call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on my answering machine.
If I can't pick them up myself, I get a reliable cabbie friend to do it and I take a piece of the action."

Wally was phenomenal.
He was running a limo service out of a Yellow Cab.
I've probably told that story to more than fifty cab drivers over the years, and only two took the idea and ran with it.
Whenever I go to their cities, I give them a call.
The rest of the drivers quacked like ducks and told me all the reasons they couldn't do any of what I was suggesting.

Wally the Cab Driver made a different choice. He decided to stop quacking like ducks and start soaring like eagles.

How about you?