On Sunday morning, I was in the dumps. Someone important to me hardly ever seems to notice the positive impact of anything I do. My foibles and miscues, though? I’m sure to hear about those.
Then, something wonderful happened.
At church, the sacristan offered her condolences about my mother-in-law passing away. She knew about my MIL's passing from my Facebook posts two weeks ago.
After church, a guy who attends daily mass with me asked whether my new suit was new. When I told him it was, he mentioned how fashionable I looked.
Checking messages, a friend who had texted me without a response back texted again to ensure I was okay. He was worried.
Leaving a convenience store after filling gas, I spotted a young couple starting to walk their dogs. One dog looked, even though leashed, like it might bolt into the street. Approaching them, the dog did exactly that. I swerved, hoping there wasn’t a car to my left, and avoided hitting the dog. At the stop light, the driver who had been behind me gave me a thumbs up and rolled down his window. He congratulated me on a "helluva of a job of avoidance driving," and wished me a great rest of the day.
At Lamar's Donuts, the young man who usually works Sunday mornings said he felt like he hadn't seen me for some time. I told him that I buy donuts for my wife, and that she had been gone for seven weeks to be with her mom. He promised to keep us in his prayers. That reminded me of our favorite bartender at Houlihan's. She wondered on Friday night where we'd been. After hearing the story, she comped our entire food bill.
In each of these cases, someone noticed me, making me feel incredibly special for them having done so.
Noticing people in a positive, supportive way. So easy and so powerful, yet, so often overlooked in our personal and business lives.
Want to change your life in the coming year? Want to revolutionize your business prospects?
Make it part of your daily plan to go out of your way to notice and recognize everyone you possibly can in a warm, genuine way, creating a positive impact for each person you encounter. – Mike Brown
