Recently my wife, Marcia, and I attended a meeting of about 20 people where I was asked to lead a discussion on kindness. As the meeting progressed, people started sharing their personal stories about kind acts they had performed for others. It quickly became clear that performing these kind acts was an important source of…
Yesterday I dropped my oldest son (Silas) off at his social skills group and then my youngest son (Braydon) and I went to the supermarket for a few things. I thought to myself, ‘I’ve got one hour to get groceries, pick up dinner, and go back to get Silas. Easy!’ I was a bit grumpy and rushed, but while pushing Braydon in the stroller and pulling the shopping cart I didn’t bang into anything or anyone.
A friend of mine posted this on Facebook. I think it’s sound advice for living your life fully, comfortably, and successfully. They move on. They don’t waste time feeling sorry for themselves. They embrace change. They welcome challenges. They stay happy. They don’t waste energy on things they can’t control. They are kind, fair and…
Last Friday I stopped at a gas station to fill my car with gas. As swiped my credit card, a station attendant walked past me to the other side of the pump. A commotion followed and I heard the station attendant exclaim, ‘Why does all this happen on a Friday?’.
I found the following post by Craig Worst on a Facebook Page titled, Days of Gratitude. “We have been conditioned to believe that setting goals and measuring everything we do will bring us happiness, peace, and success. While this may be true for ‘material happiness,’ the opposite is true for ‘authentic happiness,’ Stop measuring the…
This past week I went back to the same restaurant that I mentioned in last week’s Reminder where I had the kind interactions with the server who no one else seemed to notice. It had been three weeks since this server had waited on our group, and it was only the second time I’d ever…
Recently, I attended an evening meeting held in a private dining room at a local restaurant. There were about 20 of us sitting around a large table discussing various subjects and only one server to take care of us. This server was trying very hard to meet everyone’s needs and after a while she began…
One of the most deep-seated needs among human beings is the need to be appreciated. This need is so strong that people crave appreciation almost as much as they crave food. This means that if you satisfy this need, people will absolutely love you for it. So, try leaving a trail of gratitude on your…
I recently came across an article that I had filed away several years ago. The Arizona Republic had held a networking breakfast to honor current and former winners of its “35 Entrepreneurs 35 and Younger” competition. Laurie Merrill, who was a writer for the Republic at the time, asked some of the attendees to share their advice for…
Several years ago, my wife and I were having dinner at a neighborhood bar and grill. After we placed our order, a woman who we knew, but not well, walked in and was seated at a table near us. This woman had recently lost her husband and was now having to eat dinner alone. We…