I’m convinced that if laziness was a criminal offense some people would be fried in the electric chair, paraded before the firing squad or hung from the gallows.
I pulled into an ARCO Gas Station not long ago and I was getting ready to fill up my tank when I noticed a gentleman approaching me with an “I need some money” look. I’m sure you all know the one I’m talking about. But unlike “Most People”, I actually like these opportunities to see what the person’s story is.
“Sir, would you happen to have some change that I could use, my truck ran out of gas and I need to get me and my wife home.” he said. It was about 10:00pm that night and I did notice his beat-up, black, gas-guzzling pickup truck over at another pump with his wife in it. So I peppered him with a few other questions like, where specifically did he live at, how many kids he had and what was he doing on this side of town knowing that he was low on gas? I cautioned him ahead of time that I would be checking all of his answers with his wife in the truck to make sure that he was being truthful.
To my surprise he obliged me. Among many other things in our conversation he also stated that he had been looking for work but had been having trouble finding anyone who would hire him. Feeling a bit pleased with his comments and answers, I moved the conversation over to his wife and after confirming that his story matched up, I preceded to run my debit card through his pump and told him to fill it up. He and his wife were most grateful and verbalized the sincere appreciation over and over again.
It was painfully obvious that he had neglected his hygiene for a while and his hair was matted and his clothes were tattered. So, one hundred dollars later, I figured it was a good time to express to him the importance of his first impression and maintaining a level of pride in himself no matter what his situation, circumstance or condition is. I then beamed one of my signature, big, toothy smiles at him and he returned the favor. I told him to pay it forward when he gets back on his feet. Then I gave him my card and advised him to call me the next day before 12 noon. I also told his wife to make sure that he calls me and she insisted she would.
I would love to tell you the juicy details of what happened next in Kendrick’s story but you’ll just have to get the book.
This story along with many others can be found in my book “Make it GREAT” that’s due to be released this November 2012. Many have taken the opportunity to Pre-Order their copy to assure they won’t miss out on the limited number of copies. Don’t miss your chance. Pre-Order today and you’ll also get a FREE bonus CD with tons of power-packed audio content to enlighten you.
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