Perfect, excellent, awesome, amazing, exceptional...
Good, ok, fine, alright...
Terrible, bad, pathetic, horrible...
The last set of words means there is dramatic room for improvement. Finding out we're a bad father, a horrible son, or a terrible employee upsets us. No one strives for badness, so we look for ways to get better.
The second set of words has become an acceptable achievement. There is still room for lots of improvement, yet there is a sense that once we get good at something, we don't have to get better. Let's break out what good really means.
The opposite of good is not bad.
Good is the enemy of great.
Most people use unrisky words when describing a person or a service. Good is an easy answer. Good is non commital. Good is safe. Striving for good is like saying all we want is for people to say we're "Not Bad".
Good tells us nothing. Good doesn't drive results. Good doesn't create memories. Good is just ok. In a world where ok is mediocre, we're setting the bar pretty low if we're striving for ok-ness.
Do you want to be remembered for being an ok person or a great person?
Do you want to be thought of as an ok mom or a great mom?
Do you want to be an ok employee or a great employee?
OK isn't memorable. Good isn't remarkable. Fine isn't shareable.
If you want to make considerable more money, you have to give considerably more effort. You need to do much more than fine.
If you want a promotion, your work needs to be remarkable. You'll have to do the opposite of good.
If you want everyone talking about you, your business, or your life, you'll have to do the opposite of ok.
Strive for perfection, excellence, awesomeness, amazement, exceptionalism and greatness.
It's the only way you will get noticed. It's the only way, you will get what you want. It's the only way you win at your life.
What's the definition of greatness? You decide. But you owe it to yourself, your family, your community and your coworkers to aim for it.
Greatness is in all of us. We just have to tap into it. We have to stop settling for good. Good isn't good enough. Once you've achieved goodness in any task, ask yourself what you can do to make your effort even better.
Strive for greatness. The world craves it and will reward you accordingly.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Monday, May 11, 2015
Relationships are like dishes
If I asked you to list in order the most important people in your life, who would you put first? Second? or so on?
It wouldn't be easy. You would have to choose between your spouse and your children, or your son and your daughter. How could you choose that? It wouldn't be fair.
If you were asked to categorize your list, it would be much easier.
There are three basic categories of relationships.
1. People we know but aren't part of our everyday lives.
2. People we care about who affect our daily lives.
3. People we love and would do anything to keep them happy.
The first kind might be old school friends, past co-workers or a person we met at a social gathering. These people are acquaintances. There may be a mutual past between the two of you. But there's no present. Despite Facebook, you don't really know what's going on in their lives and they don't know what's going on in yours. These relationships are like disposable plates. The kind you like to use at the family barbecue. You want them to be clean, but you're going to throw them away when the barbecue is done and you won't think about them again until the next time you use them.
The second kind are friends, extended family and co-workers. We care about these people more than the first group. We see them more often. We feel sad when they are sad. We are happy for them when they succeed at something. We might miss these people if they were no longer in our lives. These relationships are more like the regular dishes that we use from day to day. We don't want them to break. We don't want to throw them away. We like them the way they are. But if one disappears, we get over it quickly because we have others just like it.
The third kind of relationships are the people we love: parents, children, spouse, grandchildren, grandparents, a really good friend, a sister, brother, aunt or uncle.
These people are cherished. Life wouldn't be the same without them. These people could never be replaced. These relationships are like fine china. If one breaks, it would devastate us. We treat them extra special.
In examining your own relationships, are you treating the most important people in your lives like fine china or like paper plates?
It wouldn't be easy. You would have to choose between your spouse and your children, or your son and your daughter. How could you choose that? It wouldn't be fair.
If you were asked to categorize your list, it would be much easier.
There are three basic categories of relationships.
1. People we know but aren't part of our everyday lives.
2. People we care about who affect our daily lives.
3. People we love and would do anything to keep them happy.
The first kind might be old school friends, past co-workers or a person we met at a social gathering. These people are acquaintances. There may be a mutual past between the two of you. But there's no present. Despite Facebook, you don't really know what's going on in their lives and they don't know what's going on in yours. These relationships are like disposable plates. The kind you like to use at the family barbecue. You want them to be clean, but you're going to throw them away when the barbecue is done and you won't think about them again until the next time you use them.
The second kind are friends, extended family and co-workers. We care about these people more than the first group. We see them more often. We feel sad when they are sad. We are happy for them when they succeed at something. We might miss these people if they were no longer in our lives. These relationships are more like the regular dishes that we use from day to day. We don't want them to break. We don't want to throw them away. We like them the way they are. But if one disappears, we get over it quickly because we have others just like it.
The third kind of relationships are the people we love: parents, children, spouse, grandchildren, grandparents, a really good friend, a sister, brother, aunt or uncle.
These people are cherished. Life wouldn't be the same without them. These people could never be replaced. These relationships are like fine china. If one breaks, it would devastate us. We treat them extra special.
In examining your own relationships, are you treating the most important people in your lives like fine china or like paper plates?
Friday, May 8, 2015
Can you help you?
How many times has a shopper gone into a clothing store to be bombarded with commission based wolves who don't know how to interact with a complete stranger?
The three greetings shoppers get slapped with are "Hi, how are you today?" and "Can I help you with anything" or "Are you looking for anything in particular?".
Even when I'm looking for something, I don't want to engage these sales people. I just want to be left alone so I say something just as stupid like "No, I'm just looking around", which really means "Leave me the fuck alone".
Today, I went into a specialty store that sells running equipment. I've never been in that store even though it's been there for 10 plus years and a number of friends have recommended it in the past. I had some time to kill between meetings and I really needed a new pair of sneakers. I'm cheap when it comes to clothes for myself but someone recently told me not to skimp on footwear.
What really stood out for me at this store was the way this single employee handled all of the walk in traffic. No one seemed to mind that she was alone. No one was in a hurry. No one left upset. Every single person who came in bought something. No "just looking around" in this store. What was different in this store compared to the others?
First, the salesperson was extremely knowledgeable. She wasn't some high school kid who would rather be texting than helping a customer.
Secondly, even though she was extremely busy, she never hurried me. Nor did she panic. At one point I told her that I didn't mind if she wanted to go help another customer. Her answer was awesome. She said, "He's gonna need me a lot longer than you do, so let's make sure you have the right sneakers before I go see him.
Thirdly, she greeted every single customer that came in with an awesome line and explained that she was by herself and would come to see them when she was finished with me. The awesome thing she said in the upfront greeting was "What brings you in to see us today?" She never once got the bullshit answers I've used a thousand times in other similar stores. She made a sale to every single person because she knew exactly what everyone was looking for.
I found my sneakers. It was the first time I bought footwear without weighing the cost of the purchase. I paid three times more than I've ever paid for a pair of shoes in my life and I love them.
Price is not as important as value. There were no discounts in this store. Why would there be? The product isn't just about the shoe. Everything this salesperson did increased the value proposition of the product. Did I mention I have two pair of sneakers that I've worn less than 4 times each because my feet couldn't get used to them? What's it worth to get a good pair of footwear? What's the value of not having sore feet after a good run?
This store knows that. Good for them.
Thank you Running Room and good job Kim. You impressed me today.
The three greetings shoppers get slapped with are "Hi, how are you today?" and "Can I help you with anything" or "Are you looking for anything in particular?".
Even when I'm looking for something, I don't want to engage these sales people. I just want to be left alone so I say something just as stupid like "No, I'm just looking around", which really means "Leave me the fuck alone".
Today, I went into a specialty store that sells running equipment. I've never been in that store even though it's been there for 10 plus years and a number of friends have recommended it in the past. I had some time to kill between meetings and I really needed a new pair of sneakers. I'm cheap when it comes to clothes for myself but someone recently told me not to skimp on footwear.
What really stood out for me at this store was the way this single employee handled all of the walk in traffic. No one seemed to mind that she was alone. No one was in a hurry. No one left upset. Every single person who came in bought something. No "just looking around" in this store. What was different in this store compared to the others?
First, the salesperson was extremely knowledgeable. She wasn't some high school kid who would rather be texting than helping a customer.
Secondly, even though she was extremely busy, she never hurried me. Nor did she panic. At one point I told her that I didn't mind if she wanted to go help another customer. Her answer was awesome. She said, "He's gonna need me a lot longer than you do, so let's make sure you have the right sneakers before I go see him.
Thirdly, she greeted every single customer that came in with an awesome line and explained that she was by herself and would come to see them when she was finished with me. The awesome thing she said in the upfront greeting was "What brings you in to see us today?" She never once got the bullshit answers I've used a thousand times in other similar stores. She made a sale to every single person because she knew exactly what everyone was looking for.
I found my sneakers. It was the first time I bought footwear without weighing the cost of the purchase. I paid three times more than I've ever paid for a pair of shoes in my life and I love them.
Price is not as important as value. There were no discounts in this store. Why would there be? The product isn't just about the shoe. Everything this salesperson did increased the value proposition of the product. Did I mention I have two pair of sneakers that I've worn less than 4 times each because my feet couldn't get used to them? What's it worth to get a good pair of footwear? What's the value of not having sore feet after a good run?
This store knows that. Good for them.
Thank you Running Room and good job Kim. You impressed me today.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Your dream is impossible until it isn't
Man isn't supposed to fly...then the brothers with the last name Wright figured it out after countless tries.
Man can't go to the moon...until John F. Kennedy motivated a nation and a program to make advances in science so remarkable that they achieved the goal, even after their inspirational leader had died.
An African American will never be President of the United States...until Barack Obama decided to run.
Everything is impossible until it isn't.
You have a choice to make. Choose to accept what others say is impossible or fly in the face of ridicule to prove those who choose to sit on the sidelines, in their comfy chairs, wrong.
It doesn't matter that others will think you're nuts. It doesn't matter if there are days you think you're crazy. Don't give up. Your task will be impossible until it isn't.
Refrigerators, cell phones, the internet, cable TV, electric cars, satellites, and electricity are just a few examples of things that people 200 years ago would have said were impossible. Yet they exist.
If you're working on something that seems impossible, maybe you're just ahead of your time.
Let me repeat. Nothing is impossible. It may be inconceivable. It may seem unrealistic.
You want to achieve something. It doesn't matter what it is. In the words of Rob Schneider in The Waterboy, "You can do it".
You don't have to be Thomas Edison to prove that something is not impossible.
Maybe it's as simple as buying a new home or getting a job that pays twice as much as you currently make. Maybe you have an idea to buy a business.
Nothing will hold you back but you.
It doesn't matter if you're broke.
Who cares if you don't have an education?
Stop worrying about what you don't have.
Start thinking about what could be possible.
Start dreaming about what you can do today to turn the impossible into the possible.
Your dream is impossible until it isn't.
"Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right."
-Henry Ford
Man can't go to the moon...until John F. Kennedy motivated a nation and a program to make advances in science so remarkable that they achieved the goal, even after their inspirational leader had died.
An African American will never be President of the United States...until Barack Obama decided to run.
Everything is impossible until it isn't.
You have a choice to make. Choose to accept what others say is impossible or fly in the face of ridicule to prove those who choose to sit on the sidelines, in their comfy chairs, wrong.
It doesn't matter that others will think you're nuts. It doesn't matter if there are days you think you're crazy. Don't give up. Your task will be impossible until it isn't.
Refrigerators, cell phones, the internet, cable TV, electric cars, satellites, and electricity are just a few examples of things that people 200 years ago would have said were impossible. Yet they exist.
If you're working on something that seems impossible, maybe you're just ahead of your time.
Let me repeat. Nothing is impossible. It may be inconceivable. It may seem unrealistic.
You want to achieve something. It doesn't matter what it is. In the words of Rob Schneider in The Waterboy, "You can do it".
You don't have to be Thomas Edison to prove that something is not impossible.
Maybe it's as simple as buying a new home or getting a job that pays twice as much as you currently make. Maybe you have an idea to buy a business.
Nothing will hold you back but you.
It doesn't matter if you're broke.
Who cares if you don't have an education?
Stop worrying about what you don't have.
Start thinking about what could be possible.
Start dreaming about what you can do today to turn the impossible into the possible.
Your dream is impossible until it isn't.
"Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right."
-Henry Ford
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Young entrepreneur
I met a young man recently who wants to be an entrepreneur. He's only 16.
I envy him because I didn't have a clue what I wanted at that age. I wonder if his inexperience is clouding his adolescent vision. Either way, his confidence is a breath of fresh air.
Not knowing what he doesn't know, he was smart enough to ask someone who may know. That's the foundation of mentorship and this kid's got it figured out at a young age.
He's going to be successful. I can feel it. He doesn't talk like I did at that age. I might be cheering for him prematurely.
He wanted to know what courses he should take in high school to get ready for a life of entrepreneurship.
He's in grade ten.
I suggested three courses:
Creative Writing
Accounting
Typing
Creative Writing will give him a skill that he can use in all of his marketing materials. The ability to move people to open their wallets starts with a compelling message. In today's nomenclature, the keyboard is mightier than the sword.
Accounting is a no-brainer, right? I know far too many business people who depend on bookkeepers and accountants to manage their books. Accounting isn't hard. It's another language. To be able to read a financial statement, understanding the basics can go a long way in business.
Typing was the single most important class I took in high school. I took it in grade twelve because I wanted an easy class to boost my grades that didn't have homework. And it didn't hurt that there were a bunch of pretty girls taking it too. Learning how to type got me through university papers, the constant surfing on line and even right now as I formulate my thinking into this blog.
Unfortunately, his school doesn't have an entrepreneurship class. He thinks there's a entrepreneurship club. That would be another good place to start.
His dad thought it would be a good idea to test the waters of entrepreneurship before making such a huge commitment. I can't argue with the thinking. Unfortunately it's tough to test something like this out without potentially losing money.
This kid is very bright. He's gonna go places. He told me a story of how he's making a product, retailing it at his school, turning a profit of $80 a week. He's developing different flavours to keep his existing client base buying more. If that wasn't enough, he opened a wholesale channel where he still makes excellent margin.
Here are the simple business rules I shared with this young man:
1. Don't tell your friends your trade secrets.
2. Keep the wholesale channels open.
3. Find more wholesale accounts. Work less, sell more.
4. Continue to develop your retail channel in your market (school).
5. Make your wholesalers pay for your product upon delivery.
6. Confirm none of this is illegal.
I was doing nothing compared to this kid at 16. I'm impressed TA. Keep up the confidence, the thinking, the searching for answers. You'll go places. Just keep your head on straight.
Whether you think you can or you think you can't, your right. - Henry Ford
I envy him because I didn't have a clue what I wanted at that age. I wonder if his inexperience is clouding his adolescent vision. Either way, his confidence is a breath of fresh air.
Not knowing what he doesn't know, he was smart enough to ask someone who may know. That's the foundation of mentorship and this kid's got it figured out at a young age.
He's going to be successful. I can feel it. He doesn't talk like I did at that age. I might be cheering for him prematurely.
He wanted to know what courses he should take in high school to get ready for a life of entrepreneurship.
He's in grade ten.
I suggested three courses:
Creative Writing
Accounting
Typing
Creative Writing will give him a skill that he can use in all of his marketing materials. The ability to move people to open their wallets starts with a compelling message. In today's nomenclature, the keyboard is mightier than the sword.
Accounting is a no-brainer, right? I know far too many business people who depend on bookkeepers and accountants to manage their books. Accounting isn't hard. It's another language. To be able to read a financial statement, understanding the basics can go a long way in business.
Typing was the single most important class I took in high school. I took it in grade twelve because I wanted an easy class to boost my grades that didn't have homework. And it didn't hurt that there were a bunch of pretty girls taking it too. Learning how to type got me through university papers, the constant surfing on line and even right now as I formulate my thinking into this blog.
Unfortunately, his school doesn't have an entrepreneurship class. He thinks there's a entrepreneurship club. That would be another good place to start.
His dad thought it would be a good idea to test the waters of entrepreneurship before making such a huge commitment. I can't argue with the thinking. Unfortunately it's tough to test something like this out without potentially losing money.
This kid is very bright. He's gonna go places. He told me a story of how he's making a product, retailing it at his school, turning a profit of $80 a week. He's developing different flavours to keep his existing client base buying more. If that wasn't enough, he opened a wholesale channel where he still makes excellent margin.
Here are the simple business rules I shared with this young man:
1. Don't tell your friends your trade secrets.
2. Keep the wholesale channels open.
3. Find more wholesale accounts. Work less, sell more.
4. Continue to develop your retail channel in your market (school).
5. Make your wholesalers pay for your product upon delivery.
6. Confirm none of this is illegal.
I was doing nothing compared to this kid at 16. I'm impressed TA. Keep up the confidence, the thinking, the searching for answers. You'll go places. Just keep your head on straight.
Whether you think you can or you think you can't, your right. - Henry Ford
Monday, May 4, 2015
Does a little thing like the thickness of toast really matter?
It's the little things that usually make the biggest difference.
Don't kid yourself. Whether you're in business or you work for someone else, the little things that you do everyday will bring you more success, more joy, more money and more love.
I used to own a breakfast restaurant. Do you know what I loved the most about this restaurant before I bought it? It was the thickness of the toast.
The toast was thick like homemade toast. It wasn't the bread we could buy in the grocery store. The only place you could get that toast was in our restaurant.
No one thought the thickness of the toast was important until it was taken away.
A few months into owning the restaurant, an employee asked if we could bring in caramel ganache. No other restaurants, to my knowledge, were carrying ganache so it looked like a small change that differentiated us just a little more. People were eating it so it looked like a good choice. It cost more than strawberry jam, but the decision to bring it on the menu was to give us a slight advantage over the other restaurant choices our customer had.
The protocol of the franchise system, I was in, made us give away free fudge at the door instead of the typical mints other restaurants would do. The fudge was made every couple of days and cut up by hand and placed at the cash as a final thank you to guests.
Each and every time, I would introduce myself to people outside the restaurant, I would hear one of three comments:
1. Oh I love the fudge.
2. You're the only place I ever saw caramel ganache offered instead of jam.
3. The toast is just like gramma's bread. Where do you get it?
The franchisor asked us to remove the ganache off the tables. They changed the bread for a cheaper product to keep the costs and customer prices down. Only the fudge remains.
Of course, we had to be good at the big things like serving a good breakfast. I believe it was the little things like fudge, ganache and thick toast that made us remarkable.
If you want to be remarkable in your business or in your job, think of all the little things you could do consistently every day. Maybe it's a happy attitude, the ability to laugh, or the way you compliment others around you.
I worked with a guy once that was terrible at his job. Yet, everyone loved him. He was incompetent in his job and twice got let go. Yet, every time a new job came up that seemed to fit his skill set, he would get it. Management wanted him around. They tried to find the right role for him. He knew how to make others feel great about themselves and that's where he eventually saw huge success.
So the next time someone says "Don't sweat the small stuff", tell them "God is in the details".
Greatness lies in the small stuff. What small stuff are you doing to bring out the greatness in you?
Don't kid yourself. Whether you're in business or you work for someone else, the little things that you do everyday will bring you more success, more joy, more money and more love.
I used to own a breakfast restaurant. Do you know what I loved the most about this restaurant before I bought it? It was the thickness of the toast.
The toast was thick like homemade toast. It wasn't the bread we could buy in the grocery store. The only place you could get that toast was in our restaurant.
No one thought the thickness of the toast was important until it was taken away.
A few months into owning the restaurant, an employee asked if we could bring in caramel ganache. No other restaurants, to my knowledge, were carrying ganache so it looked like a small change that differentiated us just a little more. People were eating it so it looked like a good choice. It cost more than strawberry jam, but the decision to bring it on the menu was to give us a slight advantage over the other restaurant choices our customer had.
The protocol of the franchise system, I was in, made us give away free fudge at the door instead of the typical mints other restaurants would do. The fudge was made every couple of days and cut up by hand and placed at the cash as a final thank you to guests.
Each and every time, I would introduce myself to people outside the restaurant, I would hear one of three comments:
1. Oh I love the fudge.
2. You're the only place I ever saw caramel ganache offered instead of jam.
3. The toast is just like gramma's bread. Where do you get it?
The franchisor asked us to remove the ganache off the tables. They changed the bread for a cheaper product to keep the costs and customer prices down. Only the fudge remains.
Of course, we had to be good at the big things like serving a good breakfast. I believe it was the little things like fudge, ganache and thick toast that made us remarkable.
If you want to be remarkable in your business or in your job, think of all the little things you could do consistently every day. Maybe it's a happy attitude, the ability to laugh, or the way you compliment others around you.
I worked with a guy once that was terrible at his job. Yet, everyone loved him. He was incompetent in his job and twice got let go. Yet, every time a new job came up that seemed to fit his skill set, he would get it. Management wanted him around. They tried to find the right role for him. He knew how to make others feel great about themselves and that's where he eventually saw huge success.
So the next time someone says "Don't sweat the small stuff", tell them "God is in the details".
Greatness lies in the small stuff. What small stuff are you doing to bring out the greatness in you?
Sunday, May 3, 2015
Starbucks shows me how to be a better person
I love Starbucks. Not that the coffee is that great or the people are any better. Starbucks makes me feel different, even though I'm a faceless customer.
They make me want to be a better person. It's not about coffee. Think about it for a minute a simple exchange of money for coffee is nothing more than a chilly transaction.
Let me explain the story that made me love Starbucks so much.
Since selling my businesses, I have two choices in the morning: go to my home office and deal with people via phone or go to a coffeeshop and meet people the old fashion way.
On one particular coffeeshop workday, I had four consecutive meetings with just enough time between to prepare and liquidate for the next encounter.
It was a blistery, minus 30 degrees celsius outside. It was the type of day, where one rushes from the parked car to the office with the collars turned up to keep the ears from catching cold.
Not paying attention to the internal surroundings nor the others who've escaped the outside to the warm tables of Starbucks, I worked away.
From my peripheral vision, there was a guy sitting on a sofa directly across from me. I couldn't help but notice him. He was about 10 feet away and every time I looked up in thought, there was this mangled beard. He had a big coat on, that was almost as puffy as his beard, which he chose not to take off. He was a street person. Homeless, I assumed. I looked up, pretending to look deeply into the wall behind him, catching a peak through my peripheral vision wondering why a homeless dude would go to Starbucks for his coffee fix. There were clearly cheaper options.
He wasn't hurting anyone so no one complained. He just sat there and kept warm while others like me worked away on our shiny, expensive tools. Happy that he was able to stay warm on this terribly cold Canadian day, I kept on working.
Eventually I had to go to the bathroom. While I was gone, a thought blew between my ears: What if the dude rips off my computer while I'm indisposed. Then, another thought: Anyone can steal my computer, why am I only worried about that guy. Quickly shaking the thought off, I wash my hands and get back to my seat to verify that all my possessions were still in tact.
The guy was sitting there for about an hour when a Starbucks employee came over. There was a quick exchange that I couldn't decipher.. The employee left and then returned with a coffee for the bearded guy.
Shit! That hurt. What didn't I think of that? I could've easily bought this dude a coffee. I was too busy in my own thoughts to even be bothered to extend a helpful hand to someone less fortunate.
Starbucks is awesome. They could've easily kicked this guy out. He wasn't buying anything. But instead they did what I should have done. And for that, they taught me a very valuable lesson.
Helping humanity is as simple as buying a coffee for a dude who's trying to stay warm on a cold Canadian morning.
Thank you Starbucks! You showed me how to be a better person. That's rare in corporate America.
They make me want to be a better person. It's not about coffee. Think about it for a minute a simple exchange of money for coffee is nothing more than a chilly transaction.
Let me explain the story that made me love Starbucks so much.
Since selling my businesses, I have two choices in the morning: go to my home office and deal with people via phone or go to a coffeeshop and meet people the old fashion way.
On one particular coffeeshop workday, I had four consecutive meetings with just enough time between to prepare and liquidate for the next encounter.
It was a blistery, minus 30 degrees celsius outside. It was the type of day, where one rushes from the parked car to the office with the collars turned up to keep the ears from catching cold.
Not paying attention to the internal surroundings nor the others who've escaped the outside to the warm tables of Starbucks, I worked away.
From my peripheral vision, there was a guy sitting on a sofa directly across from me. I couldn't help but notice him. He was about 10 feet away and every time I looked up in thought, there was this mangled beard. He had a big coat on, that was almost as puffy as his beard, which he chose not to take off. He was a street person. Homeless, I assumed. I looked up, pretending to look deeply into the wall behind him, catching a peak through my peripheral vision wondering why a homeless dude would go to Starbucks for his coffee fix. There were clearly cheaper options.
He wasn't hurting anyone so no one complained. He just sat there and kept warm while others like me worked away on our shiny, expensive tools. Happy that he was able to stay warm on this terribly cold Canadian day, I kept on working.
Eventually I had to go to the bathroom. While I was gone, a thought blew between my ears: What if the dude rips off my computer while I'm indisposed. Then, another thought: Anyone can steal my computer, why am I only worried about that guy. Quickly shaking the thought off, I wash my hands and get back to my seat to verify that all my possessions were still in tact.
The guy was sitting there for about an hour when a Starbucks employee came over. There was a quick exchange that I couldn't decipher.. The employee left and then returned with a coffee for the bearded guy.
Shit! That hurt. What didn't I think of that? I could've easily bought this dude a coffee. I was too busy in my own thoughts to even be bothered to extend a helpful hand to someone less fortunate.
Starbucks is awesome. They could've easily kicked this guy out. He wasn't buying anything. But instead they did what I should have done. And for that, they taught me a very valuable lesson.
Helping humanity is as simple as buying a coffee for a dude who's trying to stay warm on a cold Canadian morning.
Thank you Starbucks! You showed me how to be a better person. That's rare in corporate America.
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