Happy Sunday Everyone:
Few different thoughts rolling through my noggin last couple weeks, but one thing happened this last Friday and I think it’s worth noting. I just funded a loan for a client who works for the GS Warriors, she was kind enough to offer me tickets to this past Friday Night’s game. I couldn’t attend, so I asked my team, no one on the immediate team could go, so with about 2 hours to go, I texted a guy who used to work on my team and is now on his own. Here is the text string:
H: Do you want two tickets to warriors game tonight?
B: HECK yes!!! I’m really hoping this isn’t a joke.
H: OK. Just closed a deal for an employee and she asked me if I wanted her seats tonight. Plan on it and I’ll confirm in the next 30 minutes.
B: Dude….THANK YOU so much for thinking of me. I’ve been to only one Warriors game in my life when I was 13 years old so this is unbelievable. THANK YOU. I’m a bit blown away if you can’t tell.
H: Great stuff brother, you’re all set, you just a need a photo id at will call, tickets are under your name.
B: I appreciate this so much hunter, I can’t thank you enough.
It’s hard to write about this without sounding like a jackass, and it’s not like what I did was some monumental gift on my part, I basically regifted a gift given to me, but how good do I feel about giving B the tickets when I get the type of text I received above. I think about how many times someone has offered me something and my response was less. I think about how many times I’ve offered something to someone and their response was less. It’s not to say we need to drool all over someone when they do something for us, or give something to us, but this is a reminder to me of whether or not people feel my gratitude. Asking myself the question, “does this person understand my gratitude toward them” through my words and/or actions is a question I should be asking more. It’s right for so many reasons. It’s the right way to live your life, it’s good for business, it’s good for friendship, it’s good for everything. If anything ever crosses my desk again, tickets to a game, a concert, whatever…B is probably at the top of my list now. It’s just good to know things are appreciated. With what we do for a work, it’s the starting point to any opportunities we see, and you can’t fake it.
The other point for me, also hard to explain without sounding like a jackass, is remembering not to forget where we started from. I don’t think these tickets were amazing (I don’t know), but the excitement for the game was about being at the game, not about the location of the seats i.e. I knew ahead of offering them to B he didn’t care. Truth is one other person crossed my mind, but I knew the location of the seats would dictate their excitement for the game. As I’ve earned a few more bucks, and I sit here now thinking, a bottle of wine that used to excite me is now a weekly drinker, shoes/shirts I’d never consider buying are now in the closet, cars I’d only consider buying used are now new. I’ve unintentionally upgraded my lifestyle, and with those upgrades comes some bad stuff if you allow it. It’s easy to lose perspective, it’s easy to lose the appreciation you once had for something or someone if you become used to it. What I’m realizing as I type this is upgrading my lifestyle is very different than upgrading my life. I don’t need to beat myself up for a having a few nicer things in my life but I do need to remind myself those “things” do not represent the root of my happiness, really to the contrary if allowed to take priority as a sign of my value/significance to the world.
Net net-show people the gratitude you have for them, whether it’s something they’ve done, given, or having just been there for you. It’s a better gift than anything you can physically give them, and you’ll save a poop load of unnecessary buying this time of year. More than likely, your words of gratitude are far more valuable than any material gift you buy, and will have a lasting affect.
Have a great Sunday. I’m leaving for a run to try to get the 4lbs of stuffing off of me.