Which Martial Art is the Best?

I have seen this question pop up so many times on martial art sites.  Many people have their opinion and others just laugh at the person who posed the question.  The answer is simple.  The best martial art is the one you are training in.  If you are not training and looking to begin, then the best one is the one you are drawn to in the movies.

Here is the thing about martial art schools.  They are not all the same.  The instructors make or break the school.  So, if you are looking for a school to start training in, then I would recommend trying out a few different ones around town.  Go to each one for one to four weeks and see how you interact with the teacher.  Many are great practitioners of the art, but not good teachers.  Others are good teachers, but not very good at demonstrating the techniques.

It is important that the teacher and you get along.  What I mean is that the way they teach and the way you learn make for a good match.  This will make all the difference in how much you learn and at what speed you pick it up.  Going to class is not always the most fun thing to do, but having a good teacher makes it easier.  The classes should be hard and full of physical challenges.  At the same time, they should be interesting and have something that draws you in.

Once you find a good teacher, then study every chance you get.  Become extremely proficient in the art you choose.  Having basic moves mastered and more advanced ones practiced is important to understanding your art and your body.  This allows you to make a good decision down the road, as to what you want to do when it comes to staying with it or moving on to another discipline.

Many students start off with karate or taekwondo and find that they absolutely love the art and want to continue.  Others find that they have learned basic techniques and realize that their bodies prefer different movements or fighting styles.  Your body will teach you a lot about what it can and what it cannot do.  Maybe you are better with your hands than your feet or vice versa.  Perhaps you like stand up over ground work or maybe the other way around.  The difference in distance from your opponent may also appeal to you.  Maybe you like more circular movements compared to direct ones.

All of these things will make up what you like or want in a martial art.  Everyone starts somewhere and then they decide after doing it for a while if they want to stick with it or move to a different art.  In order to answer the question of which is the best martial art, you have to practice them for yourself.

This same philosophy holds true when it comes to guns.  Which gun is the best one for defense?  The one you currently have.  Start somewhere and then study it and understand it completely.  Once you have done that, then you can make up your mind as to what is the best martial art for you.

There will never be one martial art that stands above the rest.  It all depends on your body and what martial art fits you the best.  Good luck and keep practicing!

Lessons Learned (Part 7)

While I was at the end of my time with the supplement store, my good buddy invited me to work at a rental company that he managed. It was the first time I had to sit down with people and go over a contract.  This was intimidating to me, because I was not one to read through a list of boring legal statements.  However, I did learn how to do it whether I liked it or not. 

The one thing I learned there more than anything else is how to move furniture.  We did that a lot.  We were either picking up furniture from people who didn’t want it or couldn’t afford it.  A lot of furniture was delivered too.  I learned how to balance, turn, angle, flip, and lift a lot of different types of furniture.  It was not easy work.  There were many times I remember carrying sleeper sofas up three flights of stairs with a coworker.  Other times it was an entertainment center that was fully loaded with a television, speakers and a receiver built in.  Those might have been the worst, with having to carry them up multiple flights of stairs. I remember how every corner and wall felt like a game winning shot was on the line.  We had to try to not put holes in walls or tear any of the furniture pieces.  It wasn’t easy, but it was quite the feat when we accomplished it.  It definitely kept my muscles in shape.

There was one particular memory that strangely stands out to me. I remember the district manager coming by one time and saying something about me not really needing this job and acting like I just worked there for the money. It came off like I didn’t need the job or even really like it.  I didn’t really speak up, because I wasn’t for sure what he was getting at.  Well, come to find out that someone mentioned another employee not doing their job well and he thought it was me.  Next thing I knew I was being sent to a store 30 more miles from my home and in a neighborhood that wasn’t good.  I learned to get along with the team there, but I was definitely out of my element and didn’t fit it.

Now, I speak up when people misrepresent what I am saying or who they think I am. I go about it in a polite and nonconfrontational manner. I find that when I drop the sound of my voice and make it more soothing, that people take the time to listen and calm down at the same time. I don’t need to take the alpha position through raising my voice or making elaborate body motions. The fact that I am speaking directly to them in a sincere manner usually gets my point across and helps them understand my view.

While at this other location, a funny thought came to my mind. One day I was out on the road, by myself, delivering something small to a customer and I saw some people walking.  My next thought was that they were naked, and I was thinking about how people would be craning their necks to see these people walking down the sidewalk.  While having this daydream I didn’t realize that the light I was heading towards had turned red.  I was too close to stop and had to keep going.  The cross traffic had already started going and Someone up above must have been looking down on me at this very dangerous moment and decided to part the traffic long enough for me to go through the light and in-between the cars without hitting one.  To this day, I still can’t believe I didn’t hit one vehicle when I flew through that red light.  God was watching out for more than just me.  A lot of people could have been badly injured or worse.  This was before cell phones could be used to text and watch videos.  Just think how many accidents happen today because of the technology that people get caught up in, much less the dumb daydreaming that goes on!

Another reality that I learned was that people lie.  They lie a lot.  I came to this realization when I was in charge of calling people who hadn’t paid their weekly payment on the property they rented.  I would call people, daily and listen to them tell me one lie after another.  Some would pretend to be someone else.  They weren’t the best actors that is for sure.  It did give me a whole new respect for police and what they go through on a daily basis with people.

And the last thing I will never forget is to never rent furniture that is not brand new out of the plastic wrap.  You never know who was on it.  Whether they were wearing clothes or not.  And what was done on it. There were too many times where we would pick up furniture with bugs, stains and rips all over it. Absolutely turned me off from ever wanting to rent anything ever again!

Life Lesson:

Speak up for yourself when others misrepresent you.

Remember that there is a time for daydreaming and when you are driving is NOT one of those times!

Lessons Learned (Part 6)

The first time I went to apply at a nutritional store I was dressed nicely when I went in for an application.  When I went to return it, I was dressed for the gym to show that I was into working out and getting in shape.  I would not advise this to anyone in today’s time.  Always look presentable and polished.  There wasn’t anything at this job that came easy for me.  There was so much to learn about the herbs, vitamins, minerals, sports supplements and other products.  The manager, who was also one of the owners, spent an entire week walking me around the store and going over each product.  At first, I thought I could just remember what he said by him showing me the product and telling me about it.  That did not work as I thought it would.  I am definitely the type that needs to write it down and memorize it.  I remember pulling out this thick book on all the products we sold and some we didn’t, and then going through it page by page about every supplement we sold.  There was so much to learn, but day by day I learned something from the book, my boss and even the customers. 

Some of the people who would come into our store had a real passion for certain supplements and would pass their knowledge onto me.  I had many long conversations with customers who could spout off all the benefits to taking certain pills, powders, or drinks.  A lot of what I learned I still remember to this day.  In life everyone you meet can mentor you to some degree or another.  I spent so much time learning how supplements improve the body.  I also spent so much of my money trying out all these supplements.  To say I was a human guinea pig is being nice.  My body did change and change rapidly.  When I went back to school after the summer, classmates were asking if I was on steroids.  I would grin and say, “Not at all.  I just finally learned how to change my body through proper diet, rest and exercise.”  I’m not sure all of them believed me, but it was the truth.  I still take supplements to this day, because I just don’t think I can get everything I need in my daily diet.

After being an employee for a while the owner decided to make me a manager, because he was opening another one in a city down the road.  I took him up on his offer and found out what it was like to have to order product, hire employees and have the final conversation with upset customers.  I know I didn’t do everything right at the job, but I did cut my teeth there in a lot of ways that made me better down the road.  I’m grateful for that position and time in my life where I was challenged. 

I also was lucky enough to meet the other owner who impacted my life spiritually, outside the business.  You never would have known all the money he had by the truck he drove, the clothes he wore, and the way he made you feel important when he spoke with you.  I was truly impressed by him and his humility.  Another lesson learned.

Life Lessons:

Always look presentable and polished.

Write it down.

Everyone in life can be a mentor.

Always keep your humility.

Lessons Learned (Part 6)

The summer after my freshman year of college, I started hitting the gym again. My mother mentioned to me one day that the supplement store down the street was hiring. I didn’t know what all was involved in working at a place like that but thought I would at least give it a try. The first time I went to apply at a nutritional store I was dressed nicely when I went in for an application.  When I went to return it, I was dressed for the gym to show that I was into working out and getting in shape.  I would not advise this to anyone in today’s time.  Always look presentable and polished.  The manager asked me a few questions and then gave me a sheet of paper with some math problems, to see if I could do simple math to run a cash register. That was probably the only thing that was easy for me.

The next thing I knew was he was hiring me. At this job, there wasn’t anything that came easy for me.  There was so much to learn about the herbs, vitamins, minerals, sports supplements and other products.  The manager, who was also one of the owners, spent an entire week walking me around the store and going over each product.  At first, I thought I could just remember what he said about each product by him showing me the product and telling me about it.  That did not work as I thought it would.  I am definitely the type that needs to write it down and memorize it.  I remember pulling out this thick nutritional book on all types of products, some we sold and some we didn’t. This became my bible of the supplement world. I remember going through it page by page about every supplement we sold.  There was so much to learn, but day by day I learned something from that book, my boss, the magazines we sold, and even some of the customers. 

Some of the people who would come into our store had a real passion for certain supplements and would pass their knowledge onto me.  I had many long conversations with customers who could spout off all the benefits to taking certain pills, powders, or drinks.  A lot of what I learned I still remember to this day.  In life everyone you meet can mentor you to some degree or another.  I spent so much time learning how supplements improve the body.  I also spent so much of my money trying out all these supplements!  To say I was a human guinea pig would be an understatement.  My body did change and change rapidly.  When I went back to school after the summer, classmates were asking if I was on steroids.  I would grin and say, “Not at all.  I just finally learned how to change my body through proper diet, rest and exercise.”  I’m not sure all of them believed me, but it was the truth.  I still take supplements to this day, because I just don’t think I can get everything I need in my daily diet.

After being an employee for a while the owner decided to make me a manager, because he was opening another one in another city down.  I took him up on his offer and found out what it was like to have to order product, hire employees and have the final conversation with upset customers.  I know I didn’t do everything right at the job, but I did cut my teeth there in a lot of ways that made me better down the road.  I’m grateful for that position and time in my life where I was challenged. 

I also was lucky enough to meet the other owner who was quite a bit older. He impacted my life spiritually outside the business, along with being a good businessman.  A few years later, I would go to bible school, where he helped me financially. After graduating, he invited me to a couple of men’s retreats that I really enjoyed. You never would have known all the money he had by the truck he drove, the clothes he wore, and the way he treated everyone like an equal.  I was truly impressed by him and his humility. You just never know whose path you’re going to cross and how they will impact your life.

Life Lessons:

Always look presentable and polished.

Write it down.

Everyone can be a mentor.

Lessons Learned (Part 5)

When the summer ended between my senior year of high school and my freshman year of college, I applied for the work-study program at the community college I was attending. Although most people would call what I did janitorial work, my supervisor said that we were part of the house-keeping department.  I thought that sounded better and went with that job description. 

I learned a lot about cleaning that year.  My first comical error that I had to be corrected on was how the wringer part of the mop bucket had to be hooked onto the side of the bucket, to keep if from moving. My supervisor got a kick out of finding out that I had never mopped a floor or used a wringer. He looked in the bucket and saw the wringer just sitting in the middle of the bucket! I remember him saying, “boy, you really are green!” He taught me how to mop in a figure eight to keep the flow of the mophead and water moving along in a succinct manner.  This also kept the dirt and debris moving in the same direction. After sweeping the floor with a dry mob, I learned how to continually pull the dustpan back while sweeping dirt into it, in order to get as much as possible in the dustpan.  Another part of my job was wiping down the chalkboards. Cleaning chalkboards was quite the experience.  First, I sponged them all down.  Next, I squeegeed the water to the end, but slightly leaning the top of the squeegee forward so the water would drain off properly, at the bottom.  Last, I would use another sponge to push all the dirty water, that landed in the chalk tray to the end of the tray and into a bucket.  I can still smell the chalky water as I write about this memory.

My supervisor, Dave, was the man with whom I worked. He will forever go down as one of the best people I have ever met.  He and his wife worked at the college.  She worked in the library and would go home around eight or nine o’clock at night, while he would stay until one o’clock in the morning.  After being there for a little while, I started staying later and just hanging out with him, off the clock.  I would go outside with most of the house keeping crew from the other buildings and hang out with them, on their breaks.  They liked to harass me or ask me about my girlfriend.  I remember hearing some funny stories from some of them and what would go on in some of the other buildings. 

After my first year at the college, I started another job.  However, that didn’t stop me from still stopping by occasionally with a pizza for the night crew.  I even started staying until Dave would close and go to his second job of cleaning an architectural office.  I miss those late nights of going home at 2 and 3AM.  He and I had a lot of good talks.  I remember his laugh and his little comments about the college staff. He kept me laughing. Even though he isn’t on social media, I keep up with him through his wife on social media.

Life Lesson:

There is always something new to learn.

Lessons Learned (Part 4)

When I left the retail industry, I moved on to horses and hard work!

While I was finishing my senior year in high school, I started working on a ranch. I had so many experiences on that ranch that they still play a part in my life today.

When I first started on the ranch, the job was only after school for an hour or so.  Then, once summer came, I was working full time and really enjoyed it.  I learned a lot about hard work and doing things that I had never done before.  That summer the temperature got as high as 110 degrees, in the shade!  I wore boots, jeans, a t-shirt and a cowboy hat.  I got to see newborn calves born and weaned from their moms.  Building fence was quite the experience, too. There were acres of fence to build! 

One thing I learned was how to take instruction from the ranch hand.  He grew up on a farm and knew what it was like to take care of horses, build fence and make sure everything ran smoothly.  His name was Craig and there was a reason behind everything he did. He was also a great dad and husband.  Occasionally, I got to see him interact with his family, when they would come onto the ranch.  We had some good laughs, as well as some serious teachable moments. 

Once, when his son was just a young boy and wouldn’t stop talking, I bet his son that he couldn’t be quiet for five minutes.  Well, he did it and I had to pay up.  That was my second thing I learned. It is always better to keep your word and be known for what you say you will do. His son started trying to make more bets with me, but I knew better than to make that mistake again!

The owner of the ranch was a family friend and I am fortunate that my parents knew him. He made good money at a lumber company that he owned, and I always thought it would be neat to own my own company and do well in life.  He was also a very giving man and generous to others. Having nice things is great, and there is nothing wrong with it, but one just can’t make it the sole purpose of living this life. If you are going to make good money, then you need to show others how to use it properly.

In life there are many things you can spend your money on, but none of them compare to educating yourself. I’m not necessarily talking about formal education and college. Although, those are beneficial. What I am really speaking about is finding hobbies and passions that drive you. Spend time learning more about them from books, videos, mentors and even weekend classes.

When we are young, we may find that school is boring or not for us. In reality, it is teaching us how to learn, so we can take that knowledge of how to learn and apply it towards what we truly want to do in life. Learning how to take instruction and apply what you learn to your life is of the utmost importance. When we are not afraid of learning new skills, ideas or ways of life, we will run towards educating ourselves and pursuing our dreams.

Andy when we couple learning with hard work, we will find that our worlds will change drastically and for the better!

Remember…life is short. Don’t wait to do what you want to do or you will have less time to do it.

Life Lesson:

Learn how to learn and don’t be afraid of hard work.

Lessons Learned (Part 3)

Once I got my driver’s license, I needed a job. Well, after thinking about it, I think I went out and got my job before my license. Either way, I needed to get a job.

So, the job of my choice was at a local clothing store. Working at a clothing store I learned a lot about organization and how to present items to customers.  Clothing stores can be very slow at times, allowing a lot of time to straighten the racks, clean, and put away new inventory.  A general rule of thumb when spacing clothing is to put two fingers between each hanger.  Also, make sure the hangers are all facing the same direction.  To this day, I still find myself fixing hangers while walking through stores.

My dad was in the military, and he said the same thing about his lifestyle. He finds himself being neat and tidy, and he believes the military played a large part in that.

Another thing I learned is how to deal with different kinds of customers.  There are the typical happy customers, who know what they want or just want to browse.  There are the customers who get upset about the line being too long or the store not having the right sizes.  And there are the customer who knowingly and unknowingly make messes. After working there for a while, I found myself being bolder when it came to letting customers know when they were making a mess or more specifically, when their children were making a mess.  I once walked up to a woman to tell her that her child, who was sitting in the front of the cart, was pulling clothes off hangers while they were shopping. She was nice enough to apologize, but I found that I could only take so much before having to say something.

There were some advantages to working in the clothing industry, and that was being able to see the newest fashions coming out.  Everything from shirts to shoes to jackets were always coming in, with new designs and colors.  I found a lot of my paycheck being spent on these newest trends.

Which leads me to my lessons that I learned. Being organized helps in every aspect of our lives. Waking up in the morning and being able to find breakfast is a must. Opening up our closet doors or dresser drawers and being able to find our clothes for work is also pretty important. Then, knowing where we placed our keys, wallet, purse, phone and other accessories is the last thing we need to know before walking out the front door. Once we get to work, it is also important to know where everything is located. This helps with getting our job done more efficiently.

The other part of the lesson was presentation. This plays a part in every aspect of our lives, too. The way we dress says a lot about us. The way we decorate our homes say a lot about us. The cleanliness of our vehicles speaks about how much we care about presenting ourselves. Think about when you went for your last job interview. Depending on the type of job, you most likely wore some of your nicer clothes. First impressions say a lot about someone. All of us judge others by the way they look, when we first meet them. Afterwards, we may find that they are a great person who doesn’t dress well or maybe a very rude person who dresses extremely well. Either way, we make our first guesses about someone by the way they look.

In order for us to be at our best, we must stay organized and present ourselves well. And if you are a clutter bug who would love to have more organization in your life, then start with making your bed or organizing your bathroom sink. Start with baby steps and do it daily. Then, move on to something else to organize and present well.

The amount of internal relief you will bring to yourself will be amazing and your concentration levels will soar, too!

Life Lesson:

Stay organized and present yourself well.

Lessons Learned (Part 2)

Some of our best memories of jobs are from our youth.

The second job I ever made money from was umpiring. At the age of 15, I can still remember the feeling of getting out of my parent’s car and walking down to the baseball field to do a doubleheader. One game I was behind the plate calling balls and strikes, and the other I was out in the field, watching over the bases. Being out in the field was easier, of course, because I wasn’t involved in every pitch or play.  Most nights, however, there were two games, and I always switched off with the other umpire.

When behind the plate, a person has many balls to juggle (pardon the pun): there is calling balls and strikes, remembering to record each one with a clicker, watching out for missed or wildly thrown balls, dealing with upset coaches and parents, and keeping the game moving.  It was always a good idea to wear a cup and steel toed shoes for crazy bounces or foul balls, too!  When dealing with upset coaches and parents, it was extremely important to stay calm and handle their frustrations in a professional manner.  Behind the plate required patience, thick skin and good judgement.  There were times that I really appreciated when parents would come up afterwards and tell me I did a good job calling the game. 

I also got paid 50 percent more when I was behind the plate.  That is when I really started to understand the significance behind making money and what it could get me.  I loved saving up for new baseball cards or action figures.  I also started getting into shooting a bow around that time, and so it helped pay for range time and new arrows.

In life, the higher the position the more you make. And usually, it is because it requires more responsibility and that is why you get paid more. The other thing about higher positions is that each one comes with its own headaches and fires to put out. Sometimes your position comes with more physical demands and other times it comes with more mental ones. In either case, having patience, thick skin and good judgement will pay off if you can remember that you are building your skills for a better you.

Having those attributes isn’t just for work. Too many times we look forward to getting home and just relaxing. And while that is great to take a load off of our feet, many times our day may only be half over. New parents have little ones vying for their attention. There are chores, animals to feed/walk and other responsibilities that need to be completed. Others go home to stressful households where conflict is high and that can create a whole other set of issues. That is where having thick skin, on and off the job, comes in and knowing that getting through each day is the ultimate challenge. It is also about making the best of each day. Sometimes this is easier said than done.

I have found that in the same way that I needed to have patience, thick skin and good judgement as an umpire, I also needed to implement that same strategy at home and in the workplace. Life can be hard enough and so I encourage people to use good judgement and find someone who makes life easier for you and shares in your same dreams and passions. Do the same when making friends. Having the right people in our life makes all the difference in the world.

When starting out in life, we don’t always get the job of our dreams, but we can become the person of our dreams every day. We can make a concerted effort to be the best at our job that we can be. People in management positions will notice and if they don’t, then use your skills to find a better job in the future. Sometimes we have to have patience with what we want in life and that doesn’t always happen on our timeline. At the same time, work on what you really want to be, do or have when you are not at work. Read books, go to seminars, watch YouTube videos, and invest time and/or money in a mentor. Do things that continually push you towards the person you want to be.

Life is too short to wait on becoming your best version. The longer you wait to do what you want, the less time you have to do it. Work every day at taking one step towards being the hero of your story.

Life Lesson:

Develop patience, thick skin and good judgement in all aspects of your life.

Lessons Learned (Part 1)

If you could think of one person who made the biggest impact on your life, who would it be?  Before you read any further, I want you to pause and really give this some thought.

Whether we can think of one person or many, I think we can all agree that we are impacted by those around us.  Everything we watch, read, or listen to affects how we grow as a person.  As humans, we are like clay and can be molded by outside people and experiences.  Many of us have learned something from someone, whether that be from friends, family members or even a one-time encounter with a stranger.  However, many times the people from whom we learn the most would be those we see every day at work.  Bosses, coworkers, employees, and customers teach us something new that we can take with us along this journey we call life.

The posts that follow will contain all the lessons I have learned up to this point in my life (age 46).  You may be asking, “Well, how many different people have you really encountered along the way?”  For starters, I have had over thirty jobs in all kinds of industries across the board.  You might say I had a problem with commitment, or you might say that I just hadn’t found the right fit.  Either way, I saw a lot of different customers, bosses, co-workers and company rules that were different from the next.  There were many jobs that I absolutely did not like, but I found that I learned something that was useful for the next job to come my way.

In the jobs/lessons that follow, you will see that there was always something to be learned.  Something that changed me or made me better for the next position.  If we look hard enough, we will see that life is always teaching us something.  We just need to be willing to open our eyes and mind, to what that might be.

The first job I ever took was my first lesson.

Babysitting

As a babysitter for the neighbors on my street, I learned that kids could get out of hand quickly.  One must have a creative plan in place to keep them busy.  Children get grumpy, sad, excited, scared and have all sorts of other emotions throughout the day.  Being quick on your feet is a plus and having lots of energy is an even bigger advantage.  One thing I could always do was keep kids entertained, easily.  Usually by being silly or coming up with some fun game off the top of my head.  People, in general, love to smile and laugh. This is especially true for children. If you can get a child to start laughing, then you have them in the palm of your hand. They are much more likely to listen to you, if you can take away any uneasy emotions. Creativity is a key component when babysitting youngsters.

I bet you can think of a time you went to see a comedian and couldn’t stop laughing. In fact, I bet your face was hurting, because you were laughing so hard! And if the person wasn’t on stage, then they were probably the life of the party and kept everyone on their toes. People love to laugh and feel good inside. It is even a proven fact that being in a good mood is better for your immune system.

Life isn’t always going to go as we planned. Sometimes we have to learn to do a 180-degree turn and make the most of it. We may not feel like being in a good mood, but we need to focus on having a plan in place that gives us something to think about when we feel our behavior changing. Maybe we think about how others would love to be in our position right now and going through what we are going through. Maybe we think of a memory or person who brightens our day. Whatever it is we need to make sure we know how to call upon this memory during our mood change. Life is too short to stay frustrated.

Make the most of who you are, because there is only one you and the world needs your talents. Help make the world a better place, each and every day you roll out of bed. Let your feet hit the floor and think of how amazing your life really is. It may not be all glitz and glamour on the outside, but no one knows your thoughts and how you think. That is something that is sacred to you and only you. It is what makes you special. Focus on your uniqueness. This world is changed by one kind act at a time. Many times, it is the silent warriors who make the biggest difference. Be who you want to be and who you know you are capable of being. One step at a time. One act at a time. Be ready for life to throw you curveballs and when it does, just say, “I saw you coming, and I was already prepared for you!”

One of my first lessons I learned was:

Have a creative plan in place and to act on it.

The Art of Customer Service

The basis of the words “Customer” and “Service” come from “Custom” and “Serve”.

When we are helping anyone anywhere in the world and offering them elite customer service, then we should be serving them in a customized way.

Too often people think of customer service as a way to ask, “How may I help you?” and then proceed with generic or common answers. The art of customizing every interaction is lost in the mundane daily tasks. We get so caught up in making every day the same and thinking that every customer is the same, that we forget that the experience is what brings people back to our establishment, time and time again.

If a woman walks into a clothing store and beelines for the “Customer Service Counter” so she can complain about a transaction or return a piece of clothing, then we should be asking questions with the intent of listening. We should seek out ways to make this experience better and at the same time make it unique to her. Everything starts with body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice.

There are tons of YouTube videos and books on body language. There are even college classes that have this as part of the curriculum. With that said, I do not feel the need to go in-depth on body language, facial expressions and tone of voice.

What I would like to say about those things is to picture yourself speaking with the nicest person in the world or that you know. Imagine they are standing right in front of you. By changing the way you interact with someone, it can affect the way they respond

We all have bad days. We all get tired of doing the same thing every day. At the same time, we get tired of not having a good experience at an establishment. I can’t think of one person who wakes up and thinks, “I sure hope everywhere I go today gives me a hard time and makes it miserable to be there!” Each of us desires to enjoy ourselves and if we aren’t, then we hope someone changes that for us.

And if that doesn’t happen, then we usually end up going somewhere else.

My goal is to be the best at customer service, that anyone has ever seen. I know that by having that standard I will give them great service in my eyes and hopefully in their eyes too. We can’t make everyone happy or super excited that they met us, but we can always give it our best shot.

So, the next time someone walks up to you lift your body from the chest, reach for their hand (if it is appropriate), give them a good handshake with an even better smile and ask them what you can do for them. Then, proceed to listen, as if this person is your favorite person in the world to be around. Give them your undivided attention and truly seek to understand their problem or desire. Then, do everything you can to make that happen. And never let them go without doing something extra for them.

I used to work at a pizza joint that had an acronym of AGG. Apologize. Give them what they want. Give them something extra. Giving something extra doesn’t always have to be physical or tangible. It could be an extra bit of advice, directions or a recommendation. People love great service. They love to be entertained.

Why do we go to amusement parks?

Why do we go to comedy clubs?

Why do we go to movie theaters?

Yep, for entertainment. We love to be entertained. We love the experience. We love walking out of a place with a smile on our face and our heart feeling full.

That is the purpose of CUSTOMer SERVice.

Make it unique.

Make is special.

Make it as effortless for them as possible.

If you do this, then you will always have customers and you will always be in business.

I promise!

Your Last 5 Minutes

If you were told you had 5 minutes to live, what would you do?

What would you say?

Would you call someone?

Would you write your final will?

Would you write a note to your loved ones?

How about this…

Would you be ready?

Did you accomplish everything you wanted?

Did you give your best advice to those who needed it?

Did you say, “I love you” enough?

Did you say it at all?

300 seconds is all you have left to leave your last impression on this world.

Did your children learn all the lessons you had to teach them?

Does your spouse know how much you love and adore them?

Will your coworkers have great things to say about you?

Will the local stores remember you?

What will be said by others at your funeral?

Will the world be glad that you graced it with your presence and left something behind?

Will you pass from this planet with a smile on your face or a tear in your eye?

When your final chapter is written and you are flipping to the last couple of pages, what will the words say?

You get to choose the answer to all of the questions above.

You get to write your legacy.

Knowing that nothing can be taken with you, what will you leave behind?

The ending of the story is up to you.

Above all, I hope you choose happiness.

By leaving this world a piece of you, we will be better off.

Now go and finish your story.

You’ll be glad you did.

I promise.