Have A Great Day

The owner came in with a sign the other day and asked what I thought about it.  He thought it might be fun to mount it onto the back of the gate so our tenants would see it upon exiting.  We have a little "mascot" man on our logo and a lot of people who drive around our various properties recognize his face when they see him.  He's a cute little guy with a 1940's look.  I loved the new sign and thought it would look marvelous so he proceeded to hang it up.  When I look at our security camera monitor from my desk, I see the sign and it makes me smile.  So, what is on this sign that makes it so special?  "Have A Great Day!"

Now, you may have let out a little chuckle but I can say that there is a psychological effect which takes place when a person hears the words "Have a nice day" or "Have a great day".  Inspirational speaker and writer Norman Vincent Peale said, "To have a great day every day it helps to think great thoughts and to concentrate on at least one every day".  Sometimes it is absolutely necessary to have the extra boost, isn't it?  Today was a particularly good day at work. A lot of my regular customers came in to make payments.  I love the people who came in today.  All full of smiles and greetings.  Despite the fact they were paying their bills and it was gloomy and cold outside, they didn't care.  They came in sporting smiles and really good attitudes.  My son (also an employee) was standing in the room and I turned to him and saw him all smiles (as always) and at that moment I realized how much I loved what I do.

Now, don't get me wrong.  My work doesn't define who I am.  I am a firm believer that we aren't defined by our jobs or anything else in life, it's us who defines whatever we are doing at that moment.  We have the power to change any situation at any given time simply with our attitude.  So, why is that so difficult sometimes?  Truly bad situations can happen in someone's life that reshapes their lives.  Those defining times in our lives can leave us in a space where it is difficult to recover.  When those people enter our lives, we can either look at them and determine they just have a bad attitude or we can assume it is a combination of bad situations that have taken place in their lives.  When we change our perspective of other people's situations, it makes it so much easier to respond to them on a more compassionate human level.

How do we do this?  Well, it takes time and practice.  It can start with a simple smile and a warm greeting.  Give them a chance to vent if necessary.  Respond with understanding (empathy and sympathy go a long way).  Apologize, "I'm so sorry you are going through this right now" means a lot to a person who thinks no one else cares.  A hug.  That's right, I have hugged people who have walked in and just lost a loved one or a job.  I keep a box of tissues close to me and hand them out freely while listening to stories of divorce, lost homes, lost jobs and lost loved ones.  And when they are finished, they feel as if, strangely enough, this is a place of refuge where they can come and reflect.  That's nice to know we can do that for people.  Business goes way beyond that simple transaction that takes place behind the counter.  We should always convey that message to our customers and let them know how much we value them as people.  Warren Schmidt made quite the statement when asking this of himself in the movie, About Schmidt:  "I know we're all pretty small in the big scheme of things, and I suppose the most you can hope for is to make some kind of difference, but what kind of difference have I made?  What in the world is better because of me?" I suppose that is something I can ask myself each time someone leaves and I say, Have a great day".

Michelle Armstrong

Manager

Star Storage

816-765-7300