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Respecting the Little People

Posted By: Randy GageDecember 2, 2010

I remember flying to the Midwest to meet a potential joint venture partner.  He picked me up at the airport and was driving us to dinner.  The first thing I noticed was that he didn’t say anything to the attendant at the tollbooth.  He handed him the money and kept talking to me like the guy didn’t exist.  

My experience is how someone treats someone else that can’t give them anything tells you a lot about your character.  But I didn’t want to rush to judgment…

However when we got to the restaurant, my intuitions were confirmed. He let the waiter stand there awkwardly for a long while, ignoring him as he kept talking, trying to impress me.  He never said thank you whenever he brought something.  And when his steak wasn’t cooked exactly to his preference, he took it out on the waiter, treating him with condescension and scorn.

It was an expensive place and I’m sure he thought he was impressing me by picking up the tab.  To this day he probably doesn’t know why I never partnered with him.  But I decided before the dinner was even over that I didn’t want to be in business with someone that treated people like that.

I hate to admit it, but there was a time I was the same way.  All I thought and cared about were people that could do something for me.  But we all have the opportunity to change…

You learn that there really are no “little” people.  Everyone deserves the same respect as human beings.  (Which is why I cringe when people are gabbing on their cell phones and can’t even acknowledge a clerk or hostess that is serving them.)  You never know when someone else is going to be in a position to help you.  But that isn’t the real reason to treat them good...

You do it because it’s the right thing to do.  And if you don’t respect others, you don’t respect yourself.  Treat everyone you encounter with kindness and your own self-esteem and self-worth will increase.  And you well along the path to prosperity!

-RG

47 comments on “Respecting the Little People”

  1. Yes, how good that person would feel if we give some respect and gratitude to them for the service they do. And that would motivate them to serve even better. Yes, that really matters. Thanks Randy.

  2. I think it's really terrible to even say "little" people. Unless your talking about that old movie "Darbie O'Gill and the Little People".

  3. I own a cleaning business and i see that poor treatment often. Folks don't respect u just because your job is not "glamorous". But again, that is a definition of their character and their internal being. Be good to one another, coz we are all connected. You never know, i might be your next boss...:)

    1. Wanja,

      I also have a cleaning business and I have my own philosophy regarding this issue: If you treat me with respect, I do business with you. If not, I dont. I simply fire you.
      I choose my clients as much as they choose me.
      I only accept clients who are honest, respecful, loving, kind, generous and who are always ready to support me and my family. And so far, I have been blessed.
      The job might not seem Glamorous but think about it...You are being invited to clean someone's home!! You are entering a sacred space where possessions are kept, where intimate conversations take place, where emotions are expressed, etc...and you are there, witnessing all... What an honor......
      It is tiring.. but very rewarding....at least for me...

      Love

      Ferni

  4. Being a foodie I love eating at restaurants and I just cringe at boorish behavior from customers... but on the other hand I'm often appalled at the atrocious, snarly service one receives... it cuts both ways....

  5. That's an important message. If we all make our own world a little better we really can change the world. Aside from that the immediate benefit of just being nice to people is reward in itself. Hopefully that guy has developed into a nicer person by now also!

  6. Hi Randy, thanks for sharing your thoughts.
    I recognize this example as it happened in my life as well.

    Life is like a mirror... I love and respect all people. Because everybody is Perfect…exactly as they are…

    Much love and respect from Holland, Europe.
    ~Dennis

  7. This post is important. My father was manager at a bank here in Germany. In an internal ranking his staff was always the happiest. When you mentioned his name when security people were around, even they were all smiling. When I was a boy of 14 he told me his secret: he said that he was approaching everybody with the same respect, talking to the cleaning women in the same voice as to his own boss. As several of his interns were close friends of mine that I could trust (i.e. my girlfriend), I can trust what they said: that the atmosphere was extraordinary.

  8. Totally agree on this.

    Thanks to my (part time) position as a Travel Editor for Lusso - a luxury lifestyle magazine, I have had the experience of dining with hugely succesful people, many of them multi-millionaires.

    I have noticed that they all had one thing in common when we were dining. They were all courteous to the waiting staff.

    It's usually the - what we say in England - the 'ten-bob millionaires' that are the rude ones. I.E. Those who think that they are above everyone else, but actually aren't.

    I cannot bear being in the company of people who are rude or ignorant to service staff. Randy is right, avoid them in business as somewhere down the line, you will not agree on something important.

    Nice post.

    Al

  9. There are no other ones but YOU. YOU are awake in everything so appreciate yourself and when you appreciate yourself make sure you appreciate ALL that is you, all the billion of years of evolution everything that you needed to take shape in order for you to experience this moment in time

  10. Something simple, but yet so many people think to highly of themselves that they forget to acknowledge human beings who they feel cannot serve them. I think everyone has something to offer and that one person you ignore could be the very person who can make an impact on you just by their servitude, or positive attitude. It's the little things people do that make you reflect on your own character.

  11. I like what Randy has to say about change in this blog. I see people who have held on to the belief that a leopard never changes its spots. Maybe a leopard can't but we have been given the power to change if we choose to. Life can change in the blink of an eye. Wouldn't we love to know that our last blink included a smile and a kind word? It's difficult at times to be truthful with some people but I think Randy should have mentioned to this man that his behavior towards others was not acceptable. Sometimes we need to step up to the plate to help others recognize their short comings rather than announce to the world, after the opportunity to help someone grow has passed by.

  12. Most of us are "the little people" at some point in our lives! Let us not forget how we felt back then!
    There is a cleaning lady named Maria who always comes into my office at night. Sometimes I am still there when she comes. I always greet her and have conversations with her, thanking her for keeping our office looking great. She is always smiling. I really don't know if anyone else in the office even knows her!

  13. I love this blog too. The thing about treating everyone with respect is that it works both ways. If you feel superior to someone who has less than you do and has a job serving you, you will feel inferior to everyone who has more than you and is in a position to tell you what to do. You will box yourself into exactly the place on the ladder where you are now. You will fear falling off your perch and becoming one of the little people. You will also block your way to success by hating the people above you, even though you behave obsequiously toward them.

    1. Well said, Cynthia! I agree.

      I re-read a book this week that discusses that phenomenon: "Somebodies and Nobodies: Overcoming the Abuse of Rank" by Robert W. Fuller. I recommend it for a deeper look at the pattern.

      Nobody likes to be "nobody-ed"

    2. I like your response to this. Even when we choose to judge others, whether it is because they are doing something unacceptable to us or something we feel threatened by, we are judging. Does that make us any better or worse? I think the moral of this story is that no matter what the situation, our reaction shows us our own character flaws. Should we be grateful for the times when we were not at our best and someone who had more wisdom or influence took the time not to judge us but shared wisdom learned by their own life lessons?

  14. Randy...great to take in this post!

    Remember back earlier this year, you posted a chapter about your interactions with a hotel masseuse in (Singapore?)? It was about how it wasn't worth your time and effort to make small talk with this particular human being, and your theories and behavior and justifications pissed me off...I called you on it in my response to that post.

    Welcome to the other side! Reaching out hands of kindness and respect toward others is the best gift we can give ourselves. As you give, so shall you receive.

    Peace!
    Michele

    1. Please understand that I greeted and treated that person with respect. But when she asked me the same question three times in 2 minutes (twice!), it was obvious that she was not listening to me, simply pandering.

      That was a lack of respect to me, and as such, I set a boundary that I wouldn't participate in that.

      -RG

  15. I was taught that the way a potential relationship partner treats the wait staff, and clerks- this is how you will be treated in a few years, and the way that person treats pets is how your children will be treated. This reminds me of that teaching.
    I am glad you didn't choose this person for anything!

  16. There is a saying that goes: "Respect is Love in plain clothes."

    We are all "little people" and "big people" in different areas and times of our lives. What a mistake we would be making to think we could judge someone by the station they hold in any moment.

    We are all brilliant, magical, powerful creatures - and you never know how your kind, respectful treatment of another might just make their day or encourage them to conquer new heights in their own lives. (Not to mention that being nice to others makes the giver feel wonderful too!)

    Imagine what our lives would be like if we were all unwilling to serve one another because we thought it 'beneath' us? So many of our simple pleasures would cease to exist, and life would be infinitely harder.

    I know I've received many a treasure from even the most modest of people in situations because I cared enough to be kind and connect with them. You never know who might be holding something valuable for you or who you might have something of value for - even if it's just a smile and genuine acknowledgement.

    No one is a 'waste' of your respect. And if you hold onto the idea that others who you think don't 'measure up' don't deserve your respect, that probably gives a clue as to how you treat yourself when you aren't meeting your own standards. Disregard, in either case, does not create a prosperous outcome.

    Happy Friday Everyone!

    K

    1. thank you ~

      I think my smile just got a little bit brighter!

      Must be something to this kindness stuff! (wink, wink!) 😉

      K

  17. In all seriousness, this is a brilliant post. It is very liberating to hear someone like you say nobody is better than anyone else. We may not all have equal talents, intelligence, looks, or wealth but we are all equal in our humanity!

  18. Hi,

    I was treated like a little person in an hotel where I was staying. The first night down to dinner there was no one at the door, so in I went and found a nice table by the window.
    Eventually after an age of waiting a waiter comes up. He says are you alone, I say ` Yes, I am`. He then tells me I can`t sit ay that table, so I ask him if it is reserved, he says, `No`. So I ask why I can`t stay there, and he says these tables are reserved for couples, I said where can I sit, and he point to a table against a wall in a corner. I said, I`m not going to sit there and I don`t fancy eating here any more either. I then got up and he seemed to become rather confused - he then said you can stay there, so I said, would that be for the length of my stay? he affirmed it would be.
    After that I must say I received jolly good service.
    He did xome up to me later and said I had slipped under his radar or I would not have been directed to the table, I said, I didn` slip under any radar, you just weren`t on the job.
    Evidently it`s their policy to seat lone people at second rate tables, and because I wasn`t going to be treated like a second rate person I told the management I wouldn`t be coming back, and why.

  19. RG,

    I have always been very nice to people who have served me. I know what it was like to have to serve others. I also believe that in God's mind there are no little people. We are all his children. Thanks for sharing this.
    Jim

  20. We are all "little people" to someone, sometime in our life.
    Story-in our quick service restaurant last year, we decided to be pro-active in a not great economic environment. We just asked the people we work with to do one thing-before each customer left, note their eye color. The cool thing is, once they were asked to pay attention to each customer, they started doing fun things on their own, like drawing a happy face on the customer's drink lid, and giving a muffin with a candle in it on a customer's birthday.
    Come to think of it, we need to do this again. 🙂
    Thank you, Randy.

    1. What a cool idea! There must have been huge improvements in customer service...both giving and receiving.

      Life changing moment: it was just a day, maybe a little more frustrating than most, and late in the afternoon I went to the post office. As I was going thru the door, kind of keeping to myself, A gentleman (and that's NOT a word I pull out too often), held the door for me, nodded, tipped his driving cap, MADE EYE CONTACT and smiled, and said, "A good day to you".

      He walked on his way...but I was floored, both speechless and motionless. This person MADE CONTACT with me...NOTICED ME. It was the first time in at least a day that I felt "real". Did you ever have one of those days where you just felt invisible, maybe a little like a virus (common sniffles, not Ebola)? Not looking for an Academy Award, but just to be recognized as living?

      He walked on, and I stood there and decided to take his advice...and Had A Good Day. It took literally five seconds to change my day...and my life...completely.

      I pass that same gift along as many times a day as possible. I work in the downtown of on of the prettiest little cities you'd ever see; whether I'm helping someone pick out a book or walking outside running errands, the opportunities to "connect" with someone this way are all day. And I can see the results of my actions...so many people are surprised to be "noticed". Some spurn it; some ignore it...but I love it when I "notice" someone and they start walking taller and smiling.

      Reach out to someone. Maybe it's the first smile someone has gotten all day...how special is that. At the book store, it's our policy to greet everyone who comes in. One of my special talents is knowing instinctively "how much" to greet someone, be it red carpet or quiet smile from across the room. But every customer WILL BE NOTICED in the way that is comfortable to them...every time they come in...and they do keep coming in, and it shows up on my bottom line.

      1. Did you ever have one of those days where you just felt invisible, maybe a little like a virus (common sniffles, not Ebola)? Not looking for an Academy Award, but just to be recognized as living?

        Michele,

        This entire post is lovely ... and the above paragraph really gave me a giggle!

        So cool how our simple treatment of one another really creates a 'pay it forward' effect.

        It sounds like those you come in contact with definitely receive a gift!

        🙂

      2. ***

        Did you ever have one of those days where you just felt invisible, maybe a little like a virus (common sniffles, not Ebola)? Not looking for an Academy Award, but just to be recognized as living?

        ***

        Michele,

        This entire post was lovely, and the paragraph above definitely made me giggle!

        Isn't it wonderful how our treatment of one another can cause a 'pay it forward' effect?

        It sounds like the people who are lucky enough to come in contact with you receive a real gift!

        K

        1. ooops! Sorry ... first post seemed to have disappeared, or so I thought!

          Well Michele - you were worth saying it twice! 😉

  21. Wasn't it BP who cared about "the little people" too, no?

    Make no mistake, many little people turned out not to be so little after all, and you don't know what they'll be doing down the road and how that could affect you.

    I have also seen many big shots actually being a lot less than many of the little people.

    Success is not decided by bank accounts and banner headlines. It comes from who you are, what you are and what you do.

    The mind-program called fame and money has distorted global society more fundamentally than most people realize.

    We have lost perspective on what really matters and the contributions people make to our daily lives.

  22. I saw a recent "Undercover Boss" episode where the "little" person was given an opportunity to dish the boss (who was asking the question) and the "little" person took the high-road and did not be-little the boss even though the boss deserved being taken down a notch or two with regard to his own condescending manor. The boss had an ah-ha moment when this was demonstrated. He had to see the manors to appreciate it. I encourage those that I mentor to engage the people serving us on all levels and to encourage through kindness and compliments - the payback for being considerate is so immeasurably better for everyone! Thank you for demonstrating that Mr. Gage!

  23. Some people think, that they are someone more, then others. Such a silly thing!
    The most important thing, when you become more powerful - always remember about all important communication between people. Never mind, what position they work in. To be polite with all. It opens all doors.

  24. I appreciated Randy's point and several of the thoughtful comments.
    We ALL have the ability to make someone's life more pleasant each day with a smile, a heart felt thank you for your service or a sincere comment that I hope you have a really good day or evening.
    I think the best reason for this stance in life is that it is good for ME. It helps me stay out of my self centered self. I enjoy feeling good and the more "good karma" I can spread around the better I feel and the happier I am, even without sending more money.
    Thanks to all for your insightful thoughts. They added to my day's pleasure.
    Harold

  25. The ironic thing is, if you are nice to people that can't really do anything for you, they'll bend over backwards for you when the opportunity arises. Everyone loves someone that treats them well.

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  • 47 comments on “Respecting the Little People”

    1. Yes, how good that person would feel if we give some respect and gratitude to them for the service they do. And that would motivate them to serve even better. Yes, that really matters. Thanks Randy.

    2. I think it's really terrible to even say "little" people. Unless your talking about that old movie "Darbie O'Gill and the Little People".

    3. I own a cleaning business and i see that poor treatment often. Folks don't respect u just because your job is not "glamorous". But again, that is a definition of their character and their internal being. Be good to one another, coz we are all connected. You never know, i might be your next boss...:)

      1. Wanja,

        I also have a cleaning business and I have my own philosophy regarding this issue: If you treat me with respect, I do business with you. If not, I dont. I simply fire you.
        I choose my clients as much as they choose me.
        I only accept clients who are honest, respecful, loving, kind, generous and who are always ready to support me and my family. And so far, I have been blessed.
        The job might not seem Glamorous but think about it...You are being invited to clean someone's home!! You are entering a sacred space where possessions are kept, where intimate conversations take place, where emotions are expressed, etc...and you are there, witnessing all... What an honor......
        It is tiring.. but very rewarding....at least for me...

        Love

        Ferni

    4. Being a foodie I love eating at restaurants and I just cringe at boorish behavior from customers... but on the other hand I'm often appalled at the atrocious, snarly service one receives... it cuts both ways....

    5. That's an important message. If we all make our own world a little better we really can change the world. Aside from that the immediate benefit of just being nice to people is reward in itself. Hopefully that guy has developed into a nicer person by now also!

    6. Hi Randy, thanks for sharing your thoughts.
      I recognize this example as it happened in my life as well.

      Life is like a mirror... I love and respect all people. Because everybody is Perfect…exactly as they are…

      Much love and respect from Holland, Europe.
      ~Dennis

    7. This post is important. My father was manager at a bank here in Germany. In an internal ranking his staff was always the happiest. When you mentioned his name when security people were around, even they were all smiling. When I was a boy of 14 he told me his secret: he said that he was approaching everybody with the same respect, talking to the cleaning women in the same voice as to his own boss. As several of his interns were close friends of mine that I could trust (i.e. my girlfriend), I can trust what they said: that the atmosphere was extraordinary.

    8. Totally agree on this.

      Thanks to my (part time) position as a Travel Editor for Lusso - a luxury lifestyle magazine, I have had the experience of dining with hugely succesful people, many of them multi-millionaires.

      I have noticed that they all had one thing in common when we were dining. They were all courteous to the waiting staff.

      It's usually the - what we say in England - the 'ten-bob millionaires' that are the rude ones. I.E. Those who think that they are above everyone else, but actually aren't.

      I cannot bear being in the company of people who are rude or ignorant to service staff. Randy is right, avoid them in business as somewhere down the line, you will not agree on something important.

      Nice post.

      Al

    9. There are no other ones but YOU. YOU are awake in everything so appreciate yourself and when you appreciate yourself make sure you appreciate ALL that is you, all the billion of years of evolution everything that you needed to take shape in order for you to experience this moment in time

    10. Something simple, but yet so many people think to highly of themselves that they forget to acknowledge human beings who they feel cannot serve them. I think everyone has something to offer and that one person you ignore could be the very person who can make an impact on you just by their servitude, or positive attitude. It's the little things people do that make you reflect on your own character.

    11. I like what Randy has to say about change in this blog. I see people who have held on to the belief that a leopard never changes its spots. Maybe a leopard can't but we have been given the power to change if we choose to. Life can change in the blink of an eye. Wouldn't we love to know that our last blink included a smile and a kind word? It's difficult at times to be truthful with some people but I think Randy should have mentioned to this man that his behavior towards others was not acceptable. Sometimes we need to step up to the plate to help others recognize their short comings rather than announce to the world, after the opportunity to help someone grow has passed by.

    12. Most of us are "the little people" at some point in our lives! Let us not forget how we felt back then!
      There is a cleaning lady named Maria who always comes into my office at night. Sometimes I am still there when she comes. I always greet her and have conversations with her, thanking her for keeping our office looking great. She is always smiling. I really don't know if anyone else in the office even knows her!

    13. I love this blog too. The thing about treating everyone with respect is that it works both ways. If you feel superior to someone who has less than you do and has a job serving you, you will feel inferior to everyone who has more than you and is in a position to tell you what to do. You will box yourself into exactly the place on the ladder where you are now. You will fear falling off your perch and becoming one of the little people. You will also block your way to success by hating the people above you, even though you behave obsequiously toward them.

      1. Well said, Cynthia! I agree.

        I re-read a book this week that discusses that phenomenon: "Somebodies and Nobodies: Overcoming the Abuse of Rank" by Robert W. Fuller. I recommend it for a deeper look at the pattern.

        Nobody likes to be "nobody-ed"

      2. I like your response to this. Even when we choose to judge others, whether it is because they are doing something unacceptable to us or something we feel threatened by, we are judging. Does that make us any better or worse? I think the moral of this story is that no matter what the situation, our reaction shows us our own character flaws. Should we be grateful for the times when we were not at our best and someone who had more wisdom or influence took the time not to judge us but shared wisdom learned by their own life lessons?

    14. Randy...great to take in this post!

      Remember back earlier this year, you posted a chapter about your interactions with a hotel masseuse in (Singapore?)? It was about how it wasn't worth your time and effort to make small talk with this particular human being, and your theories and behavior and justifications pissed me off...I called you on it in my response to that post.

      Welcome to the other side! Reaching out hands of kindness and respect toward others is the best gift we can give ourselves. As you give, so shall you receive.

      Peace!
      Michele

      1. Please understand that I greeted and treated that person with respect. But when she asked me the same question three times in 2 minutes (twice!), it was obvious that she was not listening to me, simply pandering.

        That was a lack of respect to me, and as such, I set a boundary that I wouldn't participate in that.

        -RG

    15. I was taught that the way a potential relationship partner treats the wait staff, and clerks- this is how you will be treated in a few years, and the way that person treats pets is how your children will be treated. This reminds me of that teaching.
      I am glad you didn't choose this person for anything!

    16. There is a saying that goes: "Respect is Love in plain clothes."

      We are all "little people" and "big people" in different areas and times of our lives. What a mistake we would be making to think we could judge someone by the station they hold in any moment.

      We are all brilliant, magical, powerful creatures - and you never know how your kind, respectful treatment of another might just make their day or encourage them to conquer new heights in their own lives. (Not to mention that being nice to others makes the giver feel wonderful too!)

      Imagine what our lives would be like if we were all unwilling to serve one another because we thought it 'beneath' us? So many of our simple pleasures would cease to exist, and life would be infinitely harder.

      I know I've received many a treasure from even the most modest of people in situations because I cared enough to be kind and connect with them. You never know who might be holding something valuable for you or who you might have something of value for - even if it's just a smile and genuine acknowledgement.

      No one is a 'waste' of your respect. And if you hold onto the idea that others who you think don't 'measure up' don't deserve your respect, that probably gives a clue as to how you treat yourself when you aren't meeting your own standards. Disregard, in either case, does not create a prosperous outcome.

      Happy Friday Everyone!

      K

      1. thank you ~

        I think my smile just got a little bit brighter!

        Must be something to this kindness stuff! (wink, wink!) 😉

        K

    17. In all seriousness, this is a brilliant post. It is very liberating to hear someone like you say nobody is better than anyone else. We may not all have equal talents, intelligence, looks, or wealth but we are all equal in our humanity!

    18. Hi,

      I was treated like a little person in an hotel where I was staying. The first night down to dinner there was no one at the door, so in I went and found a nice table by the window.
      Eventually after an age of waiting a waiter comes up. He says are you alone, I say ` Yes, I am`. He then tells me I can`t sit ay that table, so I ask him if it is reserved, he says, `No`. So I ask why I can`t stay there, and he says these tables are reserved for couples, I said where can I sit, and he point to a table against a wall in a corner. I said, I`m not going to sit there and I don`t fancy eating here any more either. I then got up and he seemed to become rather confused - he then said you can stay there, so I said, would that be for the length of my stay? he affirmed it would be.
      After that I must say I received jolly good service.
      He did xome up to me later and said I had slipped under his radar or I would not have been directed to the table, I said, I didn` slip under any radar, you just weren`t on the job.
      Evidently it`s their policy to seat lone people at second rate tables, and because I wasn`t going to be treated like a second rate person I told the management I wouldn`t be coming back, and why.

    19. RG,

      I have always been very nice to people who have served me. I know what it was like to have to serve others. I also believe that in God's mind there are no little people. We are all his children. Thanks for sharing this.
      Jim

    20. We are all "little people" to someone, sometime in our life.
      Story-in our quick service restaurant last year, we decided to be pro-active in a not great economic environment. We just asked the people we work with to do one thing-before each customer left, note their eye color. The cool thing is, once they were asked to pay attention to each customer, they started doing fun things on their own, like drawing a happy face on the customer's drink lid, and giving a muffin with a candle in it on a customer's birthday.
      Come to think of it, we need to do this again. 🙂
      Thank you, Randy.

      1. What a cool idea! There must have been huge improvements in customer service...both giving and receiving.

        Life changing moment: it was just a day, maybe a little more frustrating than most, and late in the afternoon I went to the post office. As I was going thru the door, kind of keeping to myself, A gentleman (and that's NOT a word I pull out too often), held the door for me, nodded, tipped his driving cap, MADE EYE CONTACT and smiled, and said, "A good day to you".

        He walked on his way...but I was floored, both speechless and motionless. This person MADE CONTACT with me...NOTICED ME. It was the first time in at least a day that I felt "real". Did you ever have one of those days where you just felt invisible, maybe a little like a virus (common sniffles, not Ebola)? Not looking for an Academy Award, but just to be recognized as living?

        He walked on, and I stood there and decided to take his advice...and Had A Good Day. It took literally five seconds to change my day...and my life...completely.

        I pass that same gift along as many times a day as possible. I work in the downtown of on of the prettiest little cities you'd ever see; whether I'm helping someone pick out a book or walking outside running errands, the opportunities to "connect" with someone this way are all day. And I can see the results of my actions...so many people are surprised to be "noticed". Some spurn it; some ignore it...but I love it when I "notice" someone and they start walking taller and smiling.

        Reach out to someone. Maybe it's the first smile someone has gotten all day...how special is that. At the book store, it's our policy to greet everyone who comes in. One of my special talents is knowing instinctively "how much" to greet someone, be it red carpet or quiet smile from across the room. But every customer WILL BE NOTICED in the way that is comfortable to them...every time they come in...and they do keep coming in, and it shows up on my bottom line.

        1. Did you ever have one of those days where you just felt invisible, maybe a little like a virus (common sniffles, not Ebola)? Not looking for an Academy Award, but just to be recognized as living?

          Michele,

          This entire post is lovely ... and the above paragraph really gave me a giggle!

          So cool how our simple treatment of one another really creates a 'pay it forward' effect.

          It sounds like those you come in contact with definitely receive a gift!

          🙂

        2. ***

          Did you ever have one of those days where you just felt invisible, maybe a little like a virus (common sniffles, not Ebola)? Not looking for an Academy Award, but just to be recognized as living?

          ***

          Michele,

          This entire post was lovely, and the paragraph above definitely made me giggle!

          Isn't it wonderful how our treatment of one another can cause a 'pay it forward' effect?

          It sounds like the people who are lucky enough to come in contact with you receive a real gift!

          K

          1. ooops! Sorry ... first post seemed to have disappeared, or so I thought!

            Well Michele - you were worth saying it twice! 😉

    21. Wasn't it BP who cared about "the little people" too, no?

      Make no mistake, many little people turned out not to be so little after all, and you don't know what they'll be doing down the road and how that could affect you.

      I have also seen many big shots actually being a lot less than many of the little people.

      Success is not decided by bank accounts and banner headlines. It comes from who you are, what you are and what you do.

      The mind-program called fame and money has distorted global society more fundamentally than most people realize.

      We have lost perspective on what really matters and the contributions people make to our daily lives.

    22. I saw a recent "Undercover Boss" episode where the "little" person was given an opportunity to dish the boss (who was asking the question) and the "little" person took the high-road and did not be-little the boss even though the boss deserved being taken down a notch or two with regard to his own condescending manor. The boss had an ah-ha moment when this was demonstrated. He had to see the manors to appreciate it. I encourage those that I mentor to engage the people serving us on all levels and to encourage through kindness and compliments - the payback for being considerate is so immeasurably better for everyone! Thank you for demonstrating that Mr. Gage!

    23. Some people think, that they are someone more, then others. Such a silly thing!
      The most important thing, when you become more powerful - always remember about all important communication between people. Never mind, what position they work in. To be polite with all. It opens all doors.

    24. I appreciated Randy's point and several of the thoughtful comments.
      We ALL have the ability to make someone's life more pleasant each day with a smile, a heart felt thank you for your service or a sincere comment that I hope you have a really good day or evening.
      I think the best reason for this stance in life is that it is good for ME. It helps me stay out of my self centered self. I enjoy feeling good and the more "good karma" I can spread around the better I feel and the happier I am, even without sending more money.
      Thanks to all for your insightful thoughts. They added to my day's pleasure.
      Harold

    25. The ironic thing is, if you are nice to people that can't really do anything for you, they'll bend over backwards for you when the opportunity arises. Everyone loves someone that treats them well.

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