Do Something Remarkable… Pass it On…

Erin Blaskie is guest writing for Phil today.

What have you done lately that has been remarkable? What have you done that has made someone feel really good about themselves, about you, about their current situation…? What can you feel really good about this week or next?

I find myself living in a place of gratitude all of the time. Every day I wake up and look at my husband and my two dogs (who share our bed… we need a bigger bed!) and I smile. I feel great putting my feet to the floor knowing that the day will be filled with to-do lists being checked off, good conversation, laughter and whatever else happens to come across my path.

The difference in my life is that each and every day I refuse to start the day off on the wrong foot. If I’m feeling frustrated before even getting out of bed, I remind myself that it’s minor (my dog licking my face non-stop) and that it does not matter in the grand scheme of life. When I do get up, I constantly look for ways to improve the lives of those around me. Some of the things I do whenever I can:

Give my shopping cart to someone else…

Now, before you think “How is that being remarkable?”, we have a grocery store in town called No Frills and they do business in a really neat way. You bag your own groceries, etc. to keep costs low.

One thing they do is they have quarter slots in their shopping carts that you use to get your cart out and when you return it to a cart hut or to the store, you get your quarter back. It helps to keep the carts out of the parking lots.

Whenever I shop there and I’m done emptying my groceries, I look for someone to give my cart to. Most people offer the quarter but I don’t take it. It makes people feel good! It doesn’t need to have a high value…. The little things matter most.

I send info-products to those people who I think would benefit from them… free of charge.

Yes, I honestly do this. I don’t do it everyday but when someone mentions that they might like to read what I have or might purchase it when their cashflow increases, I send it to them. I don’t ask for anything in return or expect a favor back, I just do it. Business for me is not always about the bottom line and sucking money from everyone I meet. Instead, I believe that part of it is sharing information and helping one another to build strong businesses.

Compliment people regularly and have compassion for people…

When I am in a situation where I notice someone might be having a bad day or they need some understanding, I reach out and give it. If I see someone has put extra effort into their outfit or their hairstyle, I let them know that I think it’s nice! I’m not shy about giving compliments and I don’t look for one in return. I think that when people feel recognized, noticed and appreciated, they’ll pass on the same feelings to someone else.

I think a key to life relationships is investing more in others than you do in yourself. Look for the opportunity each and everyday to help someone out. Whether it’s giving an extra 1/2 hour on a paid coaching session, giving your assistant an unexpected raise, sending a thank you note for a referral or just waking up and saying “I love you” to your partner, I think you’ll notice that you’ll get back so much that is rewarding and fulfilling.

Live your life and be remarkable. It doesn’t have to be the big things… Every little thing you do to change someone’s day or life goes a long way.

[Erin Blaskie is a virtual assistant and the owner of Business Services, ETC. Erin supports business owners with their daily operations - helping them free up their time so they can get back to doing the ‘life’ stuff or focus on the revenue generating items. Feel free to contact her via her website at http://www.bsetc.ca or at info@bsetc.ca. If you'd like to use this article from Erin, please do, just include the article, and this byline, in it's entirety.]

Comments

[Stephen Hopson]

Erin:

I loved this article! The one thing that struck me the most was the image of your dog lapping your face in the morning! I found that hilarous but it was also very vivid, very real to me. I had dog as a kid and remember her doing that to me. I even remember her "chewing" on my hand while I slept. She was the cutest dog.

Hooray for enlighted people like you! I'm a strong believer in giving from the heart. Imagine if every single person in the world did that, every day! Wouldn't the world be in a different place? I'd like to think so.

Thanks for the interesting post. It touched me.

Stephen

[Trey C.]

I totally agree to try and make things great on a small level, but a group of friends and I are trying to something great on a larger level. We have been working for the past year to build up this new charity called Students Serve. We are all college students are we are trying to raise money to give to other college students who want to do something great in their community. We just redid our website and have raise about $4000 so far. It may not be great yet, but we hope that it will get there.