Plus One Powerful Lesson
Thought for the day: Our underlying motive determines the value of what we do.
I was looking at boxed tangerines at the supermarket when I accidently tipped the box over and they all tumbled out. I quickly put them back in the box and replaced the net that held them in. No harm done. After getting all I came in for, I was about to check out when I noticed that one tangerine had fallen into the open pouch on the side of my purse. I smiled, my first thought: Oh boy, a freebee snack.
Then the old conscience checked in and I returned the tangerine to the young lady at the checkout counter with a brief explanation. She took it and went on to complete checking out my order. Her body language told me she couldn’t care less. I was bugged. No comment about honesty, no smile of appreciation, no acknowledgment of any kind! Then it hit me. Holy cow, I want recognition for simply doing a small right thing. How sad is that? Ouch — lesson learned.
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Reminds me that a) recognition is so cheap and easy to do, so we should do it for others every time we get a chance, and b) being acknowledged is one of the greatest human needs, so – again – we should give it often. Relationships with people – perhaps the most fulfilling thing on the planet. Easy to talk about. Not always easy to do.