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Read Time: 3 Minutes

A life lesson from my Dad

When I was 9 my Dad and I stopped at a Chick-fil-A in my hometown for lunch.

He's a land surveyor, and there was a big project with a tight deadline coming up. So we'd spent all Saturday morning at the office as he chaotically tried to wrap this project up. I (not paying much attention) had a great morning playing on my Gameboy in the corner.

While we weren't a poor family, we were not rolling in cash either. We counted money carefully.

Going out to eat was rare, almost all of our meals were home-cooked. So when we arrived at Chick-fil-A for lunch I was ecstatic.

Aside from this meal, the day had been rather uneventful.

But as we were sat there eating, talking about nothing in particular.

An elderly woman walked in, with a little girl.

She looked to be at least 70, walked very slowly relying on a walker, and had a bandana over her eyes. The little girl (clearly related) was full of life and energy. Guiding what I assumed to be her grandmother through the restaurant.

I quickly recognized that the old woman had a tray and sign attached to her walker. Where clumsily hand-written in childs print it said:

Scattered about the tray were cheap bracelets made of yarn and plastic beads.

I brushed them off.

They walked down the aisles from table to table offering their bracelets to customers.

I turned away and ignored them.

I hoped they wouldn't come our way.

See the truth is, we see scenes like this everywhere. There's an epidemic of homelessness and poverty across the world. Let alone in my small town where it was common to see people with cardboard signs at every major intersection.

To me, this was just another beggar.

But, when they came to our table my Dad lit up. As if he was meeting an old friend. His smile and warmth were surprising even to me.

He asked if he could buy a bracelet for himself, me, and my mom.

He paid with a $20 and told them to keep the change.

I was bewildered.

Every instinct I had told me that we needed to look out for ourselves and that there was a chance that the couple's story was completely fabricated. Why would he jump to give them the money?

Then he poured out some wisdom I've never forgotten.

He said, "Their story may not be true. There are evil people in this world. But one day you will need help just like they do, and you'll pray that there will be someone out there that will look out for you."

"We can't help everyone, but we can help someone."

It's a lesson that I've remembered ever since.

It's helped me to fight the childish, selfish bias that I should look out for myself.

It's stories that enact change

People can change.

We're influenced by our experiences.

The stories that we tell ourselves and the stories of others like us.

The stories we tell in our careers, in our businesses, in our marketing. They all change the way people think about us. And sometimes change the way people think about themselves.

If you want to create memorable experiences for your customers, you have to tell them stories. Help them to see why you believe the things you believe. Why do you act the way you do?

Bring your story and the story of your customers to life in your business & marketing.

Show people what you believe.

Show them who you are.

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