Random Acts of Kindness

So for years and years I have been trying to get Kathy, my wife, to go to Starbucks. She wouldn't do it...mainly because she doesn't care for coffee and I think out of protest for what I "spend on a cup of coffee!" (have to hear her say it to get the full effect). Then one day she discovered they sell iced tea and that was all she wrote. If coffee is my legalized drug of choice then iced tea is hers. Now months after discovering this little factoid she goes to Starbucks more than I do...which for those of you who know me..is a lot!

Anyway the other day I was at the office and my phone rang. It was Kathy. I could tell she was excited about something. She proceeded to tell me about how she just encountered something amazing while sitting at the drive-thru of Starbucks. Apparently she was down to her last two dollars but really needed that iced tea so she steered her car into the line at Starbucks. As she scrounged for some change to insure she had enough she pulled up to the window and the Barista handed her her iced tea and said the car in front of her had paid for hers. I would have paid for the next fifty cars to have been there to see her face!

She was certain that she didn't know the person. They left no indication with the Starbucks worker that they knew Kathy either. They simply did a random act of kindness and boy did it make her day. Kathy immediately called my dad who, if you read my BLOG regularly, has experience his own random acts of kindness (search Breakfast Fairy on the BLOG search tool) and I am sure they both went to town on the Ripple Effect of what had just happened.

A simple act of kindness like buying someone's coffee (or iced tea), breakfast or whatever can have the biggest impact on another person. My question to you is how many Ripples are you willing to create anonymously just for the sake of making this world a better place?

That many huh?

Ripple On!!!


Steve

P.S. Here's a neat article on the Starbucks Pay it Backwards concept.

Strive For Three

I recently gave a speech to a group of business executives and during the question and answer portion was asked how I might suggest someone begin adhering to a Ripple-centric philosophy for their life. I get this question quite a lot so I figured it would be worth sharing my answer in this platform.

Ripple is about creating or taking action on someone else's behalf. Doing something....anything on a a consistent every day basis. My belief is when you are consciously on the hunt to Ripple on someone else's behalf you become acutely aware of your surroundings and it makes you active participant in the game of life. Not just a transient passenger of it.

So back to the question. How does someone begin utilizing the concept in their life? I have a little mental game I play with myself called Strive For Three. It's quite simple and a whole lot of fun. Here's how you play:

Throughout your day look for three opportunities to help someone and do it. Take an action on their behalf. It can be a big action or a little action but whatever it is, it's an action. It could be as simple as holding a door open for someone and wishing them a good morning. It might be complimenting a co-worker on a job well done or how nicely they dressed on that day. It might be letting that guy who's had his blinker on trying to get into your lane of traffic cut in in front of you and giving him a big smile while you do it. It could be stopping and offering to help that person change their tire. Or it might be buying a cup of hot coffee on a cold winter morning and stopping to give it to the flag man of the road construction crew.

The cool thing is your action can be anything you want it to be!

So as you do these things throughout the day keep track. Write them down. Strive to do a minimum of three each day and record your Ripples in a little journal. Tally your score at the end of each week and see how many positive Ripples you have created out there in the world.

Before long what you will notice is Rippling is no longer a game....it's a way of life. Your good deeds will have you feeling a little like a super hero and extremely good about yourself. That alone is a fantastic reason to begin Rippling every day in every way. And those Ripples you create will come back to you in ways that are unimaginable.

Strive for three is a great way to get yourself actively Rippling. So what are you waiting for?

Ripple On!!!

Breakfast Fairy Strikes Again

In May I shared a post called The Breakfast Fairy Challenge. The post was inspired by the amazing tales my dad has shared with me of the people, most anonymous, who have bought his and mom's breakfast and lunches "just because." Dad makes a point to take very good care of my mom who is suffering from the later stages of Alzheimer's Disease. One of the ways he keeps her active is to take her out a lot to breakfast, lunch or over to Starbucks for a "little treat" in the afternoons.

People notice them. It's hard not too. My mom doesn't speak, at least not much that is audible these days, but dad feeds her and carries on enough conversation for the both of them. His loving way has struck a cord that is undeniable. I swear the amazing generosity that people have showed him would humble even the harshest of hearts. The regularity from which it happens amazes even me.

Dad isn't just a taker either.....he repeats the favor by picking up the check of random strangers. He enjoys it, I can tell, and the more he does it, the more that he seems to have the favor returned. Talk about a Ripple!

Talking with my dad the other night he retold a story of his latest Breakfast Fairy encounter that I just had to share. Apparently dad and mom were having breakfast at one of their yummy breakfast spots when dad saw an older gentlemen walk in with the aide of a walker (or crutches). Despite the man's apparent difficulty walking he seemed to walk with purpose and somehow Dad always seems to notice things like that.

Anyway, my dad watched him meander back to the back of the restaurant out of sight. He waited a bit and then when the waitress came with his and mom's check he asked her to go find that gentlemen's table and give him his check so he could pay for them both. She did as she was asked and returned shortly with both checks in hand and left them on dad's table. My dad continued to finish up feeding my mom when the waitress reappeared and said she needed both checks back. Dad assumed she had given him the wrong checks and continued on chatting with mom.

A few minutes past and no checks came back to the table. Dad caught the waitress and asked what had happened to the checks. She said "they've both been taken care of?" It seems that a couple who had been watching my mom and dad adoringly overheard dad's plan as he explained The Breakfast Fairy challenge to the waitress and why he wanted that buy that complete stranger's breakfast. They apparently were inspired and anonymously took the challenge to heart and picked up all of the checks.

Dad was so moved by what had happened that he sought out the older man who was, now sitting with three other people, to tell him the story. From there the legend of The Breakfast Fairy continues to grow and prosper and I bet there are at least six or seven more convents to this amazing new movement.

Anyway, I wanted to share the links to our previous posts in hopes that we can inspire some of our newest readers to join our Breakfast Fairy Challenge. The earlier posts can be found by clicking these links:

Original Post
Part Two

Hope you will take The Breakfast Fairy challenge, watch the amazing Ripples you will undoubtedly create and come back her to share your story with all of our readers. The action you take may be just enough inspiration to make someone else want to step up to the challenge and wear some wings (fairy's have wings right..?)!

Have a wonderful weekend my friends.

Ripple On!!!