I’ve been on vacation in Kauai for a couple of weeks, so I haven’t
put out a Monday Message lately. But
actually, being on vacation in such a uniquely beautiful place has given me a lot
of ideas for future Monday Messages.
For example… I love to golf at the Makai Course in Princeville, Kauai. It’s probably one of the top 10 most beautiful golf courses on earth. So I’ve played quite a few rounds while also getting to know a lot of the people that work there. Yesterday, I was paired up with a young couple that had never been to the Makai Course before. As we waited around for the starter to send us off, three different Makai employees walked by us and everyone of them said, “Aloha, Joe, how you doing?” And when the starter, Hideki, said we were good to go, he said, “Joe, will you please lead this young couple out to the 10th tee box for me?” (The front nine was closed for construction).
On the way to the 10th Tee box, an employee in a golf cart stopped and offered us some fresh pineapple. I took a few minutes to talk to her and thank her for the good treats. When we finally got to the 10th tee and got ready to play, a maintenance worker also drove by us and said “Hi Joe” to me. I guess all that friendliness made an impression on the young couple I was with, because the young man said, “Wow! Does every person on this island know you?”
My response was - Well, the thing is, this is their home, this is where they live, work, and play. I’m just a visitor here. So I feel like it’s not important that they get to know me. What is important… is that I take the time to get to know them. Which is what I try to do.
And that got me thinking… You can expend a lot of energy trying to get noticed, or you can simply smile and be nice to people and their energy will often come right back to you!
What can one person do? One person can prove false the notion that nobody cares.
~ Robert Brault
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