“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted” — Aesop
Doing acts of kindness for others is one of the most powerful and fulfilling things that we can do, especially in the shed industry!
My wife and I were recently discussing just how good it feels to pay for someone’s meal or to give someone a compliment who might be having a bad day.
Let’s face it, the world has way too much negativity and too few positive and kind acts to go around.
According to AYTM Research, just 16 percent of people said they consider the people around them to be very kind. Thirty-four percent gave the people around them a four out of five rating. Thirty-nine percent gave other people a three out of five rating in terms of kindness. Eight percent gave others a two out of five rating.
When I look at these statistics, I see a HUGE opportunity to not only be more kind to people (which is always great) but to also set myself apart from my competitors. I’ve always said that people want to do business with others that are nice and kind. Well, according to this data, if we all strive to be the kindest person that we can be to others, success will follow!
Back in January, I was at my sales lot and noticed an SUV had stopped on the shoulder of the road and a gentleman got out and was looking under the hood. I was busy and not paying much attention when I got a knock on my door. The man came in and asked me if I had jumper cables and if I could pull up on the highway and jump-start his SUV.
It was cold out and this truthfully was the last thing in the world that I wanted to do. I’m just being honest. I met the man and hooked up the jumper cables and he began to tell me how he had been in jail and that he had lost his business and his significant other.
He proceeded to tell me that he had found God and was going to rebuild his life and business. I don’t believe in coincidence. Something came over me that I was supposed to help this man in his new journey, and I also felt tremendous guilt for not wanting to help him in the beginning.
I remember thinking that God has been so good to me and my family and I might be the only “Bible” this man ever sees. We got his vehicle started and I asked him to pray with me. I then handed him some cash and I’ll never forget the man started crying and he gave me a hug and thanked me profusely.
I cannot describe how great I felt and how thankful I was that God allowed me this opportunity to help a fellow man in need.
It gets even better! While on vacation in April, my dad was covering my sales lot, and guess who stopped by? The man that I had helped! Dad told me that he wanted to stop by and thank me for what I did for him. He said that he had started his business again and that his significant other had given him a second chance, and things were going great!
Dad told me that he had tears in his eyes as he told his story. It just goes to show you just how powerful one small act of kindness can be. I was overjoyed, to say the least.
I want to give a shout out to Raymond Yoder and his family who owns Yoder’s Mini Barns in Greenfield, Ohio, for the incredible act of kindness that he shared with me and my wife.
Deidra and I met the Yoders at the Shed Builder Expo last year after my presentation. During our conversation with the Yoders, Deidra had briefly mentioned that she wanted to buy me a mailbox that looked like a shed that I could use at my sales lot.
After a few months had passed, we received a big box on our front porch. To our surprise, it was a beautiful shed mailbox from the Yoders! We opened the mailbox and to our amazement, found three beautiful birdhouses inside. We were both overwhelmed with excitement and we were so grateful for the kindness the Yoders had shown us.
If you are ever in Greenfield, Ohio, I highly recommend stopping in for a visit—you won’t find a kinder family!
It may be easy to overlook opportunities to be kind, but the reality is we have so many situations where we can be helpful, considerate, and thoughtful to everyone we come in contact with. You will discover that every act of kindness that you engage in will make the world a better place.
We can do this!