Who Were You Nice To Today? Part 2 in a 3 part series of learning questions.
What Did You Learn Today? Part 1 of a 3 part series of learning questions.
Who were you nice to today, seems like a simple question. When our days are filled with rushing around to meet deadlines and obligations this concept might slip through the cracks. The message in this three part series is just a reminder to think about three simple ideas that will make the world a better place simply by asking three questions a day.
- What did you learn today?
- Who were you nice to today"
- How am I better today than yesterday?
Applying this thought behavior modification with family or friends to be accountable with one another makes it a lot 
of fun to do. There is a new accountability group in Active rain called Pay It Forward Accountability group and there participants are sharing how they are paying good forward with one another for more fun and sharing.
The three questions above were in a motivational tape I received from a Tony Robbins salesman at least 20 years ago. If you have never experienced one of Tony's representatives coming into your office to sell tickets to his events it is something you want to hear. The presentation is so high rev you are tired after just listening for 15 minutes. The good thing is that wonderful energy is contagious and can inspire people to action. I played the tape in my car over and over. If I remember correctly the three questions came from Shaquille O'Neal and his dad. "Shaq's" dad asked him those three questions everyday. We all know "Shaq" of basketball fame and can see that he got better everyday with practice of his shots and moves on the court. Today he is a huge advocate for helping people.
I do try to practice what I preach. When my daughter, Shae, was 11 (now 26) we started going over each of these questions everyday. Yes, she got a little tired of her dear ole mother asking her over and over what she learned, who she was nice to and how was she better today then yesterday. She was in intramural basketball and I would pick her and her friends up every night after practice. You guessed it, in the car we went over the questions and her friends loved it. Even though Shae wasn't thrilled about being asked the questions daily in front of her friends, she was always thinking about learning and helping others.
Shae was always being nice to the new kids the first day of school or helping those with disabilities. We talked about how she would feel if she were new or had a problem and then she knew exactly what to do and say. She was living the Golden Rule exactly as called for in the Realtor Pledge and Code of Ethics. When Shae graduated in 2002, in the high school annual she was named "nicest girl", "prettiest eyes" and had "coolest dad." Our entire family enjoyed sharing and learning these three principles. I also shared the questions with my Sunday School class and those kids are still friends today sharing good, making the world a better place.
My two favorite "who were you nice to" stories:
1. I was in line at a furniture warehouse getting ready to pay for a chair. There were two young girls talking about the new snack bar and one asked if the other would like to join her for lunch. The one girl said she did not have any money and it would be another 2 days before she could eat. I felt so bad and pulled out $10.00 to give the young lady and she started to cry. She said "that was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her." I assured her that she would receive much better gifts in her life but was happy to help. That one incident has stayed with me to be alert and to listen for people in need.
2. I had a real estate client who had been a family friend for many years. My husband and I had sold 3 of their homes in the past and we knew that Mr. Seller loved to talk when we called with a showing feedback. One morning I needed to call and let him know buyer feedback and I had many other things to do. I thought if I called and just talked fast giving him the feed back I might not be on the phone for at least 15 minutes. I called, stated the information then he was silent. I asked him if he was ok and he said " no, I have been on the floor and I could barely get up to answer the phone. I don't know what is wrong." I was struck by the immediate need to go over to his house which was only about 5 minutes from the office so I told him, my husband and I would be right over. Our office manager thought I should dial 911 but I thought I should go over and see what was going on and then I could take him to the hospital if he needed that. When we arrived he answered the door and was totally gray in color. I knew that was not a good sign and he agreed we should get to the hospital. I told him to be sure to get his insurance card or we would have trouble in the ER. He got it and went in my husbands car. We both had things to do so needed to take two cars. We got him to the ER and he was helicoptered off to a major hospital in the downtown Devner, Colorado area. He was having a heart attack and we got him there just in time. His wife was out of town and we called her and she was on her way in hours.
I stayed at the satellite hospital and filled out the paperwork the best I could for my clients as my husband had to leave for another appointment and I had his ID and insurance card. The admittance woman asked who I was and I indicated I was his Real Estate agent. She thought I was going over and above my job description and we started talking about real estate and I told her he was my "who was I nice to" guy that day. Long story short, the admittance nurse listed her home with me an it sold, the seller was fine, the seller's house sold and all was well. My client wrote me a letter every year on the day "we were nice to him" and always said "this is the anniversary of the day you saved my life."
I am so grateful to have learned the lesson to really listen to people and then respond with love to help them when ever possible.
My grand kids are now asking the same three questions and have spiral notebooks to keep track of their progress.
I invite you to share your kindness and spread the word of the three questions to your family and friends. It's like "Chicken Soup for the Soul" in short snippets.
I hope to hear your stories about who you were nice to today!
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