Hi Friend
Oh man, what a week! It was a bombardment of information! I went to the ImpactEleven bootcamp and masterclass in Nashville. These folks do everything with excellence. It’s impressive and compelling. And a lot. A lot of content, a lot of people, a lot of lights, a lot of time, a lot of discussions, a lot of goodness. I love it!
It’s amazing how they’ve shaped an environment filled with people who compete for the same work yet completely collaborate for the betterment of each other. They have mastered #community like no other organizations I’ve ever encountered. It’s surprising, rewarding and awesome.
Don’t worry, I won’t bore you with a recap of learning that inspired me, since you aren’t a speaker. I hope you will eventually experience the results whether subtle or overt in the upcoming months.
Something else shocking happened this week. I received a letter and $5.43 check from a local Lyft Driver. Two Sunday nights ago, he brought me home from the airport. When he picked me up, he went to the wrong terminal, which caused the app to think I didn’t show upon time. It also added an extra charge for our trip, even though he went the exact route it mapped.
I’m gob smacked. I never thought about the ride again, nor did I notice any extra charges – probably because I never went back and looked. Have you ever heard of such a thing – a driver refunding a passenger?!
INTEGRITY
Last week we talked about deciding to do the right thing. This guy is the paragon of integrity. As I’m writing you, I’m still in disbelief. I’ve left the letter out and unfolded so I can see it every time I pass by. Who does something like that? He didn’t think “it’s not my fault what Lyft does.” “It’s only 5 bucks, I’m sure that guy will be fine.”
Have you ever been blown away by the quality of someone’s character? This next-level-goodness is rare. We talk about showing kindness to someone as top-shelf humanity. This level of actively pursuing making a small wrong right is HUGE! He was literally the only one who knew and still did something about it. #BlownAwayByIntegrity
HUMBLED
You and I tend to think of ourselves as pretty decent people. We have some validating evidence that others too are willing to confirm. We’ve even gone out of our way on occasion to care for a fellow human. Look at us. Then I get a glimpse of the degree to which another person actively cares and I’m humbled.
What is the standard we’ve been measuring ourselves against? We may be a bit delusional, huh? Have you encountered someone that simply by their actions challenged your sense of self? I love it. When was the last time you literally paid for someone else’s mistake (that wasn’t your child)? Does our own internal compass even point that far north?
Instigating Ideas…
1. Keep growing your professional skills!
2. Make a wrong, right, in a meaningful way.
3. Surprise someone with your integrity.
4. Express appreciation to someone who chooses to do right & good.
I realize I’ve littered this week’s instigator with loads of questions for you. Must be because this drivers’ actions have me questioning myself. I’m grateful for the opportunity to search my own soul. Might as well probe yours too.
CONVICTION
From the three jam-packed days of learning one of my resonating take-aways was about the convictions I have with the messages I speak. Am I deeply aligned with the words and ideas I share with others? Thankfully I am. However, it provoked a desire to be fully consecrated rather than casually associated. I want to daily live from convictions, not just from sporadic moments of them.
How about you? What if instead of making goals, we created a list of our top ten convictions and then pursued living with passion accordingly?
I hope this week you live in active integrity, finding ways to surprise and delight other humans with your commitment to your convictions. How far out of your way are you willing to go to be who you desire to be?