HONEY HANDLERS

“We wince at criticism against us when we have done our best and fall short, we hope for understanding when we try something new and fail, but we enjoy smile after smile when we do all of these things and get a positive response.”

Jeff Johnson May 2008

The other day I was in a restaurant and the server told me it was her first day when she could not answer a question and had to ask someone for the correct answer. She apologized for being a little slow on the service, and she told us she was trying as hard as she could and asked us if we would come back again as she forgot to bring the bill. I handed her an extra $2.00 over my cursory 20% tip. I told her, “I was a server while I was in college, I had my first day too—do not be discouraged as someone gave me an extra $2.00 on a day that seemed to be hard—so I am passing it on to you to expect a better day and enjoy praise for your learning.” The smile she gave was worth 10 times the amount I gave her. All I was doing was passing along a ‘good’ deed modeled to me when I did not deserve it or earn it. Honey was given to me instead of vinegar so I learned how to give honey back.

Many of us have been in positions where we fell short of our own expectations or just messed up royally. No one needed to bang us on the head, shout at us, or condemn the performance. Typically, our own self-condemnation far exceeds that of others. We have choices to make each time we see something that falls less than our standard. We can give honey or chastise.

If you have ever had honey on your hands it does not come off easily—unless you lick it—which is my first choice. This solution is not to say we should ignore things that fall short of expectations, but just like honey sticks to us, we should handle everything carefully knowing how we would feel if we had honey on our hands instead of something sour when we messed up. Hand out some kind words today to those things we see that are good and at a high standard, and too those things that are less than our standards. If we had our hands in honey all day we would both smile and have a good taste in our mouth. All honey handlers are FORWARD STEPPERS.

I believe in you because, YOU ARE WORTH IT,
Jeff

PS I will be off on Friday, but will have a Saturday BLOG. Be sure to read Sunday’s Inspirational BLOG.