Random acts, we've all seen them on the news. Someone gets mad at someone else in traffic and communicates something ugly. Someone else comes home from a bad day at work and yells at their kids. Someone else gets really upset and punches someone out. This list could go on and on. So what do they have to do with bank accounts you might ask?
Well I am not talking about the bank account you have at Bank of America or Citibank. I'm talking about people. Did you know people are like bank accounts. Every time you do something negative to them, their emotional account gets lower. Every time you do something positive to someone, it goes up.
Let me try to illustrate this. Last week when I went to pick up three of our five kids, our youngest daughter was having a fit. She was going to get to go where we were because she was sick and it wasn't a good idea. Now she is 9 years old but was acting more like 9 months and having a toddler fit. This particular day, I did not have a great day at work. To top it all off, I was late to get the other two boys to swim practice. So what did I do? I did the "natural" thing to do - I lost my temper. Now I don't really have a bad temper but I did get really mad (for me) at my daughter. I was so mad, I was raising my voice at her and she was yelling at me.
It ended with me spanking her and her still throwing a fit. At one point, she said some really mean things to me. Because I am her dad and she is a child, the things she said didn't really bother me. After all, she is only nine. Her behavior was in appropriate so I corrected it but what if she was 20 years older and said she hated me? It could really hurt my feelings and damage my self esteem. Now this wasn't premeditated, it was a random act that could have really drained my emotional bank account.
Let me tell you another random story. Most of you know that I am from Texas and I still believe in saying ma'am and sir. I think it's polite and I like it. It's a way for me to show someone respect. Now the other day, I was in a Starbucks in a different state (if you know me that's a shock right?). The person behind the counter asked me a question and I said, "Yes ma'am." However for a split second, I was mortified because there was a distinct possibility that I just said yes ma'am to a guy. It would have been a totally insulting thing to do. Fortunately, it turned out to be a girl so I was safe. Again a random act but it could have definitely hurt some one's feelings. That could have definitely drained that person's emotional account.
Up to this point, everything I have discussed centers around not hurting someone and draining their account. I suppose I could stop right now and say that it's best to be careful that we don't hurt other people and that is certainly true.
But I want to take a minute and talk about the other side of the ledger. If you take $100 to your bank and deposit in your savings account what happens? Your account balance goes up right? So what if we took that same approach and started adding to other people's emotional accounts instead. When was the last time you walked up to a total stranger and given them a compliment? Are you too shy for that? Well let me ask you this. How would it make you feel if someone in line at Starbucks that you didn't know (assuming you are a lady) that you really looked nice in the dress you were wearing? How would it make you feel? How about if you told someone you work with thank you for doing a good job on something? It's going to make their account balances go up.
So let me encourage you in this today. Try to find someone and give them a random act of kindness. Be careful though. Because whatever you do to someone, it will be done to you. If you start giving out random acts of kindness, sooner or later, they are going to start coming back to you!
That's another Opinion of the Minion
Well I am not talking about the bank account you have at Bank of America or Citibank. I'm talking about people. Did you know people are like bank accounts. Every time you do something negative to them, their emotional account gets lower. Every time you do something positive to someone, it goes up.
Let me try to illustrate this. Last week when I went to pick up three of our five kids, our youngest daughter was having a fit. She was going to get to go where we were because she was sick and it wasn't a good idea. Now she is 9 years old but was acting more like 9 months and having a toddler fit. This particular day, I did not have a great day at work. To top it all off, I was late to get the other two boys to swim practice. So what did I do? I did the "natural" thing to do - I lost my temper. Now I don't really have a bad temper but I did get really mad (for me) at my daughter. I was so mad, I was raising my voice at her and she was yelling at me.
It ended with me spanking her and her still throwing a fit. At one point, she said some really mean things to me. Because I am her dad and she is a child, the things she said didn't really bother me. After all, she is only nine. Her behavior was in appropriate so I corrected it but what if she was 20 years older and said she hated me? It could really hurt my feelings and damage my self esteem. Now this wasn't premeditated, it was a random act that could have really drained my emotional bank account.
Let me tell you another random story. Most of you know that I am from Texas and I still believe in saying ma'am and sir. I think it's polite and I like it. It's a way for me to show someone respect. Now the other day, I was in a Starbucks in a different state (if you know me that's a shock right?). The person behind the counter asked me a question and I said, "Yes ma'am." However for a split second, I was mortified because there was a distinct possibility that I just said yes ma'am to a guy. It would have been a totally insulting thing to do. Fortunately, it turned out to be a girl so I was safe. Again a random act but it could have definitely hurt some one's feelings. That could have definitely drained that person's emotional account.
Up to this point, everything I have discussed centers around not hurting someone and draining their account. I suppose I could stop right now and say that it's best to be careful that we don't hurt other people and that is certainly true.
But I want to take a minute and talk about the other side of the ledger. If you take $100 to your bank and deposit in your savings account what happens? Your account balance goes up right? So what if we took that same approach and started adding to other people's emotional accounts instead. When was the last time you walked up to a total stranger and given them a compliment? Are you too shy for that? Well let me ask you this. How would it make you feel if someone in line at Starbucks that you didn't know (assuming you are a lady) that you really looked nice in the dress you were wearing? How would it make you feel? How about if you told someone you work with thank you for doing a good job on something? It's going to make their account balances go up.
So let me encourage you in this today. Try to find someone and give them a random act of kindness. Be careful though. Because whatever you do to someone, it will be done to you. If you start giving out random acts of kindness, sooner or later, they are going to start coming back to you!
That's another Opinion of the Minion
