Dig deeper.
What do you get at Wendy’s for $5?
One of my favourite parts of speaking is actually listening. It’s when audience members come up and share a little piece of themselves with me after the program. And so it was on this day…
I was speaking in North Dakota, in a movie theater of all places. I don’t really care where I speak, either the locale or the venue doesn’t bother me, I just care that something of value transpires when I am there. And something did.
“My husband,” she began, “my second husband, he has changed my life. He was in jail for a short amount of time and when he came out, he saw the world differently and now I see the world differently. He asked me what I get for five dollars when I go to Wendy’s. I told him a hamburger, he said – ‘yes and you get…a comfortable, warm place to sit down, access to clean water and facilities, the opportunity to interact with people…’ and he went on and on about what you get for five dollars. He’s changed my life and the way I see things.
She had the most beautiful, authentic smile on her face the whole time she was telling me her story. You could tell she was so proud of her husband and excited to share their epiphany.
As I reflected on this good question, I thought about how I sometimes complain with say, the price of an airline ticket. But really, what do I get for the price of a ticket?
I get: a flight from point A to point B. And…
- A safe, convenient and fast way to travel.
- A ride on a multi-million dollar, well-serviced plane.
- 2 – count’em 2 – capable pilots to captain the plane.
- Multiple professional flight attendants who are well trained to help me should an emergency arise.
- The opportunity to be fed and watered
- A seat to sit in
- Opportunity to bring my ‘stuff’ along
- A chance to meet people from all over the world that I would never have otherwise met
- Washroom facilities – imagine running water 30,000 feet in the air!
- A view of the continent that is second to none, sometimes sunsets and sunrises, night views of big cities, patchwork farmland and the view of the mountains from the top!
What if we asked this question when we are feeling a little entitled, a little sorry for ourselves or a little negative?
What do you get for the cost of your hotel room?
What do you get when you go to work?
What do you get in a relationship?
Answering in the positive, digging deeper into what you really experience and focusing on the small, oft-forgotten details is a great way to remind you how good things really are. What if you asked this question around the dinner table? Ya…that would require you to actually sit around the dinner table.
What if you asked it at your next meeting? It’s also a great way to stretch your creativity muscles and maybe even have a chuckle or two!
For me, today I ask myself, “What do I get when I deliver a program.” Yes, I get a pay check and I also get the opportunity to:
- travel
- meet new people
- influence & impact others
- learn from people I may not have otherwise met
- share my gifts
- plan, design and deliver what I love
- develop my craft and improve
- learn about other industries
- experience other speaker’s messages
- miss The Hub
- appreciate being home
Asking a good question, it’s just one more way to live Your Life, Unlimited!
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