About five minutes from my home there’s a
gas station/convenience store/restaurant. You
know what I’m talking about. An all-in-one place.
Years ago, you pulled into a gas station. An attendant
asked you what you wanted. Then he wiped your windows,
checked your oil and pumped your gas.
After getting your gas you drove off. Afterall, there was
nothing else there for you to buy.
Nowadays, get gas. Pump it yourself. Go inside, use bathroom.
Buy food, water, junk food, pizza, wings, hot peanuts, sandwiches,
cookies, coffee – maybe even some diapers or doo-rags.
It’s brilliant – really. Especially if the people working in the store
are pleasant, attractive and helpful. Not always the case – but
at this particular joint I go to for gas – it IS the case. Working
inside is a sandy brown haired (shoulder-length, I must add)
lady from the Czech Republic.
She’s slways pleasant. Always says hello. Always smiles. Always
thanks you for your business. Always tells you to have a nice day.
AND always makes eye contact.
Pretty basic, I know – yet your average worker in most of these
places does NONE of the above.
Shocked, I was, many years back when a friend and client told me
how he described me to others. “Matt’s the type of guy who looks
you in the eye when he speaks to you. And his eyes are glued to
you until the conversation is over.”
“Doesn’t everybody do that?” I asked. “I’d think of it as basic.”
“Hardly ANYONE does it,” he replied. “That’s why it stands out.”
Hmm.
Three days ago, after pumping my gas – I trekked inside the store
to grab a water. When I got to the counter, I found the Czech Republic
lady busy attending to other details while a cashier-in-training started
to ring my order.
No smile. No hello. No eye contact.
I was beginning to feel a bit disgruntled – but then my favorite cashier
spotted me and immediately took note of what I was wearing, and
made conversation.
“Did you go to the Olympics in Beijing?” she asked, when seeing the
red shirt and cap I had on.
“They haven’t had it yet.”
“Oh, I thought your shirt said 2002 – it’s in 2008,” she said.
“That’s right.”
“Are you going?”
“Don’t think so. It’ll be a mad house. Beijing is one of my favorite cities,
but I don’t think I want to be there during the Olympics. I’ll get a better
view on tee-vee.”
“Wait a minute,” she said. “The Beijing Olympics are in 2008 and they
ALREADY have t-shirts and caps made?”
“Beijing even had them made when they were first announced as the 2008
host – back in 2001, I think.”
“WOW,” she exclaimed. “Now THAT is good marketing.”
I smiled. “Indeed it is.”
Think of this for a moment. Right now we’re two years away from the
Beijing Olympics – yet the Chinese have been mentally celebrating this
event for four or five years. As a result I’ve already bought gold Olympic
coins. I’ve bought caps and shirts and anything else I can find. And I’m
not planning on going.
Yes, it is good marketing. But it’s also good thinking. It’s a good use of
your imagination. Pick a spot in the future and started getting excited
about it NOW. Don’t wait for excitement to come your way. Make it
happen by thinking about what you want in a glorious way.
Bring your imagined future into your present. Ponder the events and circumstances
you want to create. And as you do take time to feel how wonderful it is to BE
THERE NOW.
Many moons ago I remember someone telling me that it was best to have a
“be here now” orientation toward life. I told the man that SOME of the time
it is good to live in the present. Yet, if we were designed to only live in the
present, what would we have a memory for? What would we have a creative
imagination for? The key is balance.
Be THERE Now is just as good as ‘be here now.’ And in terms of creating your
dream life, I’d say it’s MORE important. You don’t create a wonderful future
by only living in the present. In fact, there’s a way to juggle the present and
the future – at the same time – in your visualizations – and this simple shift
in thinking can truly catapult you to greatness.
So get excited about your future. Pick a spot one year from today – or five years –
or ten. And get pumped about it. Doing so will change your life for the better.
Best,
P.S. Claim your seat at my next seminar – coming to you in October – go to
http://www.knockoutmarketing.com and enroll today.
P.P.S. Want to claim a compelling future by being THERE NOW – then read
how to do it at http://www.psycho-cybernetics.com/zrlcourse.html