Gandhi – Encouragement is Personal

“I know this now. Every man gives his life for what he believes. Every woman gives her life for what she believes. Sometimes people believe in little or nothing, and yet they give their lives to that little or nothing. One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it and then it’s gone. But to surrender what you are and to live without belief is more terrible than dying—even more terrible than dying young.” –Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc lived less than twenty years. Yet she fought for her beliefs and made a huge impact on history. She died for her beliefs at an age when many are just beginning their life’s journey.

She knew what she believed in. She knew what it meant to sacrifice for her beliefs. Ask anyone who serves or served in the military, a first responder who runs into a burning building to save others, or a newly formed priest who has answered God’s call. These are just a few examples. Each of them know what it means to sacrifice for their beliefs.

Sometimes our beliefs emerge quietly without our knowledge. We go through life, making seemingly inconsequential decisions about what we will and won’t do. We decide who our friends are, and how much we will let them into our lives. We decide when to listen. We decide how honest we will be with the world around us.

We establish habits for living our life, and we go on our merry way.

Do you know what you believe in? Really? Do you know what you believe to be true? Do you know what is important in your life?

Have you made the quiet time in your life that’s necessary to consider these questions?

What if it turns out that the things you believe in aren’t manifested in the way you live? Are you willing to change your habits? Are you willing to eliminate the things that don’t support your beliefs? Will you support your beliefs in the way you live, and the way you work with others? Are you willing to make your beliefs the centerpiece of your actions in everything you do?

Joan of Arc was right. One life is all we have, and then it’s gone.

Where are you in that one life? Is it too late to examine your beliefs and change the way you live?

The answer is clear But, it won’t become obvious until we make quiet time in our lives to reflect. When we do, we find it’s never too late to examine our beliefs and change our life.

Every day is a new beginning if we choose to make it so. It doesn’t matter what happened in the past. It doesn’t matter who wronged you. It doesn’t matter if you had a terrible childhood. It doesn’t matter if you’ve missed opportunities in the past. It certainly doesn’t matter if you failed in the past.

All that matters is learning what you believe in. Then, deciding what to do with that new knowledge, starting today.

The only question is: Are you willing to find out?

h/t: Matthew Kelly

A customer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption to our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider to our business. He is a part of it. We are not doing him a favour by serving him. He is doing us a favour by giving us the opportunity to do so.

–Mahatma Gandhi

By now, you’ve probably heard the term Net Promoter Score (NPS). It’s a system that focuses on the answer to one simple question:

On a scale of 1-10, where 1 is not likely and 10 is very likely, would you recommend this company/product/service to a friend or colleague?

That’s it. One question that sums up a customer’s entire experience…and also measures their loyalty. A person who responds with a 9 or 10 is a promoter, 7’s and 8’s are passive, and 1-6 is a detractor.

Promoters are not only loyal buyers, but they go out of their way to spread the good news about a company they like.

Passives are just that, passive. Their loyalty is weak…a fair-weather friend. They can be swayed easily to switch to another company if an alternative presents itself.

Detractors will go out of their way to spread bad news about a company. They’ve had a bad experience, and are happy to tell everyone about it.

Thousands of companies monitor their NPS. Perennially high NPS companies include Apple, Starbucks, Nordstrom, USAA, Amazon, and Trader Joe’s. Each invests time, energy, and money to deliver excellence, above all else, to their customers.

Consistent excellence (awesomeness) drives higher NPS.

How much time are you investing in your personal NPS? Are you paying attention to the impact you have on those around you? Are you consistently delivering excellence to those you care about the most?

How would the people you serve (family, friends, co-workers, employees, managers, strangers) answer this question about you:

On a scale of 1-10 where 1 is not likely, and 10 is very likely, would you recommend ______your name here_______ to a friend or colleague?

More importantly, how do you answer this question about yourself?