Want to distinguish yourself from 98% of the “competition?” Want to distinguish yourself from 90 to 95% of all people and all organizations across the entire world? Want to live a life filled with joy, fulfillment, happiness, love, virtually unlimited opportunities, wonderful colleagues, as well as supportive friends, friends and more friends?
Every day, every hour, every minute, practice Simple, Sincere, Transparent, Inexpensive KINDNESS.
This is just one true story… to make my point. Last Monday, I found myself and my Inspirational Vehicle (my RV) in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Each year during the last week of July, Oshkosh (by gosh!) plays host to flying enthusiasts from around the world by hosting the annual AirVenture Oshkosh Air Show and Convention. The week-long event, billed as “The World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration” attracts more than 10,000 airplanes and over 500,000 pilots, flying enthusiasts, and aircraft industry and related individuals and organizations from around the world.
Long story short, I find myself searching for the best possible spot to locate my Inspirational Vehicle for the next two weeks. I arrived a week early, knowing that the best sites with full hook-up will go fast in this campground that, within a few days, will swell from zero to some 40,000 campers… all of whom have come to enjoy being on-site for the week-long air shows and literally hundreds of related activities.
Luck (where preparation meets opportunity) was with me on last Monday. Through some effort and forethought, I met the head volunteer for the entire campgrounds. There are literally thousands of volunteers serving and staffing (labor of love) many of the activities that will happen previous to and during this huge event.
The head volunteer for the campgrounds is a pilot who is an airport manager in Ohio. His name is Kenny. Kenny takes vacation time each year to volunteer at this event. Kenny is a third generation pilot who started coming to this event when he was a young boy. He has been volunteering for this event, year after year, for over 30 years! He flies for fun and also flies for the forest service and for private charters. Kenny clearly understands one of the basic principles for A Guaranteed, Long-Term, Happy and Successful Journey through Life!
After we talked for a while, Kenny offered to take me on a tour of the entire facility (not just the campgrounds). In his vehicle which is clearly marked as to who he is, he can get through any of the security gates. Kenny took me on an incredible tour… just little old me… as thousands of people were setting up facilities and sites for the show. He showed me where everything will be.
Kenny took me out to the flight line and showed me where all the aircraft will come in, where they will park and why. The planes on display are parked by the category and age of the aircraft. He showed me where the warbirds, the homebuilts, the vintage aircraft, and the ultralights will be. He showed me where the previous grand champion aircraft from previous shows will be displayed. Like a passionate encyclopedia, he rattled off fact after fact after relevant fact.
The most incredible part of this fascinating tour was the continuous, enthusiastic, sincere and impromptu greetings Kenny received as we drove from place to place over this huge facility. Everywhere we went, at each gate we entered or left, along the paths we drove, paid and unpaid staff by the scores as well as people who come to this event every year stopped whatever what they were doing to not only wave and say hello to Kenny, they left whatever they were doing to intercept us at a security gates or on the paths we were driving.
Everybody wanted to say hello and talk to Kenny. It became increasingly obvious that everyone who knows Kenny wants to be around him. They want to talk, exchange stories, be his friend and just enjoy the experience of being around this wonderful man. Over and over again, Kenny was enthusiastically invited to breakfast, lunch or dinner; or to come by for refreshments whenever he could. During this same time, Kenny was continuously providing positive and constructive suggestions, help and information to paid staff, volunteers and anyone else who needed an experienced perspective on some problem, issue or opportunity to make improvements for the benefit of all who attend this unique event.
I as watched this incredible story unfold, I started asking myself:
- “Why do all of these people, from all walks of life want to greet, support, help and be around this man named Kenny?”
- “What in the world has he done to all these people?”
- “Why do they all obviously respect and admire this man?”
- “Does he have a deep, mystic, magical secret or some kind of leverage, authority or control over these people?”
- “Why do they all light up like a Christmas tree and want to be his helpful, supportive friend and colleague?”
My private tour lasted several hours, only because Kenny kept stopping to greet, to help, to support and to encourage anyone and everyone who might benefit from his expertise and experience. By the time the tour was over, and after observing Kenny later in a social setting for several hours in the campground, I had my answer to the questions.
The answer is so obvious, so deceptively simple and yet so very, very rare. My new friend Kenny practices Simple, Sincere, Transparent, Inexpensive KINDNESS. That’s it.
And as a result, no matter the personal and professional issues he will inevitably face, my new friend Kenny is Guaranteed A Long-Term, Happy and Successful Journey through Life!
Practice Simple, Sincere, Transparent, Inexpensive KINDNESS and you will create, write and live the script, the story, the life of your most desired dreams and aspirations. A life filled with joy, fulfillment, happiness, love, virtually unlimited opportunities, wonderful colleagues, as well as supportive friends, friends, and more friends!
