My friends Paul, Tori, and I went to a a Starbucks to chat and discuss our future employment opportunities. Paul, who had worked very hard in his unpaid internship to secure a position and had asked every single hiring manager in the government for a job, was completely and utterly depressed. He had finished his internship on Wednesday, with his boss saying, "My hands are tied. I can't hire currently."
Being Paul's birthday, and being in the kind of mood I was, I walked up to the counter, and said to the cashier, "I want a Carmel Frappacino, and it's my friend Paul's birthday. Can you give him something...like a discount, or anything?"
The cashier, who was in work mode, immediately brightened and said, "Of course, actually, how about a free cupcake?" Paul looked embarassed, and said he didn't want the cupcake.
I said, "Yes, that's what he wants." I even chose the cupcake for him.
As my drink was being made, my friends and I chatted some more. Paul talked about how he might have to leave his house and move in with some friends because as a mature student, his work funding was going to run out eventally, and then he was going to have trouble paying his bills.
The girl making my drink said, "Hey, I have some leftover from your drink, would your friend like to have the rest?" My friend Paul stood there a little silently, not trying to make a fuss.
I said, "Yes, make him one as well." He got a drink almost the same size as mine. For free.
As we sat down, we joked lightly about starting our own PR agency. I could be the social media guy, Paul could do media relations, and Tori would do all the video and camera work for internal communications clients. Paul's phone rang. He looked perturbed, and walked off to answer the call.
When he came back, he said he had been hired on a short term contract at the government by his boss.
The point of this story is two-fold: one, people want to help those who are down on their luck, and two, working hard never goes unappreciated. Ever.
Our lives are filled with ordinary moments, like waiting in line and talking to cashiers. However, those moments become extraordinary when we ask for what we want, when we ask for something that will help someone else out in life. People are sometimes hesitant to help you, if you're just one person. But if you are asking for some help, to help others in your life, and to create a better world around you in any small way, people will bend over backwards to help.
So, next time you are doing something rudimentary, or routine, ask yourself what you can do to ask more of other people. The one thing that drives people, more than anything, is a meaningful break from monotonous tasks.
Help give other people's lives meaning, and you'll never fail to get what you want.
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