“You were in my path”
I receive Steve Gilbert’s “Win Your Day!” emails and they always have a positive impact on me!
*If you are not on Steve Gilbert’s Win Your Day! email list, but would like to be added, email him at winyourday@gmail.com
In one of Steve's emails, he shared: in a movie, one character who is in distress, asks the other character, “Why are you helping me?” and the other character simply replies, “You were in my path”. That phrase really resonated with me and I forwarded the email to a few people that I knew would appreciate the deeper meaning.
Fast forward to over a month from receiving that email, I had an opportunity to assist someone in my path. I was eating in a small restaurant with very little seating and sparked a conversation with the employee working: a young kid who just graduated high school, played sports, was headed off to college, and was just working there for the summer. I intentionally went out of my way to talk with him because we were the only two people in the front of the restaurant and I enjoy meeting new people!
As I sat down to eat there, my seat facing away from the register, the employee approached me after 10 minutes and said their system was down and my credit card payment didn’t go through. He asked if I had cash which I did so it all worked out. If I had gotten my meal to go, I think I would have gotten a free meal that day due to their technology not working! This story further validates this young kid being in my path.
I could overhear a conversation between the employee and two customers who just walked in. This restaurant is similar to a Chipotle where the food is made right in front of you and you pay at the end. He put together the two bowls of food the customers ordered. The total was close to $40. After he said the total, he shared with them that the technology for the register was not working and asked if they had cash or Venmo to pay for the meal. Fortunately, they did have cash and were fine with that payment method. However, as I heard this happen I felt bad for this kid, because I felt like he was putting himself in a difficult situation by waiting until the end of the order to explain the technology problem they were having.
After those people sat down, I quickly got out of my seat and asked him for a to-go container for the rest of my food. As he did that, I whispered, “Hey, I’m not sure if I heard the whole conversation but I suggest telling people about the technology problem you are having with your payment system before taking the order. I don’t want you to get yourself in a tough situation.” He nodded his head and said, “Ok, I will”. I could tell he felt overwhelmed and was trying to do his best. After I returned to my seat, a new person came in to order food. I could hear the employee mention the payment problem with the register before they ordered any food and smiled to myself.
I share this story because I have been in this employee's shoes in so many situations. When I felt overwhelmed, confused, and a ton of pressure to execute despite lacking knowledge and experience. Sometimes people have stepped up and supported me and other times, I had to figure it out on my own. I’m confident he would have put up a sign or made sure to communicate to customers what was going on even if I didn’t say anything. However, I’d like to think the intention behind my words made a small difference in his day.
Keep your eyes and ears ready....you never know when your time will come to step up and ask if someone needs help!
Sending positive vibes,
Dan