How Neat It Is To Deal with a Classy Person

Nothing could have be worse than to have to take two weekends and apply it toward Continuing Education. But it wasn't.

First, the class was relevant for the world today. The instructor was entertaining and informational.

And second, I got to meet one of the most unique people I've ever met.

Seriously.

Have you ever met someone who just seems to have a nice aura?

The backdrop of where this is going is I'm not the first person most people tend to seek out for a conversation. But as my wife and I settled into the classroom last weekend, a young lady sat at the table in front of us.

Let's say that this lady is striking. Very striking.

During breaks and lunch we would chat with her. But she was the one initiating the conversation. As I noted above, in general, I'm usually the last person someone people look to in creating a conversation. (No, I'm not being negative. But I am working on being more approachable.)

Did I say she was striking? So striking that she for several years was a member of the Cincinnati Bengals cheerleading squad known as the Ben-Gals. Having retired from active duty, she is now one of the coaches of the squad.

Did I mention her professional background is engineering and she is a computer programmer, systems analyst and information systems manager? Not your typical stereotype for a cheerleader.

On the way home from class last week, my wife and I both commented what a genuinely nice person she was. In a single word, classy. So nice that we've exchanged information and will stay in touch. (Frankly no one in the world would believe I have the personal number of a former pro sports cheerleader.)

What makes this so unusual is despite her great looks, her avocational success and her vocational success and savvy, we never once noticed her doing or saying anything rooted in ego.

That was refreshing.

How much better would the world be if more people..... successful people....... the beautiful people......... were as down to earth and simply as nice as she was?

So what does this have to do with the theme of this blog? Everything. Think of how many people we could touch if we had the class and humbleness of this young lady. Whether in a business sense, spreading what we are doing with our financial and spiritual lives or simply creating friends for good times, adding a classy person to your friends list is always an accomplishment.

Screw It

I was scanning the New York Times this morning and came across an advertisement that contained a picture of a corkscrew similar to this one with a headline that said............Screw It.

How many times when trouble has come our way have we looked at it and have given that same reply. Screw It.

Now that was not the intent of the advertisment. It was for something entirely different, but when my eye first saw the corkscrew and the headline together, my first thought was how many times have I worked on a problem only to get frustrated and said........... Screw It!

Screw It for some reason in gives our minds the mental detour that if we give up on the problem it's no longer ours. And sometimes the perception leads us to believe it. For a short period of time. Because in reality it isn't and reality always returns.

I guess that's why I like the corkscrew. For while Screw It if part of the corkscrew equation, the next step is to stop and take the effort to uncork the contents. And those contents generally represent something good.

Maybe that's what we need to do with our problems. Not only just Screw It but stop and take the time to uncork the possibilities the problem presents. Maybe those contents will be just as satisfying as the contents of a fine bottle of wine.

Job Hunting

Over three thousand people turned out at the Columbus Zoo the other day for a job fair. Looking at a picture, there was one thing that stood out. I can't find one example where someone while networking seems to be exchanging personal information. A card, a piece of paper, a handshake....anything.

In the world we live in today, networking is the key to finding opportunity.

Many in that line probably drilled a dry hole with companies they interviewed with.

But how many people in that line might get hired in the future and remembered talking to a really neat person who could fill a role in a company but they have no idea that person was or how to contact them.

Or what if someone in the that line comes up with their own business idea and needs the talent of the person they just spent two hours in line with and have no idea who they are.

Always, always, always exchange information and stay in touch. That chance meeting could turn out to be the opportunity of a lifetime.