A bellman made my day recently. After checking into an Atlanta hotel, Sam (his name was on his badge) picked up my two bags, gave a big smile, and said, “Isn’t it a gorgeous day today?” I nodded and said, “Sure is.”
He then said, “I just spent the entire weekend with my two grandkids, and I can’t remember when I’ve had more fun. Aren’t kids great?” I nodded again, and said, “They are special,” and then I added, “Sam, it seems like you’re having a great day.” He then looked up with a grin I’ll never forget and said, “Mr. Anderson, every day above ground is a great day!”
I walked into my room feeling recharged by Sam’s enthusiasm. It was obvious that he had chosen to live life to the fullest, and given the opportunity to touch someone’s life in a positive way, my bet is that he took it, every time.
Every day we all have that same opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of others. We can choose to mope about our lot in life, or we can decide to live in awe, touching hearts along the way.
Ah, yes…we all know ducks who make lots of noise, quacking and complaining about their problems in life. And then there are eagles who go about their business and consistently soar above the crowd. Thanks, Sam, for soaring into my life.
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
I love simple stories like this one. You never know how someone is going to touch your life. Lots of times we are looking for Huge miracles, but to me it is the little ones that count the most!!
Great story, thanks for sharing.
I feel that Sam is right that everyone should cherish the time they have on this earth. Also you cant go through life moping around as said in the blog i absoloutly agree with the blog.
This blog makes people have a new outlook on everyday life. Sam, the bellman, chose to live his life with a positive view of life. Rather than thinking of the negatives, Sam takes the beauty of life, and helps spread it. He is very inspirational, and makes me want to live my life to the fullest.
i think this a very good blog because it shows that we need to not just complain about living but we actually need to live. we also have a great calling on our lives to love like jesus loved but sometimes we choose not to. LIVE YOUR LIFE TO THE FULLEST!!
this encourages me to live life like everyday is my last and to appreciate the things i have. i really liked this a lot it makes me feel i that i shouldnt complain soo much and i should be excited about life
everyone needs a lift from time to time and everyone is guilty of complaining. sometimes it can be good by showing you what you need to work on because if you find yourself complaining about one thing often than you need to work on that. only when you spend your time complaining about what could be then you will never really live life; only an imagined life you yourself will never reach. the less you complain the greater you will be.
A very good friend of mine sent me your inspirational email to view – that brought me to your site.
I am inspired to find someone who has taken action to bring these messages to light. I live by inspiration, passion and the desire to lead, no only in title, but in quality of life. I have a favorite quote which has evolved from “Failure is not an option” to “Success is more than a moment of achievement, Success is something you live”.
I have ventured out past my self-made boundaries to change my entire life path. Please continue to provide inspiring messages that attract the like minded. We need more to norish our desire to chose to live life to the fullest!
Thank you so much for your inspirational comments. Sam is so right and this really touched me. Our 36 year old daughter died two years ago leaving two precious children. We set aside every weekend just for them now. What a blessing!! People say to us “you seem to be handling your loss well”. They don’t understand the hurt we feel all the time but why “quack” it doesn’t change anything. We just smile and tell something funny these sweet babies did to make us laugh. Thank you again, Dee
Its easy to see Sam found the ‘Simple Truths of Johnny’. It doesn’t have to be big stuff, just the simple act of holding a door for someone or giving a warm greeting is a great first step. It doesn’t cost anything and I find it picks me up too. Any time I’m down, tired, or overwhelmed, I have found the quickest way to change it is to do something nice for someone else. Win – Win. Don’t you love it? I do.
How true, I live with my motherinlaw who sees the world around as negative. How dark and sad is her world, if she would only decide to look outside of herself and make a positive difference in someone elses life. Happier would be her life and everyone she touches.
I have notice that when I am passionate, I am one with purpose and being true to self.
My brother died a few years ago of cancer. Within 2 weeks of diagnosis, he was in a coma and basically passed away within 24 hours. Think about how quickly that happened. Every day is important, don’t take your life for granted. I had a co-worker at the time that said “Every day I wake up and open my eyes is a good day.” That’s the model for me now. Thanks for this story.
The key for me is surrounding myself with positive people. I find that no matter how negative I am starting to feel about life, they find a bright light either in the effort I am putting forth or in life in general. My favorite people to hang out with? Kids! They have the best perspective. When things seem scary, overwhelming, or negative, they ask questions. The answers don’t need to be complex, but enough to set their minds at ease and move on. I try to ask why 5 times and find the root cause of the issues most upsetting to me. If the trigger is something I can control, I change it. If it’s something that I can’t, I let it go. This helps me to maintain perspective.
As an accountant, I am seeing some interesting financial challenges for some of my business clients, particularly in Real Estate and Construction. One of my construction clients who was previously very active and is now in a “holding” pattern was talking about the recent developments in the housing market and said “the good news is that 97% of mortgages are NOT in default” and it was a reminder to me that the attitude we have is the attitude we CHOOSE to have. See the glass half full!