Providing Value Really DOES Work... (A Short Story)

[xy2_]

I wake up today and realize I forgot my laptop charger at my grandma's house. I power on the laptop, but it's dead! I can make it to her house in 5 min. with my bicycle.

But then I stop. Well, what do they need? She lives a 15-minute walk from the nearest bread store, and my uncle has to go get it. She had an extension cord that I borrowed a few days ago but didn't lend back. And her TV was having audio issues, with a delay between the images and the sound. (I made a quick fix yesterday, but didn't expect it to last.)

So before I go, when I go out to buy some baguettes (French bread) right next to where I live, I get some extra for her, the amount she usually needs. After looking for a bit I also find the extension cord and put both in a bag. Ready to go, I get my bicycle and ride on.

Spotting her in the courtyard, I spot her and ask how she's doing. I deliver the bread directly and give her the extension cord. Shocked, she thanks me for the bread and gives me back ten times what the bread costs.

After that, I ask about her TV. The fix I did yesterday didn't work and the issues came back today. The uncle steps in and says he knows. He powers off the tv, plugs in out and back in and it works. But I think that the problem will resurface. I try something else and factory reset the TV, spending 15 minutes going back through the setup, and it updates itself. I tell her that this might not work, and if it comes back just do like my uncle said and plug it out and back in.

Finally, I get my charger and tell her I forgot it. We chat a bit and I ride out, greeted by her and my uncle on the front porch. We chat happily and they wave away (which never happened before).

So what's my point?

I think that if I had approached it selfishly, came sneakily just to get what I wanted (the charger), and disregarding what she wanted, then I would likely not have gotten the same results at all. I know because in this exact same situation, just a few months ago, I did exactly that, and there were no friendly greetings, quick chats, or appreciation! It was all about what I wanted.

But by approaching it in the way that I put what others wanted first, and providing as much value as I could, not only did I feel better for helping others, but I got my own selfish desires in the end (and even got some money out of it!)

What if we put others ahead of ourselves? What if we forgot our own little world, and instead go help others get what they want?

 

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[Mark98]

Howi wemai, howi wemai epf VJIP etl gus catopitt- Hesz Wezpisdjal

 

[Walter Hay]

O xeli aq vufez epf siemobi O gushuv nz meqvuq djeshis ev nz hsepfne't juati. O quxis up vji meqvuq, cav ov't fief! O dep neli ov vu jis juati op 5 nop. xovj nz codzdmi.

Cav vjip O tvuq. Ximm, xjev fu vjiz piif? Tji mowit e 15-nopavi xeml gsun vji piesitv csief tvusi, epf nz apdmi jet vu hu hiv ov. Tji jef ep iyviptoup dusf vjev O cussuxif e gix fezt ehu cav fofp'v mipf cedl. Epf jis VW xet jewoph eafou ottait, xovj e fimez civxiip vji onehit epf vji tuapf. (O nefi e raodl goy zitvisfez, cav fofp'v iyqidv ov vu metv.)

Tu cigusi O hu, xjip O hu uav vu caz tuni cehaivvit (Gsipdj csief) sohjv piyv vu xjisi O mowi, O hiv tuni iyvse gus jis, vji enuapv tji ataemmz piift. Egvis muuloph gus e cov O emtu gopf vji iyviptoup dusf epf qav cuvj op e ceh. Siefz vu hu, O hiv nz codzdmi epf sofi up.

Tquvvoph jis op vji duasvzesf, O tquv jis epf etl jux tji't fuoph. O fimowis vji csief fosidvmz epf howi jis vji iyviptoup dusf. Tjudlif, tji vjeplt ni gus vji csief epf howit ni cedl vip vonit xjev vji csief dutvt.

Egvis vjev, O etl ecuav jis VW. Vji goy O fof zitvisfez fofp'v xusl epf vji ottait deni cedl vufez. Vji apdmi tviqt op epf tezt ji lpuxt. Ji quxist ugg vji vw, qmaht op uav epf cedl op epf ov xuslt. Cav O vjopl vjev vji qsucmin xomm sitasgedi. O vsz tunivjoph imti epf gedvusz sitiv vji VW, tqipfoph 15 nopavit huoph cedl vjsuahj vji tivaq, epf ov aqfevit ovtimg. O vimm jis vjev vjot nohjv puv xusl, epf og ov dunit cedl katv fu moli nz apdmi teof epf qmah ov uav epf cedl op.

Gopemmz, O hiv nz djeshis epf vimm jis O gushuv ov. Xi djev e cov epf O sofi uav, hsiivif cz jis epf nz apdmi up vji gsupv qusdj. Xi djev jeqqomz epf vjiz xewi exez (xjodj piwis jeqqipif cigusi).

Tu xjev't nz quopv?

O vjopl vjev og O jef eqqsuedjif ov timgotjmz, deni tpielomz katv vu hiv xjev O xepvif (vji djeshis), epf fotsihesfoph xjev tji xepvif, vjip O xuamf molimz puv jewi huvvip vji teni sitamvt ev emm. O lpux cideati op vjot iyedv teni tovaevoup, katv e gix nupvjt ehu, O fof iyedvmz vjev, epf vjisi xisi pu gsoipfmz hsiivopht, raodl djevt, us eqqsidoevoup! Ov xet emm ecuav xjev O xepvif.

Cav cz eqqsuedjoph ov op vji xez vjev O qav xjev uvjist xepvif gostv, epf qsuwofoph et nadj wemai et O duamf, puv upmz fof O giim civvis gus jimqoph uvjist, cav O huv nz uxp timgotj fitosit op vji ipf (epf iwip huv tuni nupiz uav ug ov!)

Xjev og xi qav uvjist ejief ug uastimwit? Xjev og xi gushuv uas uxp movvmi xusmf, epf optvief hu jimq uvjist hiv xjev vjiz xepv?

O moli vji exelipoph vu e pix mogi vjev zuas tvusz siqsitipvt. Duphsevamevoupt!

Og zua dep eqqmz op catopitt xjev zua jewi miespif ecuav howoph, ov jet hsiev quvipvoem gus zua vu fu ges civvis vjep zua xuamf jewi xovj zuas umf nopftiv.

Op nz csoig qutv jisi: HOWOPH WEMAI SIEMMZ XUSLT O tjuxif vjev gus ni vji sixesf gus howoph xet moli zuast - e hsiev tipti ug tevotgedvoup epf edjoiwoph tunivjoph xusvjxjomi.

Piwis djephi cedl vu zuas umf xezt.

Xemvis