BLOG spot JUST ONE THING! By Julie Cross
You know how you get busy in life dealing with the big things, the important things and then all the not so important stuff that we let in, and then you notice there is ‘that one thing’... it isn’t that important, you can get through the day without it done, but it has been driving you crazy for ages and you wish you would just get it done! Well yesterday my ‘just one thing’ was to fix the clock in the car... it has been 7 minutes slow for four years, so last night I read the damn book, fixed the damn clock and I have got to tell you it was a very big relief! And today my ‘just one thing’ is to clean the inside of the windscreen of the car.... every time I get in it and the sun shines on it I think I MUST do that, it drives me crazy...well today THAT will be out of my head! Perhaps if we got all this little stuff done we would have more space and focus to make the bigger things happen in our lives. Then I got to thinking about this ‘just one thing’. Maybe the just one thing is a personal discipline, just one walk today, just replacing one thing that we love to eat that is unhealthy with something good for us, just one thing. Just one thought that serves me better to think, just one discipline that leads to another. Just washing up your one coffee cup in the staff room and putting that one shopping trolley back, just one thing… it all adds up and creates a momentum that makes a difference. So, then if you take it a step further and bring that into the workplace, and perhaps we replace the ‘thing’ with an interaction, a smile, a moment of service. Just one smile can make a difference 58
Beauty Biz Year 13 Issue 6
to the service you give. Taking a moment to recommend just one service that could solve a problem a client is having, or talk about just one product that can help a client look after their skin at home. Break all interaction down into that ‘just one’. So we can ask ourselves, “What is the one thing I am going to do, say or think today that will make a difference in everybody’s lives that I have contact with today?”. (And of course by default it will make a difference in yours too). Then suddenly that ‘just one thing’ becomes a 100 things and then we have improved by 100% , and all just by starting with one thing. I was going for a walk the other morning and I lost my ING Credit Card, and in these days of tap and go it gives you a moment of concern. I had my phone with me so transferred the money from the account, just one thing. I walked back the way I had come and couldn’t find it. I quickly went back home to make the phone calls to cancel the cards, about a half an hour of time had passed. As I walked into the house the phone rang. I answered, “Hi, this is Julie” The person said, “Hi Julie, this is Leanne from ING!”… I was surprised for a moment and replied, “Leanne, I was just about to ring ING, how did you know that I had lost my card?” To which she replied, “Julie, the person who found your card rang us!” How wonderful is that. Just one person doing just one thing today to make a difference, finding my card, being a good human and taking the time to call ING, maybe even have to wait for a moment or two for a real person to answer the call, and report my card missing… maybe even cutting their walk short to do it. That person did that ‘just one thing’ and
it made a difference in my life. And then ING, that customer service representative, doing her ‘just one thing’ and doing her job well, making the call to me, and sorting me out with a new card well before I even made the call. Another moment recently, I was sitting in a café at a table on my own with my back to the rest of the diners. I was eating something hot and it was making my nose run… I had a couple of sniffles and blew my nose. The next minute I hear a voice from behind me, “Hi, there… would you like to come and sit with us?” It took me a moment before I realised she was talking to me as she got up and walked around to look at me. I then said, “Oh that is OK, I am just sitting here reading, but thank you so much for offering” She then told me that she was concerned I was crying and wanted to make sure I was OK. How wonderful is that? Just one thing, one gesture and what a wonderful moment of kindness it was. And one more thing about ‘Just one thing’... just one thing you do for somebody else can make such a big difference in their lives... whether it is letting them merge into your lane in front of you in busy traffic, pick up something somebody dropped, giving a compliment to a stranger, saying thanks for great service... giving your car park to somebody... small things that we can do every day that can make a big difference in people’s day. So, start with just one thing and then watch it ripple and avalanche into many wonderful moments, experiences and things! Sparkle on!
