Behind the Button

Have you been validated today?

Do yourself a BIG favor on Thanksgiving -- I guarantee the family, the malls, the traffic, the food and most of all the parking will look very different for this uplifting story by Kurt Kuenne. Click here to watch the short video (it's 15 minutes so please make sure you have time to watch it uninterrupted -- grab a cup of coffee or glass of wine and....smile! Oh and my you look great have you lost weight!?

Thanks to the Go-Giver Blog

and fantastic book for pointing us to this gem!

Giving is Free!

"This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for us." **
A really neat (and inspiring) thing happened yesterday and I'd like to tell you about it. It all started a couple of weeks ago with a 200 button order to honor a young man Julio who is battling cancer. Julio's friend Nicole needed the buttons quickly for a fundraising event, but when it came time to ship the buttons I could not get in touch with Nicole to confirm delivery and we missed the fundraiser date. (Truth was I was a little leery as I agreed to be paid for the buttons after the event) Knowing the way things go I figured the buttons would never be shipped and I would be out that time and money. I was disappointed and frustrated ~ even a bit hurt ~ Oh well chalk it up and move on right.

Well...about week ago I heard back from Nicole with a genuine apology -- her Dad had passed away right before the fundraiser and understandably the buttons were not the priority, she never even went to the fundraiser she helped arrange. I felt bad and since then the 200 buttons have been sitting in a box on my office floor. What to do? what to do?

And then yesterday when as he so often does Seth Godin made me stop and think -- he burned his thumb and in his blog he talked again about how companies are so often focused on the wrong side of the happy equation...

"Think of all the money (frustration) you'll save if you just stop answering (customers) altogether. Think of all the money (fulfillment) you'll make if you just make people (customers) happy."

and that reminded me of my favorite Sethism...
 

OK so stay with me here...later the same day I was reading am amazing book The Go-Giver (go right now and buy this book) and it hit me...hard. What I needed to do was send those buttons to Nicole knowing they would do a whole lot more good for Julio out there than sitting here smugly, righteously on my garage floor. Honest, I had thought about doing this but it took Seth and that book to move me. The Go Giver is all about "giving" and you shall receive. Actually is just about giving, giving big ~ as espoused in the author's guiding principal...

"Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment."

So today I happily shipped those 200 valuable buttons to Nicole (at no charge), for Julio knowing in my heart that those buttons can make a difference and that my mission is to get as many buttons on as many people as possible no matter what it takes or...gives!

Oh and btw this is what Nicole wrote to me after learning I was sending the buttons...** "This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for us. I spoke with Julio's family and he is in the hospital and not doing well at all. They have two weeks to raise $47,000 for new chemo. I know and you know we most likely can not do that." Nicole's right that is formidable task but you never know what people can do or what they can spark when they decide to give!

"I should be gone in a week or so." Brenden Foster

Brenden Foster died on Friday November 21st.
(thanks to Elisa Jaffe KATU News who covered this story so beautifully & helped
me get buttons to Brenden and his family)

Brenden Foster may have passed away by the time you read this. The very fact that the words "I should be gone in a week or so" are those of an eleven year old young man should cut us to the bone and inspire each of us to do something, to do something to end the scourge of cancer. Brenden Foster is dying of leukemia and yet you'd be amazed to hear what is on HIS mind.

It will be very hard to watch this video and not cry ~ so it's OK ~ but Brenden would want that to be the end of the tears. Brenden is spending his last days doing some good for others -- what will we do with our days?