honesty and generating positive energy
About three years ago I did some math and found out that I was approaching my 13th year as a Sprint customer. My plan back then was to not make it to 13.
I have no superstitions around the number 13. I have no superstitions other than supernovas. I stay the HELL away from them. Bad luck.
I had decided to leave Sprint about 6 months ago. I had taken over the family finances because my then wife (amicably divorced now) needed some assistance. Her traveling hobby/job was taking up a lot of her time and she couldn't devote the attention to our family finances like she once did. She had done a phenomenal job up to that point. It was time for me to step up.
So I rolled up my sleeves and sifted through the bills. I made a detailed notebook of all our accounts, creditors, interest rates - you name it. Waitaminute.....what?! We're paying $350 a month to Sprint? That's over $4,000 a year! That can't be right!!!
So I made a call. There was no other plan they could offer me to get it down. Grrrrr..... I shopped online with their competitors and saw plans that I wanted to move to but we had four phones on lease payments and my family COULD NOT SURVIVE without unlimited data because they are in denial about their addiction to their smartphones. My cell phone back then was provided by my place of work and I don't use it for Netflix or the like because I have disciplined myself not to. But them? Lost cause.
So, the $350 was just a fact of life. Or was it? Something gnawed at me. One of our leases came due two months later and my wife wanted to get a new phone. "Let's lease it! It is only $35 a month!" No....it is $350 a month. I talked her into paying the lease termination fee of $165 and keeping her year old phone instead of re-upping our commitment. I bit the bullet and did the same with two other phones. That got it down to $270 a month.
I had one more thing to do before I could jump ship. So I made the call. DaQueese took care of me. Like really. I had another son who was heading out on his own, so I was going to save another $30 by dropping him from the plan. However, DaQueese offered to move us to a new plan that would only cost me $80 a month. I didn't ask him to look up anything. He just noticed that since we now owned all our phones, I was eligible to port my plan.
His manager might be upset that he took us from $240 a month to 1/3 that, but if you look at the revenue they would miss by me jumping ship (which I was set to do in the next two months) then they came out way ahead. If DaQueese hadn't have done that I was gone. On top of that, he was kind, thoughtful and a good listener.
I interrupted him after he offered this plan and confirmed I qualified for it. I told him he just saved a customer without knowing it. I asked him if he had read off a note from his computer terminal about me saying I had said I was leaving Sprint which I had said at least three times before while on the phone. I knew they were gouging me but NO ONE ever told me if I paid off my phones I could cut my bill by 2/3. That, in my opinion, is short sighted profit pushing at the expense of a harmonic customer relationship. I will vote with my shoes and my dollars, thank you. I do not promote that kind of under valuing another human being and over valuing the "mighty dollar".
He was modest and kind again and said that he only did it because he believes he is a customer of Sprint first and treats everyone he talks to like he would want to be treated. This led to me asking him what were his two important things - two things, if shared with the world would make the world a better place in his opinion.
I explained my desire to end suffering in the world through my asking this question. He paused and gave it some real thought.
I love it when an automated script gets thrown out the window and a real person shows up, looking deep within themselves for wisdom and authenticity.
Of course, he said HONESTY and GENERATING POSITIVE ENERGY. This is what he was doing with me. I sure hope he continues to do that with everyone in his life because this young man has more wisdom and self awareness than most and is a force for good with that kind of thinking.
When one stands in a world where HONESTY is important then truth comes forth. And as a wise person once said, the truth shall set you free. If you can be straight with yourself about what you're afraid of and what drives you to do what you do, then you can start making choices around that. Until you are HONEST with yourself about yourself, this will never happen.
GENERATING POSITIVE ENERGY was a profound description of what he finds important. He didn't say being "positive" he said GENERATING positive energy. In framing it that way, he acknowledged he is the creator of energy in his and this world and he chooses to create the positive form of this energy. When DaQueese's cup runneth over with positive energy, it fills other cups (like mine). Then my cup runneth over too, leading to a cascading effect that truly touches many people's lives.
So what can you do to fill your cup? I suggest you be HONEST with yourself first and identify what works in your life and what does not work. Make a list. Then, have a conversation with someone important in your life on what you're going to do about what isn't working - what you are up to in the creation of your positive energy.
Make sure to acknowledge yourself for both doing this introspective work and for already doing the things in your life that currently work for you. After that conversation take action. Take action immediately and often.
I would love to hear from you. You can follow the Contact link at the bottom of the page or reach out to me on Instagram at @twoimportantthingsofficial.
What actions have you consciously designed and taken and what came from those actions? Remember, generate positive energy like DaQueese and you get it back multiplied.
As always, remind yourself what your two important things are. Mine can shift as they often should. Right now, I'm focusing on SELF AWARENESS and AUTHENTIC RELATIONSHIPS.
Namaste and all that good stuff.