6 Cheeseburgers an hour!

[Kathy]

There's a new commercial on TV that goes something like this:

"How much do you charge?"

"Six Cheeseburgers an hour."

I grinned when I saw this commercial because I think this way.

When I consider the costs of the things that are important to me, I compare them in my mind with other things...to determine their real value.

For instance, I love to paint. A tube of paint costs between 3 and 8 dollars. In other words, it costs the price of a drive-through fast food combo meal. It costs 20 minutes of my day. (This takes math! Take your hourly wage and divide into increments until it hits the money amount. You can then know you are exchanging XX minutes of your time to buy a tube of paint.)

But let's take it a step further. Let's compare things not measured by money.

How much is a kind word to a tired cashier? It takes less than 15 seconds to say something nice that shows you care.

How much does it cost to let someone go ahead of you in traffic who needs to change lanes? Maybe ten seconds. Maybe less!

How much does it cost to open a door for the wheelchair coming behind you? Seconds.

How much does it cost to notice a tired mom at the grocery store with a fussy baby? A smile, a helpful hand takes a few moments of your busy day.

How much does it cost to call a woman who needs a friend? It might cost you 6 cheeseburgers (or 1 hour of your time.) But the value to her is much more.....Your friendship is priceless!

How about you? Is your time valuable to others?

[Sib2of11]

It may take less than a minute of your time to say a few kind words to a stranger, but it may be the first nice words they have heard all day.

I work as a cashier in a very busy market and make it a point to find something unique to say to each customer instead of the usual "Hi" and "have a nice day". It may be the elderly lady who obviously has just come from the hair salon, or a Mom with a cute baby, or the lady wearing a lovely pin, but they all appreciate the fact that I took the time to make them feel special and it cost me nothing.

I have an endless supply of stickers for the children. Many moms have thanked me for taking the time to make their child feel important. The stickers cost me around $4 a week. The smiles on the faces of the children (and their moms)...priceless. :)

[SouthDakotaSherry]

I like to find a manager in a restaurant when I have a good waiter or waitress and tell them what a fabulous asset they have. The managers are used to complaints but rarely get those kinds of compliments.

Too often people are all about what's in it for them. If I do something nice it can leave me smiling for the rest of the day.

[jasper]

If I call a store or business and the person who answers gives their name , I ALWAYS use it when I speak to them. I find that by listening to them and addressing them by name they are attentive in return. Words and courtesy cost "nothing" but are invaluable!!!

[Mori]

I've always believed that a smile speaks a thousand words & it can be very comforting to others on the recieving end as well. :) When someone is hurting all it takes is a smile & a hug to make them feel so much better. :comfort: I'm very devoted to family & friends who need my help or support in any way. I never expect anything in return & I do whatever I can in any situation. If someone I care about is in the hospital, I am there constantly, tending to their needs & keeping them company. I am usually the peacemaker in my family & I never take sides. Family is everything to me & I would go to great lengths to protect them. The same goes for friends. :grouphug:

[billsmrs]

It may take less than a minute of your time to say a few kind words to a stranger, but it may be the first nice words they have heard all day.

I work as a cashier in a very busy market and make it a point to find something unique to say to each customer instead of the usual "Hi" and "have a nice day". It may be the elderly lady who obviously has just come from the hair salon, or a Mom with a cute baby, or the lady wearing a lovely pin, but they all appreciate the fact that I took the time to make them feel special and it cost me nothing.

I have an endless supply of stickers for the children. Many moms have thanked me for taking the time to make their child feel important. The stickers cost me around $4 a week. The smiles on the faces of the children (and their moms)...priceless. :)


We have suckers that we give to good children after the parents check out. We always let the parent know how appreciative we are that their child is so well behaved. ;) It makes them smile and their child gets the positive reinforcement from someone other than the parent.

We also tell all our employees that small talk is good in our business and it keeps the customers coming back. Sometimes we may be all that elderly person has to talk to and a little compliment here and there or asking about the grandkids goes a long way. Even offering to carry the packages out to the car shows we are willing to go that extra mile to keep them.

Most important of all though is to smile when dealing with the public! No matter what they say or do if you smile it will alot of times make a bad situation into a not so bad situation. Alot of times it turns out they have had a bad day and until someone smiled at them or said a kind word they were on the warpath.

[Doris104]

The customers are very important, but don't forget your co-workers also. Sometimes we get caught up in making the customers happy, and forget about the people that we work with. We all have our bad days and sometimes when we HAVE to make the customers happy, we take it out on the people that we work with every day. I try to make sure that my bad day stays at home where I can talk about it with my family or a good friend, and keep my smile on even for the people that I work with. If I see that one of my fellow employees seems to be upset about something, I try to make them smile and tell them that I have a listening ear if they need to talk.

[clogaholic]

I like to say something nice to cashiers, waitpeople and anyone who has to work with the public. It almost always brings a smile to their face.
I dance with a group that goes to a local nursing home once a month. We dance, pass out cookies and stay to visit a bit. The residents just light up with pleasure when we find something nice to say to them. It gives me so much joy to be able to do that. Some of them never have visitors otherwise. I like to call them by name - they always smile at that.:)

Also, being the one pushing my dd in a wheelcahir - I can tell you that it IS appreciated when someone opens a door or shows a little friendliness. :thumbsup:

[LadyG]

This thread is so sweet. I work with the public also. My prayer before work includesMost of the situtions I handle are not good adrenaline, tempers, and emotions are usually out of control. Once you've been cussed out more times than you can count a kind word really goes a long way. When I go out I'm always saying please, thank you, yes m'am, yes sir to everyone even when they're nasty. You'd be surprised at how a simple thank you can open the door to a change in attitude and conversation.

[Mykhal Jaems]

I work with the public too and at one job was told even if we are having a bad day it's our job to be pleasant and curteous the customers.

One week we had to smile and greet everyone with in 10 feet of us, even if it was a co-worker, that really got us in the habit of smiling and automatically saying hello. Now, 3 years later I'm still doing it at my new job and have met alot of people I wouldn't have normally. There are alot of older customers who come into our store in the morning for the free coffee and a donut, they sit a a table and talk. Eventually they make it over to my side of the store and I've gotten to know a lot of them.

I have gotten in such a habit of greeting everyone that I've actually found myself smiling and saying hello to everyone I meet WHILE I'M SHOPPING!!!

DH is the same way, he's such a people person, and he is always saying things to make people smile. He makes it a point to talk to everyone I work with. He's always joking and teasing someone about something. I know this makes a lot of the days go easier b/c we do have to deal with the public and lets face it, not everyone is nice.

[Marebear517]

I find wherever I am if someone is grouchy....all it takes is a smile, and they can't help but start softening.. Makes me feel really good so, it does double duty

[Sunny]

This is an excellant way to look at life! Thank you for sharing...

[jmble]

This is such a nice thread!
I love your ideas, but sometimes I have a hard time looking at a stranger and talking to them, much less say "hello". I don't know if it is because I am shy or what.

What is a good way to start doing that without feeling uncomfortable and mumbling so they can't even hear you?

[Kathy]

A direct smile, looking right at the person and speak up. It feels awesome to just be nice. I'm sure its extra hard if you are naturally shy but starting with a smile and letting the good feelings settle in your heart...and pretty soon you will be saying nice things too. Surprise yourself!

[LuvMaui]

About 20 years ago I had an elderly Lady come up to me in DMV and tell me how well behaved my children were.

I can't tell you how many times over the years that I remembered that Lady's nice comment. It made both me and my kids feel great!

[JuneBug]

This is such a nice thread!
I love your ideas, but sometimes I have a hard time looking at a stranger and talking to them, much less say "hello". I don't know if it is because I am shy or what.

What is a good way to start doing that without feeling uncomfortable and mumbling so they can't even hear you?

jmble...try starting small...first just try looking the people you encounter in the eye with a pleasant expression on your face....when that feels comfortable, then try actively smiling at them...when you've got that down and feeling natural...try a pleasant response to what they say, or a pre rehearsed phrase..."have a good day" works...pretty soon you'll feel confident enough to improvise! You can do it!! :cheerlead
Hugs, Janice

[shannanigans]

There's a new commercial on TV that goes something like this:

"How much do you charge?"

"Six Cheeseburgers an hour."

I grinned when I saw this commercial because I think this way.

When I consider the costs of the things that are important to me, I compare them in my mind with other things...to determine their real value.

For instance, I love to paint. A tube of paint costs between 3 and 8 dollars. In other words, it costs the price of a drive-through fast food combo meal. It costs 20 minutes of my day. (This takes math! Take your hourly wage and divide into increments until it hits the money amount. You can then know you are exchanging XX minutes of your time to buy a tube of paint.)

But let's take it a step further. Let's compare things not measured by money.

How much is a kind word to a tired cashier? It takes less than 15 seconds to say something nice that shows you care.

How much does it cost to let someone go ahead of you in traffic who needs to change lanes? Maybe ten seconds. Maybe less!

How much does it cost to open a door for the wheelchair coming behind you? Seconds.

How much does it cost to notice a tired mom at the grocery store with a fussy baby? A smile, a helpful hand takes a few moments of your busy day.

How much does it cost to call a woman who needs a friend? It might cost you 6 cheeseburgers (or 1 hour of your time.) But the value to her is much more.....Your friendship is priceless!

How about you? Is your time valuable to others?

this is a very good way to look at things, and help you determine what you really NEED as opposed to what you WANT. I'm def. going to try to impliment this into my daily routine more.

[mrsdampier]

this to me is priceless... i work in a hospital on the oncology/ hospice unit and once in a while, sometimes more often then others, we have volunteers that will bring their dogs in to visit with our patients and these people are outstanding, loving, caring individuals in my eyes!
one of our volunteers is disabled himself and he has 2 little "weiner dogs" (datsons, spelling isnt correct) and these little ladys sit in the basket of his scooter chair and they love the attention and are so docile, its amazing how they can touch the lives our these people who are so sick.

[Daisy Girl]

I've really enjoyed reading this thread. It made me think about a time when a stranger gave me a compliment.

My Mother was driving and I was in the passenger seat. We were on our way to my wedding (26 years ago). A young man about my age in a convertable pulled up next to me. I looked over and our eyes met. He motioned for me to roll down my window. Idid and he told me that I looked beautiful. Well, that obviously made an impact because I remember it 26 years later!

A kind word can mean so much!

[nenna2000]

I agree, any small kindness is appreciated. I have worked at a job where almost all I heard were negatives. That made it really hard to go home with a good attitude. Whenever I actually heard something positive, I was truly grateful to hear it. It's so easy to be negative, but we all need to make the effort to stay positive, even when we're complaining.

[kissiekittie]

You all are so inspiring. I try to give a little extra, to anyone I come across. Not many people are use to that now a days.

[newscat]

I'd like to say that whenever you help someone in a wheelchair or pushing someone with a wheelchair it is very much appreciated. And for those of you who talk to me or my mother, and don't talk down to her, thank you.

[celtictigeress]

My mother had Alzheimer's. The day I took her to be cared for in a nursing home a worker at a bank made fun of her because she was acting strangely. This woman didn't think I heard the comment but I did, and it broke my heart. There I was taking the mother I was losing to dementia to a home because I couldn't care for her anymore and this terrible woman ridiculed her. The only good thing to come out of that experience is my determination never to make any person feel like I did that day. I do my best to say "please" and "thank you" when appropriate and to be helpful, and to give people who might be a little different some dignity. I also try to remember that I don't know what someone is going through so I can't judge him or her by some one-size-fits-all standard. (The only time that's really tough is when I'm driving...grr!) Anyone who knows my posts from other sites knows that I gripe and grumble a lot, but I rarely let anyone out in the world know how upset I am despite all my grouchy talk. It isn't easy but I think I'm a better person because of it.

[Dianezz]

I hade a carreer with young children...i later taught special needs children.I have volunteered with the ill and aged for several years as I am unable to work due to a disability. My Mom has alzheimers and now I spend my extra time with her. I also have aan 18yr old son has special needs( is coping fairly decent withallthe help we have gotten for him.) I dont really even see/hear the ignorant activity that goes on anymore around us.But there were many years that it was very hurtful. I have advocated for our son, and myself and others.I am ignorant in many areas too, I hope that it is a caring person that notices if I stumble and may educate me if appropriate.
I cannot honestly say that i always help others so that i feel good...it is for a different reason. I suffer deppression and fatigue and pain. However, If i can lesson someone elses suffering or give them help or brighten their day, I see it as a need and I am blessed if am well enough to help. Very blessed.IT is a way to celebrate life, no matter how I am feeling or how my day is going.I jsut do the best i can. And i think that you ladies have a wonderful thread going and your communities where you each live are lucky to have you.

[sadlite]

God for what ever reason granted me a child who was classified as special ed. I went through many years of IEP, battling the school system etc. I alway felt a little bad like I wasn;t smart enough to have a bright child. Last year she got a award at school. This year she is no longer in Special Ed and made Honor Roll.My answer to all this.. I just prayed and never gave up on her and she had a power within her to overcome her difficulties, that not everyone has. I am a stronger person and she inspires me

[rosie28681]

I have gotten in such a habit of greeting everyone that I've actually found myself smiling and saying hello to everyone I meet WHILE I'M SHOPPING!!!

You sound just like me. I don't work in the public at the moment but I did for years and it really pays to go out of your way to be nice. I worked in a convience store for a couple of years and loved my customers. I still go in there to hang out with the manager and just see the customers I miss so much.

I had customers bring me Christmas presents when I worked there. I would have been nice without the gifts but by being nice to them and allowing them to stand around and talk I showed them that I cared what was going on. And they reaffirmed to me that it does make a difference to say a kind word to someone.

I still say hello to almost everyone I pass by wherever I am.

[rosie28681]

I work as a sewing inspector in a furniture factory. I have to check the sewers work and take it back to have her fx what is wrong with it. This could make for a very negative day seeings how it is my job to tell her see messe up....lol.

I get around this several ways...1) I tell all of my sewers good morning before I even start work. 2)I talk with them on our breaks and try to remember things that are going on in their lives and ask them about stuff important to them later on and 3) when they have done something exceptionally well, esp if it is something that most of them have trouble with, I go right then and tell them how good it looked.

They always appreciate this and yes, there are always going to be some who are snotty no matter what but for the most part this makes their day and my day much better.

[kaceyleann]

When I go shopping my 3 year old daughter likes to say "hi" to people. It really upsets me when they can't even bother to say it back. She is so sweet & innocent. Come on people she gets her little feeling hurt sometimes too. One day she says they didn't say Hi to me.

I always try to be pleasant to others but sometimes it's not so easy.

[LuvMaui]

When I go shopping my 3 year old daughter likes to say "hi" to people. It really upsets me when they can't even bother to say it back. She is so sweet & innocent. Come on people she gets her little feeling hurt sometimes too. One day she says they didn't say Hi to me.

I always try to be pleasant to others but sometimes it's not so easy.

How sweet that she says Hi to everyone. I just couldn't imagine not waving and saying hi back to a 3 year old ;)

[Dianezz]

I always try to be pleasant to others but sometimes it's not so easy.

One tip that might help, is not making any judgments on other people. ALso consider all people deserving of kindness no matter if you agree with the behavior that you see. Not only will you not be judging, but you do not know their story...I can think of times where I have been almost a Zombie in public due to fighting physical and emotional pain. I kow I have been overwhelemd when in public with my Ill Mom or my ill son and things were rougher than planned. I havent a clue what others are going thru or how their minds work, but I know we are all children of God. Use what gifts you have and do your personal best in the areas you are gifted.So many of us have the gift to be kind and giving to others.Your daughter probably learned to be so sweet from you!

[ReliefSeeker]

This makes me realize I have been way too wrapped up in my work! I've just been totally stressed and somewhat emotionally unavailable for my family. And for what? A few cheeseburgers???

lol

thanks