“Hey,” my friend called me recently, “I owe you a thanks for the solar panels I installed. They’re great.”
Years ago I had seen an ad, did some homework, and opted to install panels. After the fact, I learned that I could earn money through referrals. I told a bunch of people, including this friend, but my efforts yielded not one bite.
“What took so long?” I asked.
Apparently, a year after I had made my pitch he saw an ad, got a quote, and then forwarded it to me for input. “Better than the deal I got,” I wrote back. “Grab it.”
“That’s when I decided,” he said. “I actually wanted you to get the referral, but when I saw you recommended a different company, it just clicked.”
It wasn’t such a heroic act on my part (what was I going to do, lie?). It wasn’t a particularly new idea – people respond to selflessness more than self-interest. Still, it touched me to see his shift. We had discussed the merits of solar a number of times and he could not move; then in one interaction he opened.
I thought about this event a bit. We’re all looking to make shifts in life or (or help others do the same). Healthier eating. Less anxiety. More devotion. Less anger. What allowed my friend’s shift?
Here are three of my takeaways.
a) Eloquence, logic, pushing doesn’t necessarily drive change. Being in the presence of something divine does. In this case, I was a vehicle for that presence. My friend felt truth, generosity, clarity in my actions and it got his attention.
b) I don’t know how to manufacture – on command – the divine showing up in my words and actions. On the other hand, I see that the divine doesn’t have a problem finding its way to my words and actions. That’s true for all of us.
c) We owe it to ourselves and others to invest in learning how to be a channel for the divine.
In honor of the beautiful season of change we find ourselves in, I will be sharing more about each of the three takeaways over the next few weeks. Look for them in your inbox.
Wishing you blessings for a Good, Sweet New Year.
Years ago I had seen an ad, did some homework, and opted to install panels. After the fact, I learned that I could earn money through referrals. I told a bunch of people, including this friend, but my efforts yielded not one bite.
“What took so long?” I asked.
Apparently, a year after I had made my pitch he saw an ad, got a quote, and then forwarded it to me for input. “Better than the deal I got,” I wrote back. “Grab it.”
“That’s when I decided,” he said. “I actually wanted you to get the referral, but when I saw you recommended a different company, it just clicked.”
It wasn’t such a heroic act on my part (what was I going to do, lie?). It wasn’t a particularly new idea – people respond to selflessness more than self-interest. Still, it touched me to see his shift. We had discussed the merits of solar a number of times and he could not move; then in one interaction he opened.
I thought about this event a bit. We’re all looking to make shifts in life or (or help others do the same). Healthier eating. Less anxiety. More devotion. Less anger. What allowed my friend’s shift?
Here are three of my takeaways.
a) Eloquence, logic, pushing doesn’t necessarily drive change. Being in the presence of something divine does. In this case, I was a vehicle for that presence. My friend felt truth, generosity, clarity in my actions and it got his attention.
b) I don’t know how to manufacture – on command – the divine showing up in my words and actions. On the other hand, I see that the divine doesn’t have a problem finding its way to my words and actions. That’s true for all of us.
c) We owe it to ourselves and others to invest in learning how to be a channel for the divine.
In honor of the beautiful season of change we find ourselves in, I will be sharing more about each of the three takeaways over the next few weeks. Look for them in your inbox.
Wishing you blessings for a Good, Sweet New Year.
RSS Feed