I was in the supermarket about two weeks ago, and while checking out, I was overtaken by the energy of the clerk. He was an older gentleman, probably in his mid-60’s, but he possessed such an incredible sense of pride in serving his customers. After you paid, he would embrace your hand, look you in the eyes and in the most genuine and authentic manner say, “I hope all of your dreams become realities today.” It was truly an experience to have this gentleman cross this boundary and care. He made you feel important because of his incredible sense of consciousness with each customer, and when it was my turn to check out, I asked him, “Why do you do, what you do?” His response was simple, yet profound, as he proudly announced, “Because I put my signature on everything I do.”
As I left the store, I wondered to myself, how many of us put our signatures on what we do? This does not only have to do with our careers, but also in our relationships, friendships, hobbies, lifestyle, and ultimately ourselves. The reason that someone would provide their John Hancock for the world to see is because they have an unquantifiable amount of pride in their life. Nothing about this type of pride is arrogant, but rather genuine and authentic because the person is proud of the image that looks back from the mirror every single day. They take ownership of their lives and all of the results which take place. These people awake each morning with a newfound sense of passion, even if their role is simply to check you out at a grocery store. These people do not allow their circumstances to dictate the level of pride that they exhibit throughout the day. These people work diligently to serve anyone who enters their world.
Your signature is something that will follow you, along with your reputation, the little things you do, and the gratification you demonstrate in all of your actions. If there is an area in your life where you hesitate to provide your signature and reveal your identity, then allow this blog post to be your personal wake-up call and to inspire you to begin taking pride in all areas of your life.
If you feel like you are unable to commit 100% of yourself to your relationship, career, lifestyle, or anything else in your world, then I encourage you to be honest with yourself and answer the following question:
Why am I incapable of putting my signature on this area in my life?
Your answer could be alarming because it might force you to realize that you are in the wrong relationship, wrong career, or making wrong choices for your well-being. This may result in break ups or divorce, career changes, or seeking help for whatever is impeding your health. It is important to understand that there is nothing to be ashamed of with this realization, and in all actuality, this newfound sense of consciousness is something to be proud of, when action is taken. I have always been an advocate of an all or nothing mentality, and although this may be slightly extreme for most, I do believe that this will result in your signature being displayed on everything that you do.
Therefore, the next time you go to the grocery store, I encourage you to think about how it would feel to be greeted by a 60 year old man, who takes pride in all of his undertakings, and allows his customers to feel like they are the most important people in his world when simply purchasing some eggs, bread, and a gallon of milk. And once you begin to envision this scenario, have this become who you are in all of your actions, and put your signature on everything you do.
Where do you sign your name with PRIDE in your LIFE?
What does this mean to you? Please leave a comment.
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{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
I walked in this morning and there were some checks on my desk that my financial department left for me to sign. One was for a large sum of money, so I was immediately concerned to who and why it was filled out. I was then relieved that it was written out to me. My point is that you have reminded me that I am putting a signature on who I am and what I’m doing. Your message reminded me of the value I have put on myself as I serve my purpose every day.
Thank You,
Dr. Dave
Thank you for this wonderful tribute and I admire your ability to become conscious in the moment. It is interesting because if we take the time to become aware of this concept, I believe we will begin to VALUE ourselves and serve our purpose in a way that is almost outside of anyone’s imagination…Stay true to you my man and take some time this weekend to RECOGNIZE yourself for all of the signatures you have provided to the world…
As usual Jared… You are speaking the words we need to know and to hold close.
I would live no other way than to be who I am and to stand for that which I feel is proper and right by everyone I deal with.
JL Mealer
Mealer Companies LLC
I admire your ability to always focus on maintaining the WHO YOU ARE and the WHAT YOU STAND FOR regardless of the events in your life. You are an inspiration to me and everyone else in your world. Recognize yourself for all that you do and TAKE PRIDE in your signature!!!
Do not underestimate the effect you have on the world around you. Awsome action giving every individual the love we all so desire. Whatever we give we get in return ten fold. Sharing these messages helps to make the world a better place. Everyone has a choice regardless of enviorment or circumstances. The beauty is that you can start to enjoy this feeling anytime you decide to share your love. RCC
This comment means the world to me Roy. I appreciate your acknowledgements and awareness of the type of impact I am looking to have on millions of lives around the world. I hope you realize how fortunate I feel that you have JOINED BRANDENTITY and have become part of the IDENTITY REVOLUTION because this is an adventure that all of us will experience together as we begin living the life that WE DESERVE!!!!
In keeping with my own philosophy of personal branding and full transparency, I am now going to tell you what I REALLY feel about this: I’m happy that this grocery store clerk takes pride in his all of his undertakings. I wish that everyone could be so pleased about their profession. I make it a point in taking responsibility for my own actions and I feel a genuine passion for what I do in life. But I would never take a stranger’s hand, lock eyes and profess my deepest wishes for them. And being 60 is not only no excuse, it’s not all that old either.
If someone did this to me I would be unnerved. And if one of my employees began this practice I would ask him/her to please refrain from this practice on the basis that it:
1. Slows down the line which is not always appreciated by customers in a hurry.
2. Embracing a woman’s hand and locking eyes could be construed as sexual harassment in some states and leave the business open to legal complications.
3. During this current swine flu season, responsible health precautions would dictate that this is not a safe practice, as flu germs are spread most quickly through direct hand contact.
I’ve gotta think that there are better ways to convey good branding than this. Sorry guys, but I would never return to that store, or if I did I would make sure to stand in another checkout line. But, hey, that’s just me.
This comments section does not allow me to actually leave my signature, but full transparency compels me to disclose my identity in full:
Kay Lorraine
Nonprofit Executive
Honolulu, Hawaii
Kay…I would like to let you know that I appreciate your comments and I find your interpretation rather intriguing because it is completely contrary to my beliefs. The Jared from a few years ago would have had an immediate reaction and inform you that “YOU ARE WRONG,” but as a result of the journey I have taken since the end of 2005, I have learned to appreciate the perspective of others. As a result, I have had the ability to speak to large audiences, while pushing the limits for each attendee, even if there was a chance that they did not agree with me. I have learned to be open to others because life is an ART where the beauty is unique to the beholder.
With all of this being said, you have inspired me to write a blog post about the premise that I have interpreted from your response. Like I mentioned, I completely disagree with with your feedback, but at the same time, I appreciate our different belief systems. This is a profound lesson for all of BRANDENTITY because over the course of our lives there is an extremely good chance that we will encounter far more people who have different perspectives and opinions than ourselves. When this takes place, what is your impulse reaction? Do you adamantly proclaim that the other person is wrong or do you understand that everyone has the right to their own beliefs? The reason I pose these two questions is because there is an incredible amount of STRESS correlated to a knee-jerk reaction. When we allow the opinions of others to impact the quality of our lives, this steals a portion of our authentic self as we begin a power struggle that will NEVER come to an end. Does this mean that we should debate or communicate our thoughts? ABSOLUTELY NOT, but what it does mean is that we must be open to the opinions of others…
In addition, you have also provided me with another topic to discuss about the concept of being AFRAID. Societal pressures have influenced us to think a certain way and with a narrow perspective. In my opinion (and this is only my opinion) this STEALS your identity because the NEWS, ANALYSTS, PARENTS, TEACHERS, PREACHERS, etc. DO NOT have all the answers and instead have their opinions and interpretations of what is going on the world… JUST like all of us…
Thank you Kay and I look forward to your interpretations on my other messages, videos, and audios as we progress…
One should never spit in the eye of kindness.
Kindness is kin to happiness.
Without happiness there is no true pleasure or worthy purpose in anything else.
And THAT’S worth thinking about!
~Kathleen.
Kathleen….I love this because this is the essence of putting your signature on EVERYTHING you do. Thank you for always supporting my mission and for sharing your thoughts because they are powerful beyond measure!
Hi Jared!
The Kay of a few years ago might have said “you’re wrong.” But I, too, like to hear other interpretations and opinions. Thanks for allowing me an opportnity to share my opinion. You are right about the stress part being tied to knee-jerk reactions. If you’ve learned to separate the two, you’re a better man than I am, Gunga Din. I am also in complete agreement about the way some people are continuing to try to use FEAR to drive society. I can’t wait to read your post about that.
Kay
Thank you again Kay and I look forward to your comments as we progress….
Have a wonderful weekend and keep on communicating your opinions and accepting others viewpoints!
JY
Jared:
I have followed with some interest your exchange with Kay Lorraine concerning the 60-year-old male grocery store clerk who, after completing the check-out process would “embrace your hand, look you in the eyes and in the most genuine and authentic manner say, ‘I hope all of your dreams become realities today.’”
This is a perfectly appropriate, if a bit unusual , farewell if it came from the guy who owned the store. He’s entitled to “put his signature on everything” he does, including his workplace. But if this is an employee, his basic obligation, beyond normal cordiality, is to put the STORE’S signature on everything he does at work. If the employer has not established a standard farewell approach with customers (”Would you like assistance with your bags?” “Can someone see you to your car?” “Thanks for shopping at Safeway, today!”), the guy has no business putting his signature or brand on anything. A smile and a sincere, “Thanks,” is all that is necessary. If he wants to put his signature on everything, he should limit that to his personal life or buy the store.
Brad Bate
Brad…I am not going to reiterate the same points I made to Kay about my “old” knee jerk reaction to comments of this nature, but this is also an opinion that does not resonate with me. I suppose that the key distinction is interpretation and if someone where to perceive these random acts of kindness in the wrong manner, than the message behind this story would obviously be misconstrued.
If I was the manager of this supermarket, I would pay close attention to hiring employees who were going to take a proactive stance that would allow for a “culture of kindness” to be created. This would me that I would encourage my employees to make every client feel like the most important person in the world, even if that meant shaking their hand and making a positive comment.
This is another example of “to each his own,” and I appreciate your willingness to share a comment that is congruent with your thought process. This is one of the many steps in the process which I have developed that empowers you to realize what makes you…YOU! We may never see eye to eye on this message, but I want you to know that my blog has an open door policy and I would like to invite you to share your feedback on each post…
Thank you again for sharing your thoughts and have a wonderful weekend!
JY
I think people with a real passion for what they do are definitely not the norm. I do agree with Kay that this guy is a bit of an odd ball but not in a bad way. It’s our oddities that make us interesting and this guy is living proof of this. I’ve certainly never encountered a check out person like him.
I’m English – we’re trained not to be emotional and I do often envy people who give free reign to their emotions! I put my everything into things though because I think it’s only worth doing something if you do it properly:)
Thank you for sharing your thoughts Annabel and I admire your discipline to put your 110% into everything that you do while realizing that it is only worth doing something if you do it properly.
The gentleman at the supermarket might have been extreme based on the standards set by society, but if this is truly the case, then I say SHAME! Shame on all of us for allowing society to manipulate our thoughts and prevent a strong sense of compassion from a stranger. Shame on all of us for allow society to misconstrue passion as an ulterior motive. Shame on all of us for allowing society to persuade us to forfeit our rights to think on our own terms…..
I suppose everyone needed to truly experience this gentleman in order to appreciate the profoundness of his actions, but it is still unsettling that kind gestures from a stranger are not well received because of the “negative impact” on the bottom line cause of the slight bottleneck in the check our process, the thought of sexual abuse, and the fear of spreading diseases.
This man taught all of us an important lesson which states that we must take PRIDE in everything that we do…
Thank you for always supporting and providing such kind remarks Annabel!!!
JY
When I was a young boy , about ten years young, I stayed with my grandparents in Amersfoort for a small vacation. One morning my grandpa took me for a walk, because “… I have something to show you that you definitely must see!”. And after we had walked several blocks, he pointed out a man who most zealously was cleaning the sidewalk, picking the grass and the weeds from between the stones. And we went to him and my grandfather spoke with this man and though they never once used the word ’signature’, that was wat this conversation was all about. This man took pride in his work, an left his signature on the sidewalk for everyone to see, though anonimously. And my grandpa wanted to share this experience with me, wanted me to know that any trade or task, however small or humble, can be performed with all your soul and is worth leaving your signature.
And if you now ask me if this has anything to do with NLP, I say YES, though at that time both my grandfather and I hadn’t the slightest notion of NLP, couldn’t have, because NLP had not yet been invented. Choosing to put your signature on the things you do will program you to take pride in the things you do and will help you to a higher level of self-esteem.
Rob…thank you for sharing this story because it defines the concept of putting your signature on EVERYTHING that you do. The irony of the man who cleaned the sidewalks is that NO ONE would have known if the sidewalk was clean besides for him. We live in a world that would never pay close enough attention to details of this nature, but the man did not care what everyone else thought and instead was only concerned with the amount of effort he displayed for his responsibility. I admire the man and I also admire you and your grandfather for being conscious to these events! Thank you again and WELCOME to BRANDENTITY!
Absolutely. I put my signature everywhere, leave a mark wherever I go. On the internet mostly. As a WAHM most of time is spent on the internet, it’s where I go. And I leave my mark on every forum, review, post, or comment I make. If you were to google my name, my usual username, my website, or my blog name I will be on pages and pages because of leaving my signature.
Since your article also means leaving some sort of wisdom or deeper meaning I will say that leaving my mark leads people to my advocacy for Autism and Autism awareness, and to my work helping moms work from home.
You are truly an inspiration Jean and I admire your mission! Keep on leaving your signature because this will create multiple avenues to build awareness for what you are looking to accomplish…GREAT JOB!
Kindness that is sincere may be found in any place at any time and in any context.
The sincerity pierces through all the supposed constraints of formal behavior, professional attitudes, company policies, and crosses all boundaries. Human recognize sincerity, no matter how jaded they are. They may reject it out of their own negative ego reactions, but they do not deny its existence and truth.