90/10

Todd Gordon

This past summer on our trip to Hawaii we visited a unique restaurant in Ko Olina where we experienced phenomenal service from our waiter, Jarrin. From the moment he introduced himself and we saw his engaging smile, we knew we were in good hands.

As Jarrin took our drink orders, I noticed a photo in his waiter notebook. When he returned, I asked him if the photo was of his son. His eyes lit up, and you could tell he was a proud father as he talked about his son, Eli.

Jarrin said he keeps that picture in his notebook to remind himself why he does what he does when the days get hard. He then dropped a golden nugget of personal and leadership philosophy when he said, “If you had a hundred dollars, you wouldn’t hesitate to give away ten dollars, but you wouldn’t have to give away the other ninety. If someone ruins 10 percent of your day, you don’t have to give them the other 90 percent.” Wisdom.

Take a moment to think about how many times we let people have more than 10 percent of the space in our heads. Have you ever given up more than 10 percent of that space to someone you probably shouldn’t have? I have. Let’s join Jarrin in working to make sure people don’t get into our 90 percent.

HOW?

• Keep pictures of who or what inspires you to remind you to keep moving forward.
• Smile and be positive no matter what.
• Share your story. Be proud of your story.

Here’s an additional lesson besides Jarrin’s wonderful analogy. Strike up conversations with those you come in contact with. You never know who you might meet, what you might learn, and how they might inspire you.