While traveling last month, I found myself in the Smoking Room at the Atlanta Airport (yes, Virginia, I still smoke).  I couldn’t help but overhear the phone conversation of a man seated across the way.  He was obviously under great stress as he called one relative or friend after another begging them to meet him at his destination’s parking lot with $40.00 so he could "get my truck and pick up my kids".  One after another obviously turned him down.  His frustation was palpable.  I finished ny cigarete and gathered up my belongings.  Then something compelled me to reach into my bag and pull out two 20 dollar bills.  I walked over to him, pressed the bills into his hand, mumbled something about "life just should not be that hard", and walked to my gate.  It all happened in an instant and I gave him no time to respond except to see the look of sheer amazement on his face.  Yep, Life should not be that hard.

Now, periodically I reread Jeffrey Gitomer’s "Little Black Book of Connections", and I was surprised to read today on page 135 a similar story about his encounter years ago at the Dallas Airport.  He noticed a guy he had causally met at the Sportswear tradeshow  he had just attended, swearing at an American Express machine that had eaten his card.  He walked over, reintroduced himself and gave the guy $100.00 and his card.  Two days later he got a check for the money.

Turns out hthe guy was the President of his company, needed the service that Jeff’s company then provided and the result?  A few months later he got a contract for $750,000 worth of business!  Now, I don’t think my 20 bucks will harvest that kind of storybook ending, but I do know I felt good about it all that day and every time I think about it since then.  Call it good Karma, helping a stranger in distress, whatever, every little bit helps.

Now, I’m not here to preach, but in this crazy world of today, we need all the Good Karma we can get, and, hey, if by some fluke, it results in a $750,000.00 order, so be it.  Now go out there and get ‘em, Tiger…and read Jeff Gitomer’s book.