Emotional

Frustrated.

Ready.

Angry.

Confused.

Inquisitive.

Controlling.

Helpful.

Hurtful.

Crucial.

Poised. 

Disappointed.

Dreaming.

Sick.

Thoughtful.

Reminiscent.

I haven't really been sure what to write lately. Partly because all of the emotions that I've felt in the past two week are listed above. Some may shy away from admitting most of those, but why? Who cares if people know you have some control issues? Or that you are sure what the next step is?

This blog is here for me to share some of the insights that I have learned while working at Chick-fil-A, yesterday I spent a solid 45 minutes listening to songs that I haven't heard in over 15 years. It's hard to find a subject that I have that much time invested in, but I've got one. We listen to music all day at our restaurant. Some of bring it into the kitchen, some of us listen to the music that plays on the speaker in the dining room, but we all listen to it, consciously or subconsciously. 

Music.

Music does things to people. "Makes them feel some type of way." It makes them emotional. In addition to the list above, most songwriters have a knack for taking that emotion and translating it into song, verse, and rhyme. 

It's a gift. When you see it, appreciate it. When you create it, call yourself an artist. 

If you are feeling like you need a lift, search for a song that was in your past and see if it doesn't light your fire or take you down a road you once traveled. The perspective could be life altering. Ok, maybe not that dramatic, but you could get a good laugh. 

This is hard to watch if you don't have a sense of humor. 

Little Miss Pageant

Over the weekend I was asked by my high school drama teacher to come back to school and present a check on behalf of Chick-fil-A to the recipient of a Pageant that our school puts on. Possibly one the coolest things I have done while rocking a Chick-fil-A tie.

During the event I saw things that looked like parallels in my business and I am going to try and make sense out of what I saw. But first, some background:

• I've never seen a pageant live
• I didn't know you won money for scholarships ($7,000+ in one night)
• I was by myself and really got a chance to absorb what I was seeing without distraction

First things first, all but one-won. Failure was ever present. Every girl who got dressed up that evening failed, minus one. And as soon as the winner was crowned, every girl who didn't win immediately ran up to her and gave her a hug. 

In order for you to embrace the same shock value I did, I have to ask, when have you hugged and congratulated a peer on a promotion that you attempted but didn't get? By immediately running up to them with affection?

From where I'm sitting, I've never done that. 

I was back in my high school and all of the memories that come with and my mind drifts back to the time I wanted to be the captain of my high school football team. Yep, didn't get that. And I know I never shook any of my buddy's hands with a congratulations behind it. 

The second thing I heard a lot of was appreciation. My friend who has put this pageant on for 14 straight years has given away over $50,000 in that time. Multiple girls came back just to say thank you because it's his last year. The winner said thank you a million times. The girl who passed her crown on from the previous year said thank you. The judges were thanked, the participants were thanks, the support staff was thanked, the high school students who put on the pageant were thanked. Appreciation ran deep.

The last thing that really left an impression on me was a girl's ability to recall facts and specific information. I used to play football and I studied Sport Management as my formal education. Sports' facts and tidbits are well known to have an industry of their own. I sat down and listened to a girl tell me about when she participated in the event herself and which place she came in. I'm listening to someone recall information from literally years prior like it happened yesterday. The only other place I've seen this is athletics and with guys I've been friends with. The same veracity I spent on sports, these girls spend on their pageant.

I was amazed at what happened this weekend, I never knew that my school had a hand in creating productive citizens who carry themselves with style, poise and grace.

Well done David. 

My favorite employee

I love to work. One of the reason's why I do, is that I might get a chance to help someone else with a goal, dream, or to-do list task that's important to them. 

One of our training videos is the S. Truett Cathy Story. In there Dan, Truett's oldest son says, "We tend to think that life is nothing but a series of wonderful decisions where we have this infinite wisdom and everything goes smoothy and flawlessly forward. but i would share with you that the truth of the matter is that there has been a lot of heartaches and disappointments and traumatic things that have taken place that have been real turning points for the business. Dad..." 

Even though his quote is burned in my memory I have often wondered why the home office left that in there. Of all of the great things we want to remember and know about the Cathy family, why is that there?

I think it's crucial to life. 

Nobody lives at the peaks. Nobody stays in the valleys. You are at times closer to one than the other I'm sure. 

I'm grateful that the leadership of my company says, "Hey, we know you are going to have rough patches. That's ok. We do too."

My favorite employee is the one who can handle the adversity with poise and grace. Smile when failure looks down on them. 

I want to enforce that it's ok to have a bad day, but when you spend more time on the problem than on the solution, beware. 

Focus on what your solutions are and the timeline associated with getting there, not the fact that the last three things you tried failed. 

I almost failed college English

I used to think I couldn't write.

I used to be a struggling student.

I used to be a subpar athlete.

Start. Stop. Continue.

I'm going to take a minute this week and look at the things I did and see which ones I should stop, continue, or an activity that I should start.

I have written.

I know have a personal library.

I am now on two different athletic teams.

Whatever it is that you need to do, do it. Make a change. Try something. Fail forward.

This post brought to you in part by Eric Thomas.