Revenue Journal®

You may have noticed - I didn't post last Friday, the Friday before Memorial Day. It was the first time I haven't posted since I started this blog in December 2004.

Sometimes deadlines and life conflict.

On Thursday, I got two phone calls. One from a girl calling from a windy location, on a cell phone. "Hi, this is Nicole. I'm here with your brother, Chris....oh, it is so windy, I'm sorry. I..." Click. My land line doesn't have CallerID, so I couldn't call her back. What was the call about? Where was Nicole - and what had happened to make her call, in that way?

Several hours and phone calls later, I learned what had happened. My 45-year-old, very healthy brother had been hiking on Mt. Lemmon near Tucson, on a day when the winds were blowing 60 mph. While descending, he stepped on a rock, was buffeted by the wind, and slipped. He fell 40 feet, slipping down the side of a rocky desert mountain.

The group he was hiking with took great care of him; he was taken by helicopter to the hospital. 10 broken ribs, a broken scapula, a fully collapsed lung, a partially collapsed lung, and a lumbar compression fracture. Needless to say, he was in intensive care for several days. He is mending; he will be mending for months. But, he is alive, and we are grateful for that.

The other phone call came to tell us that my husband's mother, Rae, had passed away. We had seen her just two days before, in Philadelphia, where she lived, because we knew it was time. She was 96. An incredible woman who set an example for us all, simply by being who she was. Grace in action.

I had several articles already started for last Friday's post, but I just couldn't finish them. Every post I write here has some element of passion, driven by a heart-felt desire to make something easier or better. My heart was elsewhere; it was in Tucson, and in Philadelphia (or, rather, somewhere above Philadelphia).

So, my apologies to you all. Now that my brother is mending and we have had a little time to reflect on Rae's life, I am starting to find my footing again. The articles I started can be finished. But first, I wanted to mention something that came to me while thinking about these events.

As important as business is, family is more important. As important as success is, peace is more important. As important as money is, love is more important. I have come to see that all success in business is sweeter, and richer, when we put our families and friends first, when we do everything we can to help others.

And, in these times when the world seems to be smothered in bad news, we still have each other - and our own ability to work together for good. We have the ability to make things happen, to lead others, to give others courage, just by setting an example. My mother-in-law didn't leave the world with any "works," didn't build anything, didn't win any prizes. And yet, she gave us all the gift of a shining example. She never said a bad word about anyone, never complained, never shunned her responsibilities. She just soldiered on, and did things right. She listened, and understood, and smiled, and nodded. That alone was a gift.

I suppose some of you are wondering if I'm going to tie all this to revenue. Well, yes, there are two connections.

One is that your customers, no matter what you offer, will see you as an oasis of pleasantness if you decide to listen, understand, smile and nod. Everyone knows an oasis when they see one, and everyone does what they can to visit those pleasant places, as often as they can.

Two is that no matter how loud the cries of the recession doomsayers, they cannot stop you from turning to the future. They cannot quench your spirit. They cannot keep you from seeing new opportunities, new pathways, new solutions, new ways to help others. They cannot, unless you let them. If you don't let them, they can't hurt you. They can't stop you. They can't even slow you down, if you decide that they don't matter.

Because the truth is, they really don't matter. What matters is the commitment you make to your customer, and your decision to be that oasis of pleasantness - courtesy, truth, service. That's what has always mattered and what will always matter.

No matter what.