A collection of stories, thoughts and good vibes from my back porch

What is "the extra mile" and how does it fit into our daily lives? In short, it's going above and beyond your normal routine, going out of your way to make sure something is not just done right, but a little extra care has been taken, a little extra effort, just that little bit more that shows you care. 

I want to bring attention to Andrew Solis at Caliber Collision in San Antonio (on Loop 410). His boss is Robert Barerra, and he deserves some credit too, for managing a great team and a great employee. I recently had my Jeep busted up with hail damage. I thought for sure it would be totaled - it was pretty bad.

 Before

After

Not only did they fix my Jeep, they came and dropped it off at my work so I didn't have to come pick it up! So, I know they do this all the time, but I have to give accolades to Andrew Solis, the driver/runner. Andrew has a pretty contagious smile. You can tell he loves his work and what he does. He's a good ambassador for his company, and they should be proud to have him. Andrew had to come pick up my Jeep today to fix a minor problem. He came by this morning, and I let him know I needed to be gone by 3 o'clock because I have to be back in Boerne this afternoon. No problem, he said. I'll have it fixed and right back. (I was honestly expecting it to be back at 2:59 or later).  At 11:55 am, ( a little more than 2 hours later) my phone rang. It was the front desk letting me know my car was here. And there was Andrew, big old smile, and telling me he parked it right back where it was this morning. Thank you, Andrew. You made my day.

Andrew

So it's that little extra - the "extra mile" that counts the most. Under promise and over deliver is another way to put it. How many times do we promise something, get it done, and that's it? I'm ashamed to say sometimes that's all I delivered. Not bad service, I kept my promise....just not great, excellent, "extra-mile" service. Do that little extra when you deliver - a thank you card, a small gift, a smile, sometimes that's all it takes to make someone's day. Go out there today and do that extra mile! Make someone's day! 

My back porch is where I like to do my morning thinking, drink my coffee, and write. This morning I am enjoying my view as the sun begins to heat up the day and thinking about people who have changed my life. One in particular comes to mind, because yesterday, he showed me how I could be changing other's lives. We change other people's lives many times without thinking. Sometimes for the good, and sadly, oftentimes for the worst. We do so with our attitudes, our reactions, and our demeanor. Sometimes it's on purpose, and sometimes, it's just how we are, but I think in my elder years I have become more conscious  of my attitude, and my back porch morning routine is to get centered, focused, and decide to live my day on purpose. 

I was challenged one day many years ago, to write down 20 things I am thankful for. Have you ever tried that? The first time I tried, honestly, it was difficult. Our nature makes it easy to think of 20 things that bother us or that we're angry about, but to list 20 things we are thankful for....well, that's not our nature - unless we begin a life of purpose. We have to look for the good, because it's our nature to be wary, irritated, sore, and sometimes offended. To change your nature to look for good is hard for some. It takes practice. It takes doing it on purpose.

Back to my original thought - yesterday I heard a speaker our company brought in to speak to our support staff. Today and the rest of the week he is spending time with our agents. Sean Carpenter's presentation had one part that stood out for me in particular. It was the story of his blog and finding people or services that are blog-worthy. He spoke about being blog-worthy - making extra effort beyond our regular job duties to make our customers' experiences memorable and worthy of a good review - although that's not the reason we provide service like that. It's just about being the best, and delivering above and beyond what our customers and those we serve expect. We do it for ourselves as well as for others. 

He writes about his blog-worthy encounters, and it blesses the people about whom he writes. He makes a difference in their lives and work environment. He raises their spirits, shines the spotlight on their work and attitude, and makes sure they are recognized for their service. He encouraged our support staff to be blog-worthy, but he demonstrated how he does it. And it changed something in me. I love to write, and I am not afraid to give reviews or testimonials when I receive good service. But I am going to take it a step further, and look for blog-worthy people - on-purpose - and write about them. Beyond a testimonial or short review...I want to find good in those I am encountering on a daily basis. And it takes effort...I have to do it on purpose.

So, thank you, Sean. Our short discussion at happy hour last night helped me re-name my blog, as my 20 mile view in the morning is where I start every day thinking about what I choose, who I choose to be, and why I choose to do what I do. My 20 mile view is a long view. It goes beyond my immediate surroundings. When we can see beyond our immediate area, the view gets fantastic. When we can see beyond our space, there is a lot of beauty. I look forward every morning to getting up, just so I can open my bedroom door and look out the window. sit on my porch and enjoy my view. Sometimes I'm lucky to watch the sunrise, sometimes it's cloudy, foggy, or rainy. It's always different. But the one constant is this. From my view, I can decide what my day will be like, and how I can affect others. I think about painting, what I am currently struggling with, and how I need to change. I think about how what I do , what I paint, what I sell, who I meet, and how my work is going to affect those I come in contact with today. I decide each day what my day is going to be like because that's the one thing I can control. And I choose my attitude. I choose to live on-purpose. 

Thank you, Sean. I appreciate your purpose and helping me focus on mine. 

#20MileView