Be Passionate – Be Successful
It’s ironic how things sometimes work out – when he stars, moon and safety wire line up.
I finished sending the Jan/Feb issue of D.O.M. magazine to our printer yesterday. My editorial column was titled, “Have Passion!” It discussed the importance of having a passion for what you do. As the day progressed, passion ended up being the recurring theme.
Going back a few days, I had become frustrated with my internet service speed (or lack thereof). I was only getting 2.5 Mbps from my DSL provider, and wanted a faster connection. So I called my local cable company to get information on their high-speed 30 Mbps service. The price was actually lower than my current provider, and I called to set up an appointment. My scheduled installation appointment was yesterday between 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
The service technician called me at 9:00 in the morning. He introduced himself as Billy, and asked if he could come earlier since he had a couple of appointment cancellations because of the cold weather. Billy was here at 10:30 a.m. ready to install my new internet service. I had just finished sending the D.O.M. files to the printer, so the timing was perfect.
Right from the start, Billy had a positive attitude. After walking around the house to see what he needed to do to get me set up, he said he would have to climb up the service pole to install a filter in the cable line since I was only getting internet, not a complete cable package, from them. As he started to go outside in the 5 F weather, I said, “Stay warm.” “At least it’s not -20 out there,” he said with a smile and a positive attitude. He went out to his truck, got out his ladder and safety gear, and climbed up the pole to start his work. I made a cup of coffee and continued to do some work in my warm office while I waited.
A second cup of coffee and 30 minutes later, Billy still hadn’t come inside. I went out to see how it was going. There he was, 15 feet in the air, working on the cable line. “I can’t get the filter connected,” he said. “This is the third filter I have tried. It just won’t thread on! I guess the cold isn’t helping! Hopefully I’ll be finished up here shortly.”
Realizing the trouble he was having, I went inside to get my can of ACF-50. I handed it to him when he came down for a quick warming up break. I suggested he spray a little on the connector in case some corrosion on the line was preventing him from threading the filter on. “Thanks!” he said as he climbed up the ladder yet another time to give it try. A few minutes later, he was done. He climbed down the ladder, handed me the spray can, and said, “Thank you!”
When we went inside, I offered him a cup of coffee. We sat and chatted for a few minutes as he started to warm up. You would think that someone who had just spent nearly an hour in the bitter cold having trouble installing a filter would be in a foul mood. Quite the opposite – Billy was cheerful and had a positive attitude.
I asked him how long he had been doing this. “About a year,” he said. “It’s tough in the winter, but I enjoy the job. I’m from California originally, and got an opportunity to work in San Diego. I start in a month, and am looking forward to the warmer weather.”
It seems that Billy’s passion and positive attitude got him noticed. He didn’t whine and moan about his circumstances – he maintained a positive attitude the whole time. I’m glad he is getting the opportunity to move back to Southern California.
When he left, I got on my computer to test my new high-speed connection. Wow! It was like night and day. Comparing my old 2.4 Mbps connection to the new 30 Mbps connection was like comparing two Vettes – A Chevette and a Corvette.
Later that evening, I decided to watch some Netflix. I logged in to my Netflix account and looked at the “Suggested for you” movies. I don’t know what kind of algorithm Netflix uses to determine these suggestions, but the first one that appeared was “Inside: Chipotle.” The teaser for the documentary said, “Chipotle is a company that broke all the fast food rules, turning a small eatery into an $11 billion, 1,400-store chain. Bloomberg television takes you behind the counter to see how this increasingly popular company keep customers lining up.”
I decided to watch the short documentary. I am glad I did. What is the secret behind Chipotle’s success? It’s about passion. The founder and co-CEO of the company is passionate. His executive team is passionate. Most importantly, they expect passion from all their employees.
So that’s how the stars, moon and safety wire lined up yesterday. It was all about passion!
Thanks for reading, and keep that passion burning!