Patrick's Piano Recital

This morning I was sitting at my computer when an e-mail arrived that really Made My Day A Great One!

Patrick is my talented young piano student, and I have mentioned to Steve several times how hard he is working. I can tell that he has practiced his assigned pieces, and he is really making a lot of progress each week.

The writer of this morning's e-mail message was Patrick's mother. She wanted me to know that Patrick had entertained at their annual holiday party this past Saturday night with an impromptu recital featuring his newly-mastered Christmas music! She went on to tell me that her creative son had seized the opportunity of a rather captive audience by making tickets for the guests who were lucky to be present for his first public performance!

I immediately replied, telling Patrick's mom how proud I am of him! If I had known, I said, we would have asked him to perform for our holiday party, as well!

These are the kind of precious little gifts that are, as they say, priceless!

Thank you to Patrick's mom, for sharing this special news with me and giving me the perfect gift this year.

Merry Christmas, everyone. Remember to make someone's day a GREAT one!

Linda

Overheard in the Produce Aisle......

The other day I was working in one of our stores when one of the Team Members came up to the new Store Team Leader and said, "There's a Customer over here looking for the Store Manager". Most of the time, that means somebody isn't happy, and it's the Team Leader's job to "Fix It". This Team Leader, wiser than his years, knows how to deal with customers. Trevor had been the Team Leader at this store for only a couple of weeks, but he knew just how to handle the situation. As he approached the obviously unhappy shopper, she proceeded to tell him that she had just moved to this area and couldn't find five things in the store that we stocked in her former location. Trevor turned the conversation around to a positive one, stating that he too had noticed that the store was missing some standard items. He jokingly said, "It's a good thing you didn't get here last week. That was my first week, and this store has been without a Team Leader for a few weeks. I noticed, too, that we were out of quite a few things. We've been working on getting everything back in stock again."



As the conversation ended, the customer was smiling, understood the situation and was looking forward to coming back, probably to see if Trevor would make good on his promise! She and the new StoreTeam Leader have "bonded". I am pretty sure that this new customer will be a loyal one, thanks to Trevor's sincere and friendly attitude!


The moral of this story? It's not the situation itself, but how we handle it that really matters!


Trevor really did make both their days- and mine, "Great Ones"!







Steve

Serving Customers Makes ME Smile!

This past week I traveled on business with a colleague and friend. He admitted as we were leaving Atlanta that he had "gotten into a funk" over the past week and was just plain unhappy in general. We know each other pretty well, so over the next few days I just kept on in my normal manner, hoping that a few smiles and laughs would help him climb out of the doldrums. As our conversations carried on during the week it became clear why my buddy had been so stressed out. He had been cooped up in the office for way too long! We’re in the customer service business, and he had missing his customers!

As we worked together over the next couple of days, we both spent a lot of time on the sales floors with our team members. A number of times I happened to notice him striking up conversations with customers. The more he became engaged with the customers the bigger the smile that appeared on his face! Even better was that the customers wore big smiles on their faces, too! They were both making each other’s day Great!

Customer service, isn’t it fun? The better service you provide to your customers, the better you feel personally. All we have to do is figure out how to get everyone in the customer service business to realize that they will feel so much better if they just enjoy doing their job!

Oh, by the way. When we got back to Atlanta my friend was back to his usual, cheery self, even though we had plane delays and didn’t get back until after midnight.

Have a great week, everybody, and don’t forget….The Day IS what you make it, so make YOURS a GREAT one!

Steve

Real Estate in Any Language

As a Realtor, I have the privilege and pleasure of working with people who have come to Atlanta from many countries and cultures. In fact, this opportunity to make friends from so many places and learn about and appreciate their customs, is one of my favorite pieces of the relocation puzzle. The bad part for me, though, is when my clients move back to their home country after their home is sold! As a result of sales this past year, I now have friends in The Netherlands and Columbia, but I have new friends from Pakistan and Ireland!
Even in my Keller Williams office of 100 agents, we are a very diverse group of people from many countries. Countries represented among my colleagues include India, Iran, U.K., Italy, Peru, Argentina, New Zealand, and I’m sure several others that I have missed. I’m from Wisconsin, and of course, my friends give me a hard time about my “accent”. “What accent”?
So, my agent friends and I thought it would be fun and educational to put together a panel discussion featuring the agents in our office who have come to us from other countries. Our first Cultural Awareness Panel Discussion was even better than I had hoped, and we all learned so much about each other! Our primary goal was to learn more so that we could make a better impression when working with international clients, but I think something even more important happened. We began to realize that even though we come from so many places with such different customs, all people need to be listened to and appreciated. We love to feel welcomed and respected. Isn’t it great that a smile is the same in any language?

Linda

The Happy Gene

I am sitting here tonight reading a new book that I purchased this past week and came across an interesting cartoon. It was a picture of what looked to be an unhappy man sitting in the examination chair at his doctor’s office. The doctor was looking at him with his clip board in hand. The caption read "The tests show you have an over active grumpy gene". I had to laugh out loud. It is just the opposite of something one of my daughters said a number of years ago. I can't remember now the entire conversation that we had back then. I just remember we were looking at or talking about someone who didn’t look very happy at the time. That’s when my daughter said without hesitation, “They don't have the Schulte Happy Gene”! I have never forgotten that comment. I don’t know if all happiness is in our genes, but I am sure some of it is. I just look at my three daughters and see very happy girls. They have all had their tough times but always seem to come out smiling. Which reminds me, how often have you seen someone looking kind of sad and not having the best day? A lot of times a warm smile and some kind words will totally change their outlook. So, it works both ways. The day is what you make it, AND what you make it for others. Either way it’s a win- win. When you make someone’s day great, your own will be even better!

Steve
p.s. The title of the book is, Happy for No Reason by Marci Shimoff.

A Day of Grace!

....Camp Grace, that is! Yesterday afternoon a few of my Keller Williams colleagues and I drove up into the foothills of the North Georgia mountains to share some time and treats with young campers from Atlanta. The campers and counselors are enjoying a week of outdoor fun at Camp Grace. Keller Williams Realty and its realtors are very involved partners with Camp Grace, raising funds and helping with projects. The goal of yesterday afternoon's adventure was to furnish and serve afternoon snacks to the campers and staff. In true Keller Williams style, realtors from the KW North Atlanta office, along with family members, loaded up three vehicles with cupcakes, cookies, chips and drinks, and headed north on GA 400- until there was no more GA 400! The Camp Director gave the children a guided golf cart tour of the camp while KW folks set up the snack tables.

After shooting some hoops and hula-hooping some hoops with the KW gang, campers lined up for chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, chips and ice-cold juice.

Many big smiles were seen and thank yous heard. We went to give grace, but as often happens, we got more in return, and of course, we made our day- A Great One!

If you would like to learn more about Camp Grace, and find out how you can get involved in a wonderful ministry, go to http://www.visionatlanta.org/.

Linda

The Happiest People......

We heard a great quote the other day and wanted to share it with all of you!
"The happiest people don't HAVE the best of everything, they MAKE the best of everything".

Isn't that just the best thing you've ever heard? Now we don't have to get up every day and try to get more stuff. We just have to get up every day and do our best to be happy with what we already have! How liberating! There are so many situations in which this philosophy will come in handy. Now, when you're stuck in rush hour traffic, just be happy while you find some relaxing music on the radio or listen to a great audio book. When you're waiting in line at the grocery store, make friends with the people in line with you. Think of all the money we can save making the best of what's already in our closets!

So, make the best of it today! You'll be one of the happiest people around!

This is Makayla, our granddaughter. Like most babies, she knows how to make the best of whatever comes her way each day!

Steve and Linda

Spoiled Rotten Puggies!

It's a rainy Friday evening and the Schultes are all snug as pugs in rugs, enjoying some R & R on the family room sofa. When the puggies see me grab the newspaper and a cup of coffee, they know that I'm going to be sitting still for awhile, so they jump up next to me and settle in for the duration.

Mikey and Misha joined our family via Southeast Pug Rescue and there has not been a dull moment since their arrival last August. Devoted, loving and down-right comedic, these two have decided to make the most of their new lives as SRP's (Spoiled Rotten Puggies).

They are definitely "The Day is What You Make It" subscribers! Misha spent her whole life as a puppy mill mother, but these days she won't even consider sitting on a hardwood floor or going outside in the rain! And, a day better not go by without a walk around Greenmont Circle!

Happiness is a romp in the bed covers or jumping in the back seat for a ride to-- wherever.


If you want to make all your days as good as you can make them, adopt a new best friend from your local shelter. You won't regret it!



Steve, Linda, Mikey and Misha

Can You Make a Great Day for Others?

I have always been The Day is What You Make It guy. I get asked so many times, “How long have you been like this”?
I always think back to a seminar that I attended back in about 1980 or so. This was a great day of great days of great speakers.
Zig Ziglar, Art Linkletter, Dr. Robert Shuller and a guy named Ira Hayes. As Ira was talking, he brought up the question, “How many times have you asked someone how are you doing?”.
When you go on to tell them just how bad a day you had or all things wrong in your life, they really didn’t want that much information.
How often do you hear people respond when asked the same question, “My day is going great” or “It’s the best day of my life”? I came away from that seminar with a totally new attitude.
When people asked me how I was doing, I told them “Great”, and then thought of what was going good in my life that day. They would walk away with a big smile!
I know people llike to hear more good than bad. It was amazing to hear people say, “Thanks for sharing that with me. I wasn’t having all that great a day until I talked with you. I think my day just got better”, they would tell me. I realized that making my day great and sharing it can help others have a great day, too!

So, don’t just make your day great, but share it!

Steve

It's a Dog's Life!

I'm sitting here, laptop in my lap (right where it belongs), feet propped up on the corner of the sofa, watching my two pugs, Misha and Mikey, and their friend Miranda, the cat. All three are sound asleep, after their usual carefree day of eating, following me around the house, trying to trick me into giving them treats, and their favorite, sitting on my lap while I try to read the paper and drink my coffee.
Misha and Mikey came to us this past summer through Southeast Pug Rescue, each from a different foster home, but seemingly the perfect pair who get along so well with each other AND with Miranda!
Misha was rescued from a puppy mill after having raised many litters of puppies. Mikey was literally on his death bed in a shelter when he was saved from the needle by an alert health inspector who knew of the pug rescue group and saved Mikey's life!
Talk about positive attitude! These two little spark plugs are happy and loving their new lives as pampered pugs. They seem to know that they have been given a second chance and are eager to please and show how much they love their new family. Their past bad luck and mistreatment doesn't hamper their sheer delight in living each new day. Misha's tail wags constantly, and Mikey literally tuns circles in excitement when it's time to eat or go for a walk.
We humans can learn a lot from our pets. Yes, we've all run into some bad luck in life, but we need to let it go and not let it impair our present and future.
Next time you're feeling sorry for youself, take a cue from the pet who loves you unconditionally.
Live today in happiness and your day will be a great one!

Linda

The Day Is REALLY What You Make It !

Hi Steve & Linda,
What a neat blog and very positive. I think many of us have had neat experiences and interactions that makes for warm and cozy feelings.... plus of course makes life oh so meaningful. Then too, such experiences really helps shape our personalities and goals in life. I thought I might share this lifetime experience with you --- if you don’t mind taking a few extra minutes to read. It’s really from my heart. I have my very own version of the successful play/movie “Tuesday’s with Morrie” experience. Because of my “ Morrie”, in this lifetime, I am on my third career ( Special Education, Medical Receptionist and now Natural Foods Broker) and all have hopefully helped educate me and be compassionate to those I encounter. I feel this lifetime is for me to be helpful to others. I’ll share this true story with you..... When I was a freshman @ the University of Missouri, I was not the greatest student as I was more interested in my new found freedom, dating and the social life of college. My major was nursing and all nursing students were required to attend summer school during the first year and then take an anatomy course during the summer session. After the first exam which I really had studied for, I realized that college and the academic lifestyle was not for me as I froze on my anatomy first major test and turned in a paper with literally just my name on it. I was very depressed as I really wanted to be a nurse with a BS degree... Not just an RN. I wrote my parents a note telling them that I didn’t think I was college material and if I called, to please not ask any questions but instead, just come and get me. My best friend strongly urged me to go talk to the professor before giving up as she thought a lot of him. I did go see my professor --- Dr. Herb Brown who talked with me for some time. He then suggested that I go back to the lab and retake the test ---just for fun — no pressure for myself and then come back and we’d talk more. I did retake the test, “Dr. Herbie” as I would call him graded my test and --- I had scored an 88/100. He convinced me to keep trying and that he would be available to help me academically or if I wanted to just talk. I did get an “F” on that exam and then on the following tests, I made a D, then a C, then a B. He caught me goofing off instead of studying for the final as I told him I had already failed his course, so why bother. I got such a lecture --- “ that I had not failed his course or any other course until I took the final and that I should get my body home and study!” When my parents came to get me after the finals, they wanted to meet my ‘Dr. Herbie” which they did. After returning home I eagerly awaited getting my post card with my Anatomy grade and when it came, it simply stated --- “Delayed, see you in September”. I really did not plan on returning to college life, but that postcard intrigued me as well as my parents. When I returned to school for the Fall session and met with Dr Herbie, he told me he really didn’t know what kind of a grade to give me so he proposed that I could either retake or audit his course and my only requirement was to retake his 4 exams and the final and then this would be my final grade. I did audit his class and ended up with a grade of “B” which pleased me. From my sophomore year till I graduated, I spent many hours just talking with Dr. Herbie and his family became my surrogate family. His wife Betty and their two children became my adopted home away from home. He really was my mentor--- my first really true professor who cared about his students. His family became a part of my family as we shared so many of life’s milestones together --- our marriage, both of our special anniversaries, children/grandchildren, graduations, etc...plus we took our children to meet and visit with them so they could see and meet some of the people who influenced and help mold me growing up. We have shared so many wonderful experiences together and it wasn’t until about 5 years ago that Dr. Herbie told me that my father, may he rest in peace, spoke to him WEEKLY --- not only during my 4 years @ college, but ---till he died, as they became dear friends and spoke weekly for another ~~ 18 years! December 19, 2007, I received an email from my adopted sister saying that Betty had a seizure during the night, could not talk and was paralyzed on her right side and to pray for her recovery. After daily updates, unfortunately, Betty went into a coma and died December 26, 2007. She was so full of life and active in the community and just weeks prior, had chaired an Arts Fund Drive raising thousands of dollars for the Arts. I could go on an on as how wonderful she was but since Dr. Herbie and Betty was always their for me, we went to Columbia, Mo. to be with him and “the family”. Luckily, my husband of 43 years was also loved and adopted by this wonderful family so as we mourned for Betty, we shared many memories as this special bond which has been going strong for 48 years. Betty had sorta planned her funeral and picked out several quotes such as: “You can shed tears that she is gone or you can smile because she has lived.” What I found most interesting with her selections, is for my father’s tombstone, I had the following engraved “ Forget I died, Remember I lived”...... We both really thought so much alike. So you see, when you speak of doing simple acts of kindness and love for our fellow man, Dr Herbie and Betty are the perfect examples and my heroes. We have both been the givers and receivers all these years and we are so blessed to have shared much of life’s blessings --- and I am sure Betty is with my real parents and looking over us all. And Dr Herbie – although unthinkably difficult to loose his lifelong love to whom he was married for 64+ years-- he keeps on going, is now 85 years old and in fairly decent health. He’s being extra strong these days and still teaching us all how to accept life ........ and death.
The Day Is REALLY What You Make It !
Thanks, Annette