It was a coincidence. I stopped for lunch at McDonald’s a few days ago. While I was standing in line a gentleman asked about the pen in my pocket. It turns out that he is a pen collector. One of my interests is pens – fountain pens specifically. His name is Jim. We sat down and enjoyed an interesting discussion about pens, watches, sales, communication, and chance meetings over lunch. Both of us were off our normal path. It was a chance meeting in an out of the way location.
Why bring this up? What chance meeting will you have today? Tomorrow? What will it lead to? You never know. My wife and I frequently meet people in the most unlikely places that share similar interests. I don’t think there is anything special we are doing other than showing an interest in the people we meet.
One of the things Jim and I discussed was how even common courtesies are missing in our daily lives. He and I had both spoken to the order takers with a friendly hello and a friendly goodbye. We watched the other people go through the line and didn’t see anybody else do the same. Why is that? It took no more time and just added a personal element to an otherwise routine interaction.
One of my mentors emphasized the distinction between frustration and fascination. He would speak about being in a traffic jam. You can be frustrated with the situation, or you can be fascinated with the various things going on around you.
So what does any of this have to do with productivity? Everything. Since your overall attitude affects everything you do it is important to keep a pleasant approach. Many times your productivity depends on the actions of another person. A little personal interaction can go a long way to helping everyone’s tasks go a bit smoother.
How interesting will your next interaction be? Do you have an interesting chance meeting to share? Go ahead and share it below. Who knows the information in your post may become a chance encounter for a random web surfer.
Have a productive day!
~ Dan
