Wonderful Wedneday --- Day 8

Day 8

Happiness is having a great day. Or, is it better stated, Happiness is having the outlook of being happy? Happiness, like beauty, is in the eyes and hearts of the beholders.

We are happy ;-).

We met two wonderful women today. One was at our credit union and the other was bringing in carts in a grocery store parking lot. Well, OK, we almost ran into the line of carts she was bringing to the store cart parking area because we were walking forward and not paying as much attention to what was happening since Big Z was looking at the display at the entrance of the store and I was dreamy about the rosemary plants shaped as trees, the Christmas trees, the beauty and color, and the joy in having my son with me--- he carried the hand basket through the entire store to gather our supplies. Wow. He's getting BIG.

The woman at our credit union helped Big Z with his banking. He was depositing his allowance and distributing across his savings accounts, and with one intention. One intention only: to withdraw play money to go buy that Fox Jersey on discount at the bike shop we've been going to. The teller helping us was very kind and patient with us (as they all are when we bring in change, allowance $, gift money, etc. for this ritualistic distribution of cash across accounts).

Since she was so nice, and there was no one in line behind us, we asked if she would do us the favor of being one of our 5. She was. We found out she is a mom of a young boy, 10 months. She looked like she was getting all of her sleep and is beautiful, so we joked about the many, many sleepless nights new moms have with youngsters. She bent forward to hear Big Z's questions, and she was very willing to share her information so we can visit with her again. Her hopes with $2000 is to pay bills, and to pay more bills. This little fella has a great Mommy, we can just tell.

The other young woman collecting carts in the parking lot was a little caught off guard after we joked about almost walking into her pathway to park the line of carts by asking her if she minded if we talked with her for a little bit while walking with her to get more carts. She said it was OK, but still, wondered what we were up to. We hope that by the time we left her, we didn't startle her too much ;-).

This young woman was very conscientious. She said she didn't really spend a lot of money, but that she liked to save. If she had $2000, she would save it, and give some to an NPO (non-profit organization) that she likes, one that's associated with her church. If she had $2000/month, she kindly said that she would save some, maybe only buy groceries, maybe some clothes, but the rest she would give to her family. What a giving heart she has--- The Together We Can Change the World kind of heart.

We didn't realize when we looked at her contact information that we didn't have her phone number . . . We instead have her email and her address. This lets us know that sometimes, even when we think we are paying full attention, there are details that slip by.

We have sent them both emails using a tailored e-card with thank-yous and links to http://www.bigzgivesbig.com/ so they can view the online presentation that shows what MPM is all about, and how they can support causes closest to their hearts, pay of bills, give to those they love, and earn fuel rebates just for doing what they do everyday--- shopping for the necessities of living life.

We went to the bike shop to get Big Z's Fox jersey. Our favorite guy was there and we waved, but he was with a customer. So, we did our business of letting Z buy his shirt, knowing he was a part of our follow-up calls later in the evening. Big Z is so fun to watch when he spends his money. He takes great pride in his purchases, as he's not one to spend it lightly. But, when he knows what he wants and he has the cash in his play account to buy it, he does so with joyfulness.

I remember when I was young and I had my first job, a paper route. Well, my first job was really caring for my Grandmother, who had Parkinson's Disease, and she needed care 'round the clock. But, anyway . . . the paper route gave me my first spending cash, and later, it was my job at the local gas station/sporting goods/video store. What I most remember about having cash was the joy and pride I had when I wore my new school clothes to our local fair. It was different. I felt different knowing I had purchased those clothes instead of my parents. This creates an added admiration for my son when he's spending his cash and he's clearly glad to be doing it.

The Business Partnership Program is really appealing to us. We're talking about who is first on our list to approach. Here is a link to know more about this special program: http://www.businesspartnershipprogram.com.

We thank Linda B. for her efforts to spear-head the program, and for the 25 Official Boot Camp members who are putting it into play. Perhaps even the Alternates are now getting the info. GO, TEAM, GO!

(Readers new to our blog, you may learn more about the Official Campers at http://www.worldchangerrealitybootcamp.com/. All of the information about the Team, the Requirements, and their blogs, including the phone number to our daily motivational and training calls is there for YOU.)

We gave follow-up calls AFTER our Monopoly time yesterday. It was fun. I called while Big Z multi-tasked by watching "How Things are Made" on T.V. and listening to me calling.

We made 7 follow-up calls to our local people and left message for all of them. One of our people, our 8th, gave a call yesterday saying she was having trouble viewing the website, the blog, and just about everything we gave her. She didn't get to open our email as she was having computer issues, but we sent her another email from a different email account with the hopes that she could view the information on her sister's computer.

We created our e-cards for our two Canadian folks we met the other day at the grocery store and sent them. One had an email address that came back as invalid, however, we checked and checked and are sure it's right. We'll try to resend again. It's to an educational institution, so we are wondering if it was blocked since we have admin@bigzgivesbig.com as our email address. We'll try to send it to him from another account.

We gave follow-up calls to our leads. One lead that had come in on the 8th we got on the phone. She said it was a bad time. I thanked her for telling me and asked if there was a better time. She said that, "No there isn't." I asked if she was still looking for information about a home business, and she said, "No. I'm not looking any longer." I thanked her for her time and wished her and her family a happy holiday.

I called another woman and a fellow answered. She was away from the house for another 30 minutes or so. I left my name and info with him so she can contact me, and I will call again in 5 days.

I called our last person, and she answered. She was wonderful to visit with for a few minutes. She had a kind voice, and she had requested information, and she was still wanting to know more. However, her Seattle number rang in Missouri and it was 10 PM! Her address showed she lived in a town called Ozark, and I said that I'd never heard of that town in Washington State! She and her husband have just moved there, something they've wanted to do for a long time, as they have family in Missouri and in Iowa. Her husband's previous employers just sold the business, so, they figured they may as well just move.

She told me she had saved my message and planned on calling me to get together next week when she and her husband flew back to Seattle to put their house on the market. They will be here for a few months. We made plans to talk again when she gets to Seattle, and is settled. We agreed that I would call her on Wednesday if she hadn't called by then. She lands on Sunday night, and I told her to call anytime she felt like she had the time for it.

My call with this very kind woman was the perfect way to end our calls for the day--- on a very friendly note, with the joy that a good bit of visiting will soon take place ;-). We like creating new friends ;-).

Quite a Thursday --- Day 2

Day 2

We have to hand it to the folks that have been at this awhile . . . They're doing GREAT. Our day attests to the challenges of being a World Changer Reality Boot Camper. Kudos to all the participants and alternates!

We agreed with each other that we could get up earlier and out the door earlier, and meet people before school . . . It's on our list ;-).

After Big Z got to school and settled into his group, I took off with my invitation cards and notepad in my pocket. I keep wondering . . . Where to go to talk with the most people in a casual way? Haggens? The Mall? Freddies?

I decided to head to Sunset Square. I'd had a nutrition store that I'd queried a few times about carrying kombucha drinks, so, maybe they have it in stock now . . . I can go see. And, my blender is broken, so, Good Will has been on my list to see what they have.

When I arrived and parked, I found the nutrition store not open yet . . . wow. Sunset Square opens late. So, off to Good Will.

As I walked by the stores, I was surprised to see so many empty store fronts. The new Wrap place is inspiring, considering the one in Fairhaven years' ago just didn't make it. Two people were in prepping food for the day. I walked past a sandwich shop, and in the past, we got a lot of sammies there, and I'd had some conversations with the owners throughout the years. That's a place to stop.

I went to Good Will. I looked around and found it with a lot more people than I thought there would be. As I took note of the customers, I made my way to the section where the small appliances were. There was a nice old, old Sears blender, solid looking and seemingly little used--- good price, too! I took a look at it and found it's as broken as mine: it didn't have the blades to blend a good smoothie with! So, it stayed on the shelf.

I perused the aisles for a bit, deciding if I was nervous or not, or, who I'd talk with or not. Eventually, I thought I'd look for sports jerseys--- something Big Z and one of his friends, especially, are collecting. They DO sell them on our mall, we've been there checking them out ;-).

As I was doing this, I saw a mom and her child in a stroller. She seemed like a nice woman to talk with. But, I passed her by. I later found her again, in the book section. I walked by again. Dang it. I didn't think it would happen, but I WAS getting nervous. Why, I don't know . . . except maybe about striking up conversation.

So, I back I went to another sport rack. That calmed my innards. I chanced a stroll back towards the books and the woman, and found her child unhappy. I paused at the books and eventually went to talk to the child, and got permission from the mom. A book was in front of the little girl, so, I offered to read the story to her. She was glad for some attention, and didn't seem to mind.

However, when it came time to ask for help, to tell about TWCCTW and the Boot Camp and asking the 3 questions, I didn't. I just didn't feel right, and, I got nervous, thinking that by then she'd thought I'd only talked to her kid just to talk with her.

I left and went to check out. Talk with the checker? Nah. I left. I chalked it up to, O.K. Well, so I got scared . . . Next.

I looked at the owner in the sammy shop. He was also prepping. I got up my nerve and went in there. I talked with him about business, how the economy was affecting his shop (he's doing good), about where he gets his supplies, etc., etc. He shops a lot at Costco, usually once per quarter. The rest comes from the local supplier, or what his franchise sends him. I asked him if he shopped online. Nope. Rarely.

I asked if he liked the idea of using an AMEX Gift Card to gain a rebate on almost anything he bought--- Nah, he felt his return wouldn't be worth it--- Costco has one of those, too. I let him know my son has a business where people can shop and get rebates on all their purchases, and that they offer the American Express Gift Card, but he thought he'd talked to someone else about that sort of thing in Ferndale and he wasn't interested.

I asked if he ever gave to charities. Yes. In the past, but it created an issue with his contract with the Franchise, so, he's stopped donating food, etc. The franchise is really strict.

By now, I figured, this isn't the guy to invite. I thanked him for the visit, enjoyed the aromas of his freshly baked bread, and went on my way. The nutrition guy HAD to be open by now.

He was. I walked in and asked about kombucha. Not yet. It slipped through the cracks, and as he spoke about it, he figured that he wouldn't carry much of it since the mark-up wasn't very good with his supplier. And, therefore, he likely wouldn't be able to provide a competition with the other local shops in town on price. It would still be about $3.

The owner proceeded to share a lot of his aggravations about the world, and ultimately, I politely went upon my way, into the beautiful sunshine . . .

Later in the day, I gave a follow-up call to one of my people from yesterday. He hadn't had time to look at it yet, so, he asked to have time to view info over the weekend. We'll talk again on Monday.

A friend came over for a few minutes, and she's one who cannot stand anything that smells like network marketing (her Mom has tried many under the sun to no real success), but she enjoyed listening to how Big Z talked to folks last night. She also liked the story about the Foundation Ginny wants to put into place as seed money for kids with ideas to grow a business that gives back to the world. My friend is passionate about supporting causes that she believes in, so we touched upon the vision of Ginny, and how this is a great part of the company she would like. In spite of that, she still didn't want to peek; instead, it is her sister that is able to do this with balance to decide if it's something that works as an affiliate partner for their business ideas. So, a no is a not right now. She did say that she would shop on BigZ's mall for items she would buy, to support him.

After school, Big Z gathered his notebook and pen, and we headed to a busy spot: The Mall. NOT. There really wasn't much happening at the Mall. It was pretty quiet. I don't go there often, but I've been there a few times at this time of year . . . It reminded me of the times I've got to the Skagit Mall . . . a lot of stores, but a quiet crowd milling about.

We went into the Mall and went into a store. There we talked with two nice women and they gave us time and attention, and were glad to answer our 3 questions. We got their contact information. One is a mother and would like to pay off medical bills, buy gifts for her family, not work as much, and give time and money to charities. The other woman is used to saving, as her parents taught her young to do this. She would also like to go on more mission trips. Both were quite taken aback at the thought of having an extra $2000/month. We are, too!

We went out into the mall and spoke with a man at a kiosk. He was willing to answer our questions. He was a no, not interested in something like that. He's a college graduate, with bills to pay, and working 2 jobs.

We spoke with another Mom at the old toys my son used to ride on as a tot. She was willing and she decided, no, she wouldn't give her information.

We went into Target. As was the case with all the Mall, my son was feasting his eyes upon the goodies . . . and so it was here, too. Video games that he's not gotten yet, but his cousins and friends have them . . . Standing next to us was a nice woman who was picking up one of the games. I asked her if her kids played them a lot? No, they didn't. She was like me, and doing her best to keep them away as long as possible. An Uncle, though, wanted to change that this year. Her daughter is 8.

Since we were there, we asked if she would be willing to visit with us a few more minutes. She was, and she was willing to answer our questions. This woman is in school to be a medical assistant, and she works 2 jobs part-time, each only a few hours. She would like to pay of bills and pay for her college training.

We met up with two other women in Target. I have to say it wasn't pleasant, but we stayed Graceful under Fire. We asked two women to assist us in getting our 5. O.K. They were willing, but the first one looked hesitant. In a short while, I asked if they were mother and daughter.

Major faux pas.

I got blades of steel from the hesitant one, and the other laughed, thinking it was most funny for me to ask such a question. They looked so much alike, and that's why I asked, and it was also because of the way the younger looking of the two stood behind the one I'd offended greatly like I've seen daughter do with their moms on many occasions.

It got worse when the younger friend asked me who was the mother and who was the daughter? I guess you can imagine that the dagger blades from the eyes of the one were pushed further into me as I pointed who I thought was Mom and who I thought was Daughter. I should have just apologized and left them, but instead, I kept asking our questions. The one who laughed was still humored; the one I'd offended was doing all she could do not to strangle me. She'd given me her word to answer her questions, so, she was determined to do it, with or without daggers in her eyes.

I admit that I'm foggy on their answers, except for the last: NO, we will not give you our information.

I thanked them, and I apologized for offending them with my question and said that I really thought they were related. She made a very rude remark and the jovial one added, "We're the same age."

Big Z was oblivious to the nuances of our communication, and he chattered as if nothing had happened as we walked away . . . I finally had to stop him and explain that the one woman was very angry with me, and that I needed a moment to keep collected after my blunder. I followed him to the aisle that had his attention, and did my best to let it go, knowing, that I intended a compliment. I know now to be more careful . . . ;-).

On our way out of the Mall, we decided to head into a shoe store where three guys working there were visiting since the store didn't have customers. The three of them were very kind and didn't seem to mind that we interrupted their conversation. We found out they are college students, and that they would use $2000 mostly to pay for college. Tuition is upwards of $17K per year. One would like to save half of it, pay for college, and also buy a gift for his long-time girlfriend. They are considering marriage, so, he liked the idea of being able to save for the occasion. We got their contact information.

Upon our arrival home, we've followed up with our neighbors. One was unreachable, so left a VM and will call again tomorrow. One hadn't looked at the website, so, we've also rescheduled for tomorrow.

The friend of our neighbor did look at the website. He felt that the business looked too much like a scam, like a pyramid scheme. I asked if he'd known anyone in a pyramid scheme. No. I asked if he was confusing the term with a legitimate industry, known as network marketing or MLM? He said yes, that was it. I asked if he knew anyone in network marketing? No. I asked what it was about network marketing that didn't sit well with him. He responded that it was one of those things where people spend a lot of money and give a lot of attention to, that it's one of those ways people try to make money a lot these days. I explained to him about pyramids, vs. legitamate corporate businesses. He said this wasn't for him, and he couldn't see himself spending any more time with it. I sent him a thank you e-card with 101 Ways to Change the World E-Book for taking time to look at the business, and I invited him to keep track of the progress of the Boot Campers by visiting the Blogs.

An e-card was sent to both of our neighbors, as we didn't get a chance to send one last night.
E-cards were sent to all 6 of our people we met today.

What did we learn today?

We learned that we must have better signals between us when we are talking with people. Big Z was distracted by all there was to see (we rarely go to the Mall, like I said), and, he'd asked me to lead originally. We took turns talking the best we could, but he let me know there were times that he tried to interject, and I didn't see it. He likes handing out his invitation cards. I told him we would get better working together, and we'd give each other better signals. We both were satisfied with our results.

We checked in about having more time for Big Z's business, and less time to play, vs. Mom at a job and us not being together. Big Z chose to have Mom home and working on his business instead of me being at a job. I don't know how many 8 year olds would be out talking to people about business, but my guy wants to. I find his willingness commendable, too. More on that in another post, in his own words.

Big Z's Mom