Discover Top Posts Tagged with #nice testimonial

NICE Testimonial: Unexpected Kindness Means a Latte

First off, apologies for the dorky pun. I hope you all are having a wonderful week! Mine has had some bright spots and not so bright spots, but after getting over a cold from the past weekend, I’m thrilled to have use of both my nostrils again. Silver lining.

As I was scouring the web for goodness the other day, I found this blog post by Dion McGill, and educator in Chicago. It is the perfect tale of how a small act of kindness can make a humongous impact on someone.

Originally posted on November 11, 2016:

If you're anything like me, you've been having a rough couple of days. I'll blog more about that later. However, this afternoon, I was reminded how small acts of kindness can go an exceptionally long way.

Today is Veteran's Day, and fortunately, I'm off work today. I'm also a veteran. Unfortunately, I feel like I'm so behind on work that I decided to spend the day playing catch up. So, I started my morning sitting in a Starbucks, with a drink and vigorously deleting emails, and replying to others, and setting dates in my planner. The part of my job that I like the least. I'm such a teacher. Paperwork sucks....teaching young minds...now that's magic, and I never tire doing that.

I told myself that I would without a doubt take some time today to train Jiu Jitsu, which I did in Lincoln Square. Following training, I decided to return to my previous activities, and walked down the street to the local Starbucks. It was at this point, that my day was made.

As I was approaching the door, a pretty young woman was also approaching. I had my headphones in. I'm not much in a mood to engage with people today. The last few days have been stressful...I'm sure you understand. However, I quickened my pace lightly so that I could open the door for her. As I pivoted, pulling the door behind me, I noticed that she was saying something. Human voices are often drowned out by Slipknot blasting at full volume.

I paused my music, smiled, and said "Excuse me?", to which she replied "I said something smells really good!"

"Why yes it does!" and I chuckled, and we entered the establishment. I moved over to an empty table and dropped my bag and coat. I then slowly glided over to the line area. At this point, I was at the end of a line of about 6 people,and the young lady was at the front.

I grabbed a sandwhich from the cold case, and looked up, to see the woman waving me over.

I was a little bewildered, and squeezed past the people up to the woman. I thought maybe I'd dropped something, or someone had grabbed my bag and spirited out the door. I normally am a rather optimistic person, but my spirit was low today.

"I want to treat you today." she said matter of factly.

"There's no need for that" I responded. It was the first thing that came to mind.

"There doesn't have to be a need. I want to. You have a kind smile and face."

Wow. How often do we say that to each other? At that point, I couldn't help but smile more. It was at that moment I think I really noticed her smile, and her eyes, her friendly demeanor and pleasant nature.

I thanked her. I was humbled. I really didn't know what to say. But I immediately noticed how my mood immediately lifted, and how my fake smile was now a real smile. We introduced ourselves. We chit chatted. We eventually came to the conclusion that we both work for nonprofits, and actually may have overlap in our work that may create a perfect occasion to partner together. We exchanged cards. Finally, upon receiving our drinks and my sandwich, we exchanged pleasantries and a hug.

Prior to parting company...I asked if I could take a picture.

"Are we going to take a selfie?"

"Yes...I'm going to put you in my blog."

"Sure...as long as you don't tell a story about this crazy lady in Starbucks."

Absolutely not. It will be very pleasant.

And so we smiled and posed.

This is my new friend Tee. She bought me a grande Green Tea Latte and a Thanksgiving Turkey Panini. She made my day. She lifted my spirits on a day when they were at their murkiest. She reminded me that no matter what challenges we face, there are tons of super good people in this world. She reminded me that relatively small acts can have a huge impact. She gave me a much needed hug.

Thank you Tee. Today was the start of a beautiful friendship.

Tee had no idea just how much Dion needed a compassionate gesture at the time. In a day and age where it seems as if most people avoid small talk by staring at their devices, Tee reached out and made real human contact. Thank goodness for people like Tee! And thank you, Dion, for letting me share your testimonial!

If you have your own NICE Testimonial to share, please submit your story! We’re always looking for examples of how someone’s kindness made your day!

#NICE Testimonial

A Lost Shoe

This week is FLYING by. I have been non-stop busy lately. I don't think I mentioned this here, but I'm going to be one of the presenters at next Thursday's Ignite Philly! Very exciting. I'll be talking about Operation NICE and how it relates to Philadelphia. Well, I still have to write it and develop the slides (thank goodness it's only 5 minutes), but I'm sure it'll be awesome! ;) I actually had a nightmare last night that I was at the event with no presentation. So I furiously worked in Powerpoint as the other speakers were on stage. Stressed much??

Well, I'm sure my stress is nothing compared to Stephanie of The Spotted Monkey, who submitted this testimonial. She certainly has her hands full!

I have three children three years of age and under. Life can get a little harried at times, especially when I am out and about with the kids.On Monday I took the kids to the mall to pick up a few things. My husband works shift, so I was flying solo as he didn't finish work until 4am. The outing was going very smoothly and all had been accomplished. So we headed for the parking lot. Unfortunately, somewhere between the middle of the mall and the parking lot, all three of my kids started crying. The youngest, six months old, is teething and encountered some major discomfort. My two year old son was hungry, and, as so often happens at that age, broke down in tears because his snack was in the van. And my oldest, who is three and a half, became upset because she was not able to have a Nemo ride in the mall due to teething and hunger.

Needless to say, getting through the parking lot and to the van was quite the production. Add several parcels on top of that and my hands were full.We made it to the van and I loaded each of the kids in. When I put my son in his car seat, I noticed he was missing one of his shoes. I didn't know where he lost it and I didn't think the kids and I would be up to going back in and trying to find it. Let alone trying to determine where the shoe was lost.

As I am standing at the van weighing my options, a woman approached. She walked up to me, said hello and handed me my son's shoe, stating 'you may be looking for this'. I was stunned. She saw where my son's shoe had dropped and rather than trying to interject with three screaming kids, she simply followed me all the way out to my van to ensure I got the shoe. She then said, 'don't let these kind of moments overshadow your whole day'.

I thanked her over and over for the shoe and the encouragement. I was so surprised that I did not even ask her her name. But her kindness stayed with me. And that was the best gift of all.

Sounds like that woman must also be a mother. :) She not only helped out by returning the shoe, but she empathized with Stephanie's situation. Sometimes, when in high stress situations, we all just need to hear that things will be alright! It will be, right?! Do you have a NICE:Testimonial that you'd like to share? If so, click here to send me an email!

#NICE Testimonial

NICE Testimonial: Tech Support Hero

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I just got back from a wonderful mini vacation. Some friends of mine and I took a short cruise to the Bahamas! I was joking that it could have been the S.S. Estrogen. :) I swear, I don't think I've ever laughed so much in a four day period! And lounging by the pool with a frosty beverage was just what I needed. Back to reality! Today's testimonial comes from Karen H., who owns a yarn shop in Providence, RI. As someone who has been tempted to throw my own keyboard out my 17th floor window, I can really appreciate this story!

We love our neighborhood and we have such great customers! To keep business running smoothly - we utilize computers - but as we all know they can on occasion "do their own thing!" Such was the case this past Saturday, actually Friday evening as Becky (pictured at right with husband Mark) was closing the shop, the keyboard just stopped working, with an error message the wireless keyboard battery had died. Funny thing, our keyboard is not wireless, all the same not working. Becky was able to close out the day using the computer in our back office, but now we had Saturday coming and who could possibly know what was wrong. I got up early Saturday and started in to the shop to try and figure out the problem and on my way Becky texted me with a note that her husband, Mark, had gotten the keyboard to work! I continued in so I could review the computer and Becky was teaching a class. All was well with the keyboard, but then our cash drawer and receipt printer just didn't work at all. After Becky finished her class, she called Mark to help pack up her monitor (used for the class). Once he arrived we told him about the latest problem and voila - he fixed that as well, but he didn't just fix the problem, he taught us how to fix it as well!!!! Hats off to Mark Brosnan - truly a nice person (and genius to boot). We really appreciate his assistance and taking the time out his day to help and teach us!!! Nothing is more frustrating that when technology is against you, especially when you need it to run your business. Thank goodness Karen had a tech hero handy! And how awesome is it that he taught her how to fix it herself so she can be her own hero! Do you have a NICE:Testimonial that you'd like to share? If so, click here to send me an email!

#NICE Testimonial

NICE Testimonial: McKindness

Hi all! How's your week going? Mine has been AWESOME! I actually won tickets to see the amazing Bon Iver last night. Are you a fan? Such a great show! I am totally wiped today though. I just need to get through a few more hours and then it'll be manis/pedis with a friend tonight! LML! :) I received this story recently from the adorable Hana after she read this testimonial a few weeks ago.

This story reminds me of something that happened to me a LONG time ago (eleven years) but still brings a smile to my face. During the July of 2000, my boyfriend (now husband) and I were taking our very first overseas trip together to the United States (we are from New Zealand). We had spent a couple of weeks with family from Missouri and were spending a week together in Los Angeles before returning home. About 3 days before we were due to return home my husband had his wallet taken - it had both our credit cards, all our cash etc in it and we were left with just a handful of coins I had in my handbag. A frantic and tear-filled call home later we had money wired to a credit union and all we needed to do was get there to pick it up. We were staying in Anaheim and the nearest credit union was about 7km away, so we set off by foot. About half way there we were super-hungry and thirsty as it was a long walk and a really hot day and we stopped at a McDonalds. I think we worked out we had enough money for a cheeseburger each and a drink to share, so we ordered it, and were busily counting out our coins when the man behind us just handed over a few dollar bills and paid for our meal. It can't have cost him more than $5 but it was just the nicest thing. We were so far from home, young and inexperienced, and losing our wallet had really shaken us both. This kind gesture restored our faith in the simple goodness of people, and I love recounting this story to people as it just goes to show that the smallest of gestures on your part (that man has probably long forgotten what he did for us) can have the greatest impact on the recipient. So true! Those little acts can make such a huge difference! And when you take the initiative to spread a little kindness, you might really be saving someone's day. Do you have a NICE:Testimonial that you'd like to share? If so, click here to send me an email!

#NICE Testimonial

NICE Testimonial: Eco-friendly, emphasis on the friendly

It looks like I might not be the only one who wants to try out some gratitude sessions. Quite a few of you "liked" that post over on the Operation NICE Facebook page! Have you tried it? Did it put you in a better mood? Today I am grateful for wrinkle-free shirts and a smooth, traffic-free commute. Oh, and an excellent parking spot in the garage! :) Today's testimonial came from Leonie, who had a great experience with a NICE business, conscious culture and fashion site Ecosalon.

Before Christmas, I entered one of their online competitions and won a beautiful large VivaTerra butterfly pillow. I was in the middle of moving house at the time so I forgot about it for a few weeks till we’d started to settle into our new home. I sent the editor an email to check they had the correct address, and she promised to send me the pillow soon. Last week I received an email from publisher Sara Ost saying that she had attempted to post my big bulky pillow from the US to Australia however the freight was going to be nearly $250! I would have expected her to just send me an apologetic email saying she couldn’t justify the postage cost being way over the value of the pillow, and sorry but our hands are tied, etc etc, however she sent me a paypal cash certificate for the retail value of the pillow – definitely not a token gesture at $160! I have promised to buy something eco friendly in fitting with the whole bent of the site, so am considering putting the money towards installing solar panels on our roof, or buying a set of Green to Grow BPA free bottles for my baby daughter. I just wanted to say thanks so much to Sara and her team for this generous solution to an issue that could just as easily have been shrugged off. Ecosalon is a wonderful fresh read and I enjoy their articles a lot! Their great customer service made Leonie a lifetime reader. And not only that, she wants to tell everyone about Ecosalon, so it's a win win! You know that old saying that if you have a good experience, you'll tell one person, but if you have a bad experience you'll tell ten? Well, I think that if you have a GREAT experience, you'll tell the world! (Or at least the social media world.) Do you have a NICE:Testimonial that you'd like to share? If so, click here to send me an email!

#NICE Testimonial

NICE Testimonial: Trusting a Customer

Thanks to those of you who submitted testimonials for me to share here! I'll tell you guys now, I got some GOOD ONES. In fact, it's probably time I invest in waterproof mascara. I'm always accepting submissions, so please keep that in mind if a story pops into your head. I was talking about NICE Testimonials with my husband yesterday. I asked, "What's the nicest thing someone's done for you?" He actually had three really fantastic stories, and I might force him to write a guest post. :) I told him one of mine. It was the story I shared in this post. And as I told it to him, I couldn't help but cry. Telling that story brings me right back to that moment and how I felt when those people offered their kindness (and their pie) to me. That's how powerful these moments are. So if you think back to some of the nice things others have done for you and it makes you feel just as awesome, do share! :) Here's a story I received from Karen S. of Connecticut.

This happened a couple of months ago but surely worth sharing - I was on my way to work – on E with my gas gauge. Stopped at the little gas station on the right on Albany Avenue, West Hartford. I’m not sure of the name but it is the one that has a small convenience store a few pumps and a small car wash. Anyway – I pumped the gas – went in to pay and my debit card wouldn’t work. I didn’t have any credit cards on my and I had already pumped $20 worth of gas into my car. Totally embarrassed I didn’t know what to do. The man behind the counter pulled a $20 bill out of his pocket and put it in the register and said - don’t worry about it. I put the money in for you. Come back when you can to pay me. I see you work at Saint Joseph College from the parking tag so I know you're good for it. Embarrassed and upset, I left and went to the nearest ATM and got it to work. I returned with $20 cash in hand about 12 minutes later. The kind gentleman replied – “I told you to come back whenever – you didn’t have to rush back." I was so amazed at his kindness, I started to cry and I thanked him profusely. He grabbed my hand and said, "It happens my dear – no big deal. Have a nice day." Needless to say – this gentleman (whom I think owns the station) restored my faith in good people. I will never forget that act of kindness. This makes me think of an old-timey gas station in a black and white movie where the station attendant knows all the customers. Don't you wish businesses were still like that? Well, it seems like some still are! I go to the same bagel shop every weekend, and they only accept cash. Nowadays, who carries cash! So I got stuck there one time with no way to pay. They did the same thing. "We trust you! You can pay us next time!" And I've heard them do the same with other customers as well. Is it possible that they'll lose a few dollars here and there? Maybe. But I'm definitely more likely to frequent a place that treats their customers like friends instead of dollar signs. Don't you think? Do you have a NICE:Testimonial that you'd like to share? If so, click here to send me an email!

#NICE Testimonial

NICE Testimonial: THAT'S Chicago!

Hi guys! I just got back from an amazing trip to Chicago where I attended the HOW Design Conference and also tacked on a little bit of a vacation to the end of it. It was a trip FULL of niceness! First, let me share with you the goodies that I took with me. What do you think?? I ordered up these buttons to hand out while I was there. I still have quite a few left, so I might have to come up with excuse to give some away. :) Okay, back to the testimonial. My travel experience out to Chicago was fantastic. I think I had mentioned this here before, but when I fly, I try to bring a little box of chocolates with me for the flight crew. I read somewhere that they aren't paid very well, and they don't get much appreciation shown to them, despite the fact that they work crazy hours, usually with a smile on their faces. So while boarding the plane, I handed the flight attendants a box of Ferrero Rochers as a thank you. They laughed and thanked me and I went to my seat. Well, before the plane was getting ready to land, one of the flight attendants walked back to my seat and gave me a whole bottle of wine to take with me! Crazy! I couldn't believe it! So we grabbed our bags and hopped the train to downtown. A really sweet young woman sat near us on the train and we had delightful conversation. Then, we walked out onto the street wondering, should we go left or right? Just as we were about to head right, a woman noticed that we must have looked perplexed and she asked, "Do you need help figuring out where you need to go?" When I told her what street we were looking for, she pointed us in the right direction. Left, of course. Thank goodness for her! Then we got to the Hyatt Regency Chicago and were greeted with the nicest lady at check in. She had a huge smile and helped answer every question. I had tweeted to the hotel a bit before my stay, and as a thank you, they upgraded my room to a junior suite and even sent us complimentary popcorn and drinks! Rock on! To be honest, the niceness of my trip continued. I met so many incredible people who were supportive and encouraging. I almost felt guilty for absorbing everyone's kindness. I suppose that means I have to dole out extra to make up for it now. :) My conclusion is that Chicago rocks and is full of good people! Do you have a NICE:Testimonial that you'd like to share? If so, click here to send me an email!

#NICE Testimonial

NICE Testimonial: Trust in Others

I received this email from my friend, Kelly P., yesterday. She was so blown away by the kindness she experienced that she couldn't wait to send me an email! Kelly had a bit of bad luck, but thankfully she ran into the right people who were able to help her out of a sticky situation.

On my way back from taking my teen to the doc, we ran out of gas. Literally, it stopped right in the parking lot of DZ Motorsports in Genoa Ohio. I thought, no big deal, let's go for Plan A: I have relatives and friends nearby who can save me with a full gas can. Nope. No one responded. Plan B: Figured there would be gas at a motors ports place so I asked the guy if I could buy some from him. Well, he did one better.... "Take my truck and gas can, there's a gas station up the road". I was floored at his instant response and asked if he wanted my driver's license or anything. He's like, nah, I have your car :) My teen thought I was jacking someone's truck LOL until I explained what a fine example of NICE this man is. So, we're off to go get gas "down the road" and I realize that I left the house with no cash and no debit card. In a world of PayPal and digital cash, how would this place trust me to pay for gas with an out-of-town check? Well, the kind folks at Genoa Mini Mart accepted my check and I was off! My daughter commented on how it was a situation where she thought she should feel awkward, but didn't. He was that NICE. The only awkward moments came when I was so nervous about it all, that I forgot to get his name. I got his card though, his name is either Robert Streiffert or Sam Black. I just "liked" them on FB and promptly posted thanks on their wall. But if there is a way to nominate these two fine businesses for being NICE, I'd love to share it with the world how their kindness saved my life today. It's only been an hour since this happened and it could have been so much worse for me and my very sick daughter. I would have been stranded there for a while since no one called back until about 5 minutes ago!!! Thank goodness Kelly came across some trusting people! I feel like there are so many skeptics in the world nowadays. And sure, you sort of have to be, right? People are getting ripped off left and right. But despite that, these businesses had faith in Kelly, who is now so grateful that she will probably refer everyone she knows to these two places! See what NICE customer service can get you? ;) Do you have a NICE:Testimonial that you'd like to share? If so, click here to send me an email!

#NICE Testimonial