We don’t always recognize the importance of moments. Do you remember the details of the meeting you went to last week? What about the one you went to this morning? Our lives are filled with activities that are less than memorable. Other than the occasional accident we might see on the highway, most of our commutes are a complete blur. And as far as work goes, for most people it is same s#it – different day.
Some larger companies create moments for their employees by hiring headliner entertainers for private concerts. Cruises and trips to the Caribbean are also crowd pleasers. But what if you work for a government agency that those things aren’t going to be encouraged? Or maybe you are a business of one?
Creating moments are easier with large budgets, but they don’t have any more impact than free or low cost activities. People might forget about all the forms they process in a year, but they will remember the moments where they feel empowered, appreciated, or excited. We need to be intentional in creating them. It just takes a little extra effort. Again this is the importance of moments.
Reach for the Stars
I became aware of the importance of moments several years ago. Something non-life threatening happened to one of my children. Make a Wish does a great job of creating moments for families with life threatening conditions, but for the rest of us, we are on our own. We wanted to create some positive experiences to offset things. Luckily my daughter was interested in something simple (not) like being an astronaut.
It sort of became a challenge to figure out what we could do with little or no money. Getting a wonderful letter from Capt. Jim Lovell (Apollo 13) was a great first step. We followed that with a few well placed phone calls, and a brief homeland security background check. This allowed my daughter to be part of the astronaut pre-brief for a shuttle launch and to view a launch from the VIP area. It cost us a trip to Grandma’s house, but otherwise the experience was free. She eventually outgrew her astronaut phase, but not before we arranged for her to meet Neal Armstrong. All it took was a little research, some patience and some creativity.
Help Someone in Need
One of the interesting things about intentionally creating moments for others is that you also create moments for yourself. I can still remember the thank-you that I got from a first grader almost 20 years when I as helping with a computer class. They weren’t trying to create a moment, but it happened just the same.
My junior astronaut is now a police officer and she deals with a large homeless population. Many of them have other challenges besides being homeless. This often excludes them from going to shelters or various programs. Her first year on the force she started collecting socks, gloves, ponchos, etc. that she gives out as needed. This has expanded a bit each year and may become a formal program. In a community which has had a sometime strained relationship between police and homeless she has started building bridges. A few pairs of socks have improved relations, reduced arrests, and improved the quality of life for people who already have a lot of challenges.
Make it Personal
Anyone can find a way to help people and make it personal. This is sort of at the heart of creating moments. I have a somewhat unusual thing that I do that is probably unique to me. I create inspirational poems for people (https://www.sacredpoems.com). A few years ago I did one that the Army wanted to use for the package they have for children of soldiers that are killed. This lead to another and another.
I currently do about 100 a year for fallen military, police and firefighters. I’ve found that it gives them one more moment of the person that they have lost. I don’t always get to meet the people I write for. Recently I was surprised by the mother of a Medal of Honor winner in Colorado, that I didn’t know, who contacted me when she was at the airport headed my way. I ended up meeting her later that day and attending a dedication for her son that weekend. Again the importance of moments!
Random Acts of Kindness
If you want to start practicing creating moments, here’s something that is kind of cool and will probably only set you back about $20. Next time you are at a drive through, ask the cashier if you can pay for the person behind you. It’s extra fun if you have little kids in the car. They get to see you doing something good for someone else and they will be glued to the back window to see the reaction of the people behind them. My wife is a regular at one particular restaurant so the staff knows her. About a week after doing this one day she was back again. The same cashier was there and told her that after she did it the prior week, it continued through the line for almost 2 hours. Moments are contagious!
It’s All in Your Head
Moments don’t have to be big things that you can share pictures of on facebook. Moments are about how they affect us inside, and the memories we create. Many times moments are just about new ideas, or looking at things a different way. The proverbial – A Ha moment! Seth Godin is a master of this. I regularly read his blog and have read most of his books. He consistently takes something common and makes it interesting. He creates moments by making us think.
Connections and the Importance of Moments
In the coaching that I do, I try to help people create connections to their possible future. It could be the nurse who doesn’t know what they want to do after retirement. It’s fun to watch someone go from talking about sitting around the house waiting for the grand kids to show up, to thinking about alternating contracts on cruise ships, or volunteering as medics at national parks. Other times it’s the part time community college instructor who didn’t realize they were sitting on a book that could launch them on a seven figure career. You can create moments for people just by helping them make mental connections that they haven’t thought of before.
Next Steps
All of us can create moments for ourselves and others. Anonymously leave some chocolate on workers desk. Pay it forward the next time you are at the drive through. Ask your celebrity cousin to show up at a special needs class to watch one of their movies with the kids. It doesn’t cost a fortune; it just takes a little creativity. The moments we create can be the difference between uninspired workers, and people who show up every day wanting to make a difference. Even if the only worker is you!
