The name of my business, Momentors, came to me in 2020, the year I decided I would one day start my own coaching and consulting enterprise. This name captures three words that I think are super important in personal growth and development:
- Moments matter
- Momentum matters
- Mentors matter
“Moments” is one of the words. Moments matter, big time. There is a phrase that has become quite popular in personal development, which is to “be present” where you are. At work? Be there. With your spouse? Be there. Your kids? Hobbies? You get it. I get it. And I believe it, yet it is such a challenge.
One strategy to be where you are, with whom you are, and not off mind-wandering is to consider the power of moments and think through how you can make moments more special or more engaging for those you love, or those you serve in business or as a volunteer.
Recently, we had dinner at the Sawgrass Country Club golf clubhouse and I want to call attention to Chef Michael and his team, especially Grady at the pizza station. To set the stage, it had been a rough day with the kids acting out a bit, and while we were eating, our son Elliott (6) and daughter Raelynn (1.5) were quite vocal and not in a pleasing way! I mean, an almost-left-the-restaurant-within-five minutes-of-sitting-down kind of rough.
They got it together, though, and I was especially proud of Elliott since he did really well for the rest of the meal. So, when he asked if I thought we might tour the kitchen operation, I was happy to oblige. This kid has many interests, and one of them is cooking.
Michael, the Executive Chef, appeared within minutes of our request. Elliott was a bit shy, so I asked if it would be possible for us to take a brief tour of the kitchen, expecting a quick walk around and to be on our way. What happened next was the stuff of someone who knows how to make meaningful moments happen.
First, Chef looked Elliott in the eyes, extended his hand, and welcomed him to the kitchen. He told Elliott they could use a little help at the pizza station, Grady had some orders and could use some assistance. Was he up for it? Elliott, still a little shy but not THAT shy, immediately nodded his head yes, and he looked at me with a smile on his face. Chef disappeared in the back for a moment and instructed Elliott to wash his hands thoroughly, which I supervised. Chef returned with a black apron, which he then fashioned on Elliott in a way that made it the right size for a 6-year-old.
After a brief introduction to the equipment, like what’s too hot to touch, Elliott was working pizza dough into an almost perfect personal pizza size with Grady looking on. Now, I’d like to take some credit for this as a former Papa John’s pizza slinger in Elon, NC, but I’m quite sure his result was superior to anything I’ve done in the past!
Next, the sauce, the cheese, the pepperoni, and then Grady was sliding Elliott’s pizza into the oven. This whole process took about 10 minutes. I thanked Grady and as we were heading out Chef caught us and told us to hang out for five minutes and we could take the finished product to go. This was another nice touch, and he also wrapped up the apron and gave it to Elliott for home cooking projects.
“Elliott, tomorrow we have a steak special. Want to come back and help out?” he joked.
A credit here to the entire staff. While we waited, some of the servers and food runners came over and engaged with Elliott, joked around with him a bit, and told him they were going to tell Grady he had some competition for his job. Elliott was beaming.
Moments matter.
As parents who had started this dining experience in a challenging way just one hour earlier, we ended on cloud 9 because the staff made it a special time for our kiddo.
So, as you, as I, as we all go about our day, we have many situations where it is easy to go through the motions. It’s easy sometimes to hit the couch, pick up the device get lost in Social Media, or worry about some future meeting or challenge.
But, there are also countless opportunities to turn moments into something special. Let’s be present and conscientious about making special moments. It doesn’t always have to be fantastic – sometimes it’s just being there. In our personal lives with those we love. In our professional lives with those we serve. Kudos to Sawgrass Country Club for that next-level moment-making.
What will you do to create a special moment today?
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