21.......

So....in my travels I get to meet a lot of people, and experience a lot of things. Tonight was special.

I'm in Louisiana, 20 min south of Baton Rouge in a little town called Plaquimenne. I'm here helping a client get his Swiss machines up and running. After a long Friday, I went back to my hotel to get much needed R&R. Behind the hotel, there is a carnival, or fair...i'm not sure which. They have tilt a whirl, a ferris wheel, and numerous sideline games. (ie, balloon darts, baseball throw, you get the idea) There is usually some old carney working the game. He is usually in age from 20-80, missing most his teeth, has a scraggily beard, and coughs as if he has tuberculosis. Just the kind of guy you want around your kids.

Anyway as I watch the scene as i usually do, I notice a bunch of kids smoking fake cigarettes. These kids are no more than 12 or 13, my kids' age. I looked at these kids and had a sudden wave of fear.."These could be my kids" I thought. I had to do something. Then I remembered an old bartenders trick..........

The kids were playing the old game of, "throw the ball at the bottle and try to break it to win prizes" I stopped the kids and made them an offer...."Let's play a game, I said" "I pointed at the one kid, and said, 'lets count to 21, you and me' 'We go back and forth, I can start or you can, the first to 21, wins. Here's the rule though, you must count in 1 or 2 numbers during your turn. For example if I start, I can either say 1 or 1, 2, if I stop at 2, you can either say 3 or 3, 4, get it?" The kid said, yes I got it. I then said here's the deal, if you win, i'll give this guy (the carney) 20 bucks so you can throw 20 balls. If I win, you...........and your friends stop smoking those fake cigarettes forever, deal? The kids eyes got wide as banjos, and he went for it.

Now, of course this is a trick, and there is no way I'm going to lose, but the key is in its presentation. I played the game with him, twice. First I started..........beat him to 21, then he started............beat him again. So I made him and his friends promise not to smoke fake, or any cigarettes, ever again. He said, "well what if you walk away, and I decide to do it again, how would you ever know?" I said back to him, "People with good intentions make promises, but people of good character keep them" With that he looked at me, shakes my hand and says, "OK sir"

As I walk away, I turn briefly to make sure the carney gives him the 20 balls for the twenty bucks I had slipped him earlier. He leaned in and said something to the kid, and all the kids turned to see where I was. He looked around and his eyes met mine. I could tell in that exact moment, that my actions meant something to him. He looked at me, and waved. I turned around and walked away, holding my hand up as if to say, "anytime kid" I never looked back.

You see, it was never about the 20 bucks. It was about living a life that I believe to guide someone in some way. To point them in the right direction. And to feel fulfilled from the inside, not for outside praise. The only reason I looked back was to make sure the carney did what he said he would. The kid waving back was just a bonus.

This is the same philosophy I put towards my consulting. Sure I charge money, but if I were to come into a giant sum of money that set me up for life, I would do it for free. Why? Because if we don't teach future generations what WE have learned in life, who will? Sure, they can learn it like we did, but wouldn't it be better to teach them what we already know, so they can build upon it? That's just my opinion anyway.

Some people would say, "how does that relate to the kid?" Well, I guess I would have to say, I put forth the effort to make a positive change in someones life. That's it.

Well, I have to be going. I hope this article inspires you in some way to do the same.

Until we meet again, keep playing 21............