They say that the People who Gain the Most From Black Friday are the people who sit back and watch the other shoppers. If you ever want to see some funny stuff, sit back and watch the customers shopping at Wal-Mart on Black Friday. To say the least, “It’s a Hoot!’ One minute it looks like shoppers are doing their own reenactment of the Running of the Bulls event as they race to get into the store and then the next minute it looks like shoppers are trying to play football through the shopping aisles, where the product item is the football, the other shoppers are the blockers, and the checkout line is the end zone. People both young and old are involved in Black Friday and some shop at much different speeds than others. But the philosophy that many shoppers seem to keep in mind, reminds me of a line from the movie “The Lion King”, where Nala said to Simba “You Gotta Mufasa!” 🙂 To put it simply, Black Friday is a Crazy Day.
Now when I went to shop on Black Friday, it was around 2:30 in the afternoon, at that point I had missed most of the chaos, so I thought. However, Wal-Mart was just as packed and flooded with people as it was at the crack of dawn. I couldn’t help but stand in shock as I saw items fly off the wall left and right. I felt horrible for the boy who was stocking the aisles, because he sure had his work cut out. Needless to say, people were completely caught up in the moment, doing everything they could to get a great deal.
In the midst of the craziness of the crowds, something caught my attention. As everyone was busy getting their items, I noticed that there was an elderly lady walking through the aisles and asking different ones, “How May I Help You?”. She was a Wal-Mart employee, where she served as the part-time Greeter and was a 30 year veteran of the store, but on this day she was taking her job to a whole new level. My heart was touched as I watched this elderly woman reach out to others and show genuine concern for every customer she met. Her passion for her job was evident and she absolutely enjoyed what she did and she did not miss a single beat. She was a True Light in the Midst of Black Friday.
Her question of “How May I Help You?” is what stuck with me the most. Back in the day, before Wal-Mart transitioned to the Super-Center style it is today, the employees use to wear blue vests that would say on the back in bright bold lettering: “How May I Help You?” This vest signified that they were there to help you find what you needed.
You see, this is 1 of 3 questions that everyone needs to be asking others, “How May I Help You? “How May I Serve You?” , and “How May I Get Involved?” It’s the Secret Question to being a Servant Leader. We were Created to be Helpful in a Helpless World. We were Made to Make a Difference. The scary thing is, you and I have the chance to help others in ways we may not even realize. By Healthy Decision-Making and Keeping Our Priorities in check, we can Help a World that Greatly Stands in Need of Help. Helping Our World Starts by Getting Involved and One main reason we have a lack of help is because we have a lack of involvement in our world. Here are some Lack of involvement statistics.
In 2014, Less Than 50% of Parents Participated in Parent-Teacher Conferences. These are great opportunities for Parents to Communicate with their child’s teacher and Help Advocate for their child’s future. We Can HELP our World Through Education. 🙂
According to the United States Election Projection Council, 36.4% of Eligible American Voters actually Voted in the 2014 Midterm Election. This was the lowest voter turnout since WWII. We live in the greatest nation in the world, because of the Freedoms We Have. Every Person has a Voice and a Right to Help Choose What Path Our Country Will Take. We Can HELP Our World Through Civics. 🙂
According to the Hartford Institute of Religion Research, 40% of Americans claim they attend Church Weekly, however, church numbers show that less than 20% of Americans actually attend services. As a preacher’s kid, I’ve pretty much grown up in the church, through that, I’ve learned that the church isn’t limited to a building, Church is Community. As Leaders we Have a Moral Responsibility to Reach Out to Others in Our Community and Help Better Others. We were not Meant to Hide Our Hope, We were Meant to Share it. We can HELP our World Through the Sharing of Our Hope. 🙂
And finally, here is a statistic on Involvement. According to the Syracuse Review, over 140.1 million people participated in Black Friday and Thanksgiving weekend sales in 2014.
This shows that It’s evident that we have the People to Get Involved and Help Our World, but it all boils down to a Matter of Choice. What is most important to us? Material things pass away, but Impact will forever remain. We can buy all the items in Wal-Mart, we can have all the latest apps on our iPhones, but at the end of the day, it still won’t make us happy.
The Need for Leaders to Rise Up has Never been More Prevalent than Today. Our World needs people who are willing to Stand Out from the Crowd and Stand Up to HELP the Future. In the midst of the crowd, this Wal-Mart Greeter Stood Out, because she Dared to do the Uncommon thing. Ask yourself, “What will Make Me Stand Out From the Crowd?” Our World is Craving for a Change that can only be Born from the Boldness of Servant Leaders. Its time to ask a Helpless World, “How May I Help You?” We must be People who will seek to take a stand in pursuit of the greater good. No matter how dark our world may get, we each can Shine Our Light on this Globe just like the Greeter at Wal-Mart. Are You Ready to HELP our World? Its starts by asking 3 simple questions, “How May I HELP You?” “How May I Serve You?” and “How May I Get Involved?” 🙂
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Brandon Baumgarten 