In line at Ingles grocery store, I push my cart up to the check-out counter. A young man sneaks around the cashier, grabs my canvas bag and says, “Hello ma’am.” He made eye contact and smiled. Even while he was loading my groceries, he continued this presence.
Have you been in the presence of someone who extends and expresses themselves in a way that says, “I’m confident?”
This young man does. His name is Patrick.
I asked, “Are you a manager? ” He extended his spine, grinned even larger and said, “No, but I want to be.” I told him he carried himself just like a manager. I had no doubt he would be one soon.
There’s More to This Story ….read on…..
After I checked out, I approached the store manager and told him he had a winner in Patrick. He said, “yes I do and let me tell you a story.” Patrick’s father beat him as a child and the manager was witness to the results of those actions. His father, now deceased, drank himself to death.
Patrick could easily withdraw and be bitter. Instead, he decided to not only project friendliness, but also to literally not carry and express the burden of his past in his body.
His body language speaks volumes about what is possible for his future. I recognized it immediately and you would too.