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Refill Your Reservoir
Hi Everyone,
 Cup your two hands together as though you were going to splash water on your face. Your two hands together represent your reservoir, filled with everything that makes you who you are, everything that makes you wonderful. Your reservoir contains your dreams, fantasies, personality, passion, talents, and skills.
Does your reservoir ever feel drained and empty at the end of the day? How does it get drained? Traffic. Bad weather. A new computer system at work. Your boss’s bad mood. How do you fill your reservoir back up? You could have it filled when a customer or friend sends you a dozen roses, but can you count on that? One of your missions in life is to find out what fills up your own reservoir. And by the way, what works for someone else may not work for you.
 It’s summertime, and for many of us that means vacation. Vacations are great, but you don’t have to wait for that big, once-a-year event to refill your reservoir. For me, my reservoir gets filled with a wonderful dinner out with a dear friend or two, in a small, quaint restaurant, with a bottle of wine and great conversation. I bet I spend more money doing that than I spend on clothes or vacations. Going to the gym with my best buddies also fills my reservoir, and so does spending time with my nieces, nephews, and godchildren. All the drama and work stress that enters my life seems to melt away when I spend time with little kids, old people, and dogs.
The bottom line is that you have to make sure your needs are met, and sometimes the best way to make that happen is to meet them yourself. If you’re headed for your summer vacation, have fun, relax, and enjoy. And if it’s not vacation time for you, make sure you still find ways to have fun, relax, and refill your reservoir.
This month’s newsletter is all about finding the things that refill your reservoir and making those things a priority.
Thanks for helping me live my fantasy of spreading this BE NICE message and giving nice people a voice.
XOXO, Winn
A BE NICE Story
Do you have a BE NICE story to share? Send it to stories@BeNiceOrElse.com. If it appears in the newsletter, you’ll receive a BE NICE T-shirt and CD!
This lovely letter shows that even something as simple as reading can refill your reservoir.
 Hi Winn,
Last September, I was in an unhappy, hostile, uncomfortable workplace where the prevailing attitude was, “I don’t like you so I am not going to talk to you.” Then a miracle happened: A nice lady came to join us. She had taken your Be Nice seminar and shared your book with our owner. Our owner made the move to get each of us a copy. I was just chomping at the bit to get mine—I wanted it sooooooo bad!
I began to read it and was captured by chapter 4 (“Second: Boost Your Self-Esteem”). I read it cover to cover and understood everything from cover to cover. Your teachings were not new; I had forgotten them and, thanks to your book, I remembered what being nice was all about. I took action and began to do what it takes to change. I have chosen. Thank you for the joy you have helped me see.
At the time, I wished I could help the others in my workplace see what I saw in your book, but you can take the horse to water and drown the dad-blasted thing but you cannot get them to drink. Since then, we all got fired from that workplace. The nice lady who gave us the book is now my boss. More important, she is the boss I waited nearly 20 years to work for. For the first time in a very, very long time I am in a place full of love and support for one another.
Thank you again for the new hope where I had little.
– David Colon
Chalmette, Louisiana
BE NICE News
Australian “Angel” Saves Lives at Suicide Spot
By Associated Press Writer Kristen Gelineau
(AP Photo/Jeremy Piper)
For almost 50 years, Don Ritchie has lived across the street from Australia’s most notorious suicide spot, a rocky cliff at the entrance to Sydney Harbor called The Gap. And in that time, the man widely regarded as a guardian angel has shepherded countless people away from the edge.
Since the 1800s, Australians have flocked to The Gap to end their lives. Local officials say about one person a week commits suicide there [but Ritchie has] saved 160 people, according to the official tally.
 Each morning, he climbs out of bed, pads over to the bedroom window of his modest, two-story home, and scans the cliff. If he spots anyone standing alone too close to the precipice, he hurries to their side. In his younger years, he would occasionally climb the fence to hold people back while Moya, his wife of 58 years, called the police. These days, he keeps a safer distance, but he remains available to lend an ear, though he never tries to counsel, advise, or pry. He just gives them a warm smile, asks if they’d like to talk, and invites them back to his house for tea. Sometimes, they join him.
A smile cannot, of course, save everyone; the motivations behind suicide are too varied. But simple kindness can be surprisingly effective. By offering compassion, Ritchie helps those who are suicidal think beyond the terrible current moment, says psychiatrist Gordon Parker, executive director of the Black Dog Institute mood disorder research center. “They often don’t want to die, it’s more that they want the pain to go away,” Parker says. “So anyone that offers kindness or hope has the capacity to help a number of people.”
Until about a year ago, the former Navy seaman enjoyed a busy social life but battles with cancer and his advancing years have taken their toll, and now he spends most days at home with Moya, buried in a good book. Every now and then, he looks up from his books to scan the horizon for anyone who might need him. He’ll keep doing so, he says, for as long as he’s here.
And when he’s not? “I imagine somebody else will come along and do what I’ve been doing.” He gazes through the glass door to the cliff outside. And his face is lit with a smile.
Read the full article here: http://bit.ly/c5Mdr9
Monthly Audio Message
Sasha Rash: Yoga of Beauty
 Third-generation hairdresser Sasha Rash says her soul was always in the professional salon industry, but it took her mind a while to catch up. Instead of going to beauty school directly out of high school, Sasha attended the University of Houston, graduating in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in Consumer Sciences and Human Development. Soon after, she entered the management training program for the groundbreaking industry icon Visible Changes Salons in Houston, Texas. But the East Coast beckoned and in 1992 Sasha returned to Princeton, New Jersey, where she joined her mother in a small fledgling salon called La Jolie.
By 1995 with Sasha as the CEO, the La Jolie brand had become a household name in the region and it was time for Sasha to finally become a licensed hairdresser. She worked and trained internationally as a hairdresser until the late 1990s, when business development and leadership became her full-time commitment. By 1997 Sasha was elected to the board of The Salon Association (TSA); she is the organization’s immediate past president and served on its governing council. In 2005, she opened The Lab – A Paul Mitchell Partner School serving the central New Jersey market.
Sasha lives in New York City where she also studies jivamukti yoga. Out of her yoga practice, she has developed a program called the Yoga of Beauty. She has been featured in professional salon industry publications like Salon Today magazine and in periodicals nationwide.
CLICK HERE Interviewed by Winn Claybaugh for MASTERS Audio Club, Sasha Rash describes the five elements of yoga and how they apply to business and life. With her heartwarming stories and parables, this lovely lady melts away the myths and offers a welcoming window into the beauty and simplicity of this ancient art.
If you enjoyed this month’s audio message, CLICK HERE to join the thousands of subscribers all over the world and receive MASTERS Audio Club for just $12.95 each month.
People Profile
Patrick Henry and Patrick John Hughes
 Born with an extremely rare genetic disorder, Patrick Henry Hughes grew up with arms that could not straighten, legs that would never walk, and most devastating of all, permanent blindness because he had no eyes. One day, the extraordinary happened: nine-month-old Patrick Henry began to play the piano, and his exceptional musical talent soon emerged.
 Against all odds, Patrick Henry excelled in high school and went on to the University of Louisville, where he majored in Spanish and played trumpet in the marching band while his father, Patrick John Hughes, pushed him in his wheelchair through the marching routines. The Hugheses visible commitment attracted increasing crowd and media attention throughout the football season, and both father and son were featured in a variety of television and newspaper coverage. Patrick Henry went on to become a a nationally known pianist, singer, and trumpeter, recording two CDs and writing a book with his dad called I Am Potential: Eight Lessons on Living, Loving, and Reaching Your Dreams. In November 2007, the Hughes family received a complete home renovation and were featured on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. They have also appeared on Oprah, Ellen, ESPN, and other media.
 As popular, in-demand public speakers, Patrick Henry and Patrick John share their message of hope, faith, and encouragement. Patrick John readily admits that he “dabbled in the pity pool” for a while before changing his question from “Why us?” to “Why not us?” He firmly believes that dreams can come true, telling audiences that his son may not be the star football player he once dreamed of, but he became a star on the football field.
Despite their heavy travel and speaking schedule, Patrick Henry will graduate from college in December 2010 with a 3.9 grade point average. He hopes to become a Spanish interpreter, an ambassador to a Spanish-speaking country, a motivational speaker, and a TV game show host. Armed with the firm belief that “We can make our dreams come true,” Patrick Henry will surely accomplish all of his dreams and more.
Learn more about Patrick Henry and Patrick John Hughes at www.patrickhenryhughes.com.
See their incredible story at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qTiYA1WiY8
Corporate Corner
Laugh! Have Fun! Make Your Business a Party!
In some companies, if laughter rings through the office, what does that imply? People aren’t doing their job. Get back to work. No laughing around here. Whether you realize it or not, the intentional use of fun can be a powerful force in team building, improving customer service, improving team attitude and loyalty, and ultimately increasing profitability. Studies show that when staff members laugh together, creativity and production go up and absenteeism goes down. A staff that laughs together stays together.
 As Matt Weinstein suggests in his book, Managing to Have Fun, if you want to offer service with a smile, make sure you give the people you work with something to smile about. Try some of these ideas for making fun a daily priority.
- Create simple, silly rituals and activities: In my company’s “Eight Glasses of Water Club,” staff members received 12-ounce water bottles. Each time they emptied their bottle, they had to have a different team member sign it. This simple activity brought shy-type team members out of their shells, led to dialogues with customers about health and fun, and helped us focus on health and wellness as a team.
- Play loud, fun party music as the staff arrives. Upbeat party music may not be suitable for your ambiance during business hours (we change ours to light jazz when the clients begin to arrive), but how about throwing a party every morning as the staff arrives?
- Have “Theme Days” where the staff dresses alike or shares a goal or focus for a fun, enthusiastic day. Include your customers and clients as part of the fun; you never want them to feel excluded, left in the dark, or taking a back seat to your theme day.
- Create traditions as a team: In my company we’ve traveled, played, and read books together; attended weddings and danced at concerts; learned at seminars and had our company logo printed on all sorts of things. We’ve done all this while improving our customer service policies, creating a better experience for our staff and customers, and earning more money.
While you’re creating fun at work, remember to respect your company’s guidelines and standards. Even if your company prohibits some or all of these ideas, you can still create an environment of laughter and enthusiasm by making fun a daily priority.
Do Something
Be Selfish in a Good Way
What fills up your reservoir? What are those “good” selfish things you can do to make yourself happy in any given moment? Try this little exercise to help you find out.
Divide a sheet of paper into two columns. Label the left-hand column “Have to Do” and label the right-hand column “Nice to Do,” as shown in the example below. In the left-hand column, list some things you have to do, such as “Grocery shopping” or “Taking the trash cans to the curb.” In the right-hand column, come up with an activity or action that would add fun and pleasure to the “Have to Do” item. Adding “Nice to Do” activities to your “Have to Do” chores is a great way to refill your reservoir each and every day.
If you’re thinking, This is so silly and simple, then my response would be, “Thanks! It’s supposed to be simple.” Being nice to yourself doesn’t have to be hard, so why make it difficult?
CLICK HERE to download a form you can use.
Quotes of the Month
“If we confine ourselves to one life role, no matter how pleasant it seems at first, we starve emotionally and psychologically. We need a change and balance in our daily lives. We need sometimes to dress up and sometimes to lie around in torn jeans.”
– Faye J. Crosby
“For fast-acting relief, try slowing down.”
– Lily Tomlin
Winn Claybaugh’s Be Nice (Or Else!) The Newsletter!
Copyright © 2010 by Winn Claybaugh. All rights reserved.
Editor: Gail Fink
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