It has been a strange old night, now as most people who follow this blog will know that Friday night is spent in the company of relatively young people who attend the bar at the local Band Club who are waiting for various offspring to come out of Brass Band practice whilst sampling the delights of the local breweries.
Now that is a novel approach to getting revenue across a bar if ever there was one. The great thing about this pastime is that when the kids come out of practice they are far more judgemental that any methodist minister on the planet. But thats not the strange thing, that is Friday nights in Diggle.
It is a cross generational thing and I love that, old crumblies get to talk to bright young things and have great debates, and do you know what, the crumblies more often that not have to concede to the knowledge of the younger generation who know all about the new world order.
But thats not the strangest thing that has happened, whilst deep in conversation I got a tweet from a Dave Robinson, a guy who was in Hollywood last week at a film premier for a film that we worked on last January, who used the Band Club Bar as a location for a scene in the film.
The bar in the film is called “The Happy Beaver” (I didn’t write it, I only directed it) and the Club fitted perfectly with the 80s sitcom feel that they needed for the film, without adding any props other than a 1980s trim-phone.
He sent me a message that made me smile.
The message was “I hope Mr Hollywood director is relaxing with a beverage at the movie set after a busy week”?
What made me smile is that this guy is still Jet Lagged and since coming back has had the week from hell and he still made the time to send a message on a Friday night when he should have his feet up and relaxing.
These people are a rare breed, they take time to thank people who have helped them attain a personal ambition and in the current climate these people are indeed special.
By far my favourite one of these people is Richard Branson. He has a theory which I love and try to emulate. “Treat your staff like your best customers and in turn they will treat your customers in the same manner”.
This theory works, the next time I get a call from this guy for help I will try my hardest to try to make sure I can. It’s not Rocket science, treat people with respect and thank them for there efforts and you will be repaid several times over.
Cristiano Ronaldo the footballer lives his life in a similar fashion. He was taught by his father that any kindness you give out comes back a million fold. Recently I found out that this guy gives one weeks salary every month to charity. Considering last year he earned £50m, that is some donation and I can only assume that his father’s theory is working.
So next time you are feeling a little hard done by, just remember there are people who are far worse off than you who need help in some way.
It’s not only money that solves problems, (but it helps). Sometimes it’s an non judgmental ear or a friendly shoulder to lean on that does the trick, but the secret thing that makes all the difference is time. Invest some time without any expectation of reward and great things happen, these random acts of thoughtfulness make the world a better place and you never know where it can lead to. As Cristiano’s father says, any kindness you give out comes back a million fold and thats not a bad thing.
John D Eccles 