HOW TO ATTRACT: Be Like The Fire Department
Published: Mon, 11/21/11
So, ...you wanna know how to attract?
Here's how...
Winter Storm Alfred hit Connecticut
on October 29, 2011.
It was all business. It knocked out our power
for six days.
If you want the details, check out
It tells the tale in a pretty compelling way.
Lots of things stand out about the storm.
The downed trees and power
lines.
People fighting over lines at gas stations.
People coming
together.
And the joy of knowing our family had the
means to protect itself.
Part of the power
outage was spent at a world class resort
in the
southeastern part of Connecticut.
But the part that stands out most to me was
Saturday night, about
five hours after the
snow started.
The power had been out for several
hours. I had
just finished a mad dash across the backyard,
putting some
propane tanks in a clear space
where no trees were likely to fall on
them.
I stood on the front porch and listened to the storm.
It was already dark, and with no streetlights
there wasn't much to see.
The sound of big mature oak trees cracking
under the weight of snow
was profound.
I wondered when one would ht the house,
or power lines
near it.
Then I heard the sound of a large diesel engine.
Looking to the left I
saw a fire engine driving
up the block. It cruised slowly past
our house.
A telling moment.
The easiest thing for the fire department to
do would have been to
wait out the storm at
the station. They had generators, so they had
light and heat.
Not to mention they would be safe from trees
and power lines falling all around them.
But that's not what the fire department does,
at least not the Bristol, Connecticut Fire Department.
They cruised the neighborhood in their big engines,
though not
nearly as big as the elements that
furiously swirled around them.
They were out there as the last line of defense in
a very unpredictable world.
They made us all feel a little safer. Even if they
weren't in a
position to give complete help, knowing
they were there and willing gave
a measure of
comfort and security.
I liked knowing the BFD had my back, and I'm going
to make sure they know it too.
*** ***
That night, when the heat was on, someone positioned
themselves as the Big Dog...the Alpha Male.
And it wasn't out of a desire to be dominant.
It was from a desire to protect.
They were willing to take a risk for their community.
And in the eyes of that community, they got bigger.
See where I'm going with this?
Whatever your community is, if YOU are the one who
is willing to do
what others won't, or (using my least
favorite word) can't, you become agiant.
Or at least a source of safety and comfort.
Certainly a source of authority.
People are attracted to you.
(Show me any child who isn't attracted to a
fire fighter, or at least
a fire engine. For that
matter, show me an adult who isn't either.)
People are wiling to follow you.
People are willing to submit to your leadership.
Because you are strong.
And safe.
And by the way, that community could be a marketing group.
Or it could be a school.
Or a family.
Or a couple.
Or it could be a community of one.
Just you.
Showing yourself you are capable...you are
willing to be the one who does the heavy lifting.
Not out of the need for recognition or approval.
But because you have it within you.
And you have the energy, desire and compassion
to take care of your fellow community members.
That recognition will eventually come.
But you won't need it.
You'll already identify yourself as a hero.
Be like the fire department.
Brave. Tough. Willing to serve.
Be a hero.
If you go down, you go down with glory.
If you stay up, you find new heights of
achievement and new depths of gratitude.
Your Friend,
Larry
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