As 2017 is winding down, I am doing quite a bit of reflecting. As I was thinking back to our trip to California this summer, I came across the memory of a young, vibrant worker at IN-N-OUT Burger. Her name is Belinda.
Chase and I had just arrived in San Deigo, and we were hungry from a long hike up to the Hollywood Sign in L.A. I knew EXACTLY where I wanted to eat and couldn’t wait for Chase to try my favorite fast food restaurant in the southwest.
I was WAY excited for Chase to try this heavenly burger joint and knew he would love it. What I didn’t know is that I would leave with more than just a belly full of goodness. I would leave with a heart full of joy.
Why? An IN-N-OUT employee named Belinda.
After sitting down with our Double-Double and expectant taste buds, we met Belinda. Belinda approached us with a giant, ear-to-ear smile. At first, I thought this employee had dropped by our table to check her box of job duties, but it didn’t take long for me to realize that she was just a happy, bubbly person with a servant’s heart.
If you know me, I LOVE to meet new people, and boy was I loving this! I told her Chase had never been to IN-N-OUT and before we knew it, she was crowning him with the glorious paper IN-N-OUT Burger hat.
I was intrigued by Belinda’s delightful attitude as I watched her bring smiles to so many other customers’ faces. She treated everyone the same, and when someone declined her happy spirit, it didn’t crush her. Belinda chose to move on to the next table with the same smile.
Belinda taught me a few things that day:
No matter what you are doing, do it to the best of your ability.
Belinda did her job with excellence. She was on her game. She could have been busy daydreaming about a future career or getting off work, but she was in the moment doing her job to the best of her ability.
Don’t let a bad experience take from a good one.
I watched Belinda as she graced each table with a smile, asking if anyone needed a refill, more condiments, or just saying a welcoming “hello”. Most people were very nice and reciprocated her smile, but others totally rejected her joyful approach. No matter what reaction, she pursued the next table with the same amount of energy and joy as she did before. She knew she couldn’t make everyone smile, but she knew she could make some smile. That was her mission. She didn’t let a bad experience take from a good one.
Serve with a smile.
This girl had a sweet servant heart. I actually watched the same person who tried to shut her smile down, wave at her for a refill. Belinda willingly walked his way, smiled, and served him. She reminded me that it doesn’t matter WHO we are serving, it matters that we ARE serving.
Find purpose in the mundane.
Belinda could have walked into work that day, thought over her job responsibilities, and committed to only doing those. But no, she saw her job as an opportunity to make someone’s day. Her purpose was to make people smile and serve them joyfully. She took a task and called it to be purposeful and impactful.
No matter what we do, we have a choice to do it with a joyful spirit. I have a feeling that our friend, Belinda, does not have a perfect life…no one does. Whether or not life was good or bad for her, she chose to see the good not just in her day, but in people- and that is admirable and memorable.
Belinda, wherever you are, thank you. You made out our IN-N-OUT Burger experience special and so fun!
Who did you learn from in 2017?
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