Island Pirates Reminded Me to Always Exceed Expectations
Scuba diving in the Caribbean is great. But when island pirates jump your tour, you start to second guess your travel plans.
Now, standing between me and happy hour were a half-dozen islanders armed with guns. The rest in my group were pasty-white businessmen who hadn’t been out of their cubicles in years.
Would I make it out alive?
Oddly thanks to what happened next.
Our captors rummaged through what they’d stolen - wallets, phones and sunglasses.
As I watched, I realized their boss seemed oddly familiar.
“Kings Custom Body Shop!” he yelled, holding up an old business card from my wallet. “Is this yours?”
“Yeah, I used to own that shop in Miami,” I answered.
“Let him go! He's a decent guy and doesn’t deserve what’s coming.”
Finally, it hit me.
I knew him! He’d been a regular back when I owned the body shop, always bringing in some new muscle car.
At that shop we had the policy of always doing more than what we were paid for, always giving our clients something extra.
Having your expectations exceeded happens so sporadically anymore that when someone constantly goes above and beyond – even when working on a thief’s muscle car – it makes quite the impression!
Life Tip - Always Exceed Expectations!
There's no straighter way to success than exceeding expectations one day at a time.
ALWAYS deliver more than expected.
Start with your expectations for yourself.
Plan to run 5 miles? – Go an extra mile!
Need to be up at 7am? – Set the alarm for 6:45!
Exceed your own expectations and before long, you’ll exceed everyone else's too.
Whose expectations will you exceed today?
Delivering more than expected creates loyal customers, thriving businesses and solid relationships.
The man who does more than he’s paid for will soon be paid for more than he does. That’s true regardless of whether the payment is money, love or respect.
And now, the respect I’d earned with one particular customer was going to save my life.
“I can’t leave without my Donahughs” - I thought.
Among the confiscated Ray-Bans and Oakleys the boss had already claimed my Donahughs for himself.
But I had to ask for them back, we’d been through too much together! I’d seen the Bazaars of Marrakech and the back alleys of Paris all through the lenses of my Donahughs.
They had always exceeded my expectations.
“Go or don’t go, the glasses are staying with me.”
BEWARE... somewhere in the Caribbean is a thieving bandit with a killer pair of sunglasses.
Several days later, some sunburnt and very thirsty American businessmen were picked up in a dinghy.
I was already on a plane to my next destination. My new pair of Donahughs were ordered and on their way, ready to make some daring new memories.
Stay awesome,
THE DONAHUGH MAN
