【推荐1】It had been a very busy day with a number of client meetings, so when I parked my car in the city some distance from my last appointment, I was hoping that it would be a quick one so that I could then beat the afternoon city rush hour.

I had a very important family document that needed to be signed by a large government department. As I stepped out of the lift on the third floor, it was a relief to find that there were only two people ahead of me in what I had anticipated would be a long queue, so I was expecting that it would be a simple and quick process.

Within a few minutes. I was in discussion with the customer service attendant as he outlined why he considered that my documentation could not be signed. I was very annoyed with his very unbearable explanation of what needed to be done, so I asked him if there was any way he could help me to have the paperwork signed on the spot and avoid a further delay. His answer was no.

Upset by what I considered to be such a negative and “by the book approach” from the customer service attendant. I asked to speak to the department supervisor (主管) in the hope that I could solve what I believed to be some very minor issues.

After a short wait, the department supervisor came to the counter to speak to me. After hearing my explanation, he responded quickly, “Believe me, I can organize to have the paperwork signed immediately and you can be on your way.” Within ten minutes, the documentation had been signed, so with a big smile, I was on my way.

At that very moment, I was reminded of a quote by W. Clement Stone. “There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.”

【推荐2】For the past year or so, my family and I have been enjoying the meal at 5 Guys Burgers and Fries. Consistently ranking among the top burger places by fans and publications alike, 5 Guys is growing like mad by offering delicious, affordable handmade patties (小馅饼) and a very generous part of fries.

While everything is delicious, it’s the fries that I want to talk about for a moment. Customers appreciate getting extra value for the same price. 5 Guys does such an amazing thing, such a cool little business trick, that I didn’t catch on until I really thought about it recently.

Here’s what they do: When you order some fries from the counter, the server takes their little paper fries bucket, fills it up, and then puts it in a paper bag. Then they take an even bigger scoop (勺) of fries and put it into the bag, on top of the regular order. I always think, and my kids always say, “I can’t believe how many extra fries we get!”

And then it finally dawned on me. We don’t really get any extra fries at all, do we? The genius of this little show is that for all purposes, it looks and feels like we get extra fries, but the truth is that they planned on giving that amount of fries out anyway, and budget for that. But they package it in such a clever way that you think you’re getting this great deal, this something for nothing.

People love getting a deal. We love saving money. And we like to think we’re that special customer worthy of the extra fries. Does it cost 5 Guys anything extra? No way. Does it build goodwill? You bet.

【推荐2】It is natural to compare ourselves to others and to get caught in a mental comparison loop, and yet this seldom is beneficial. You may have heard the expression. “Comparison is the thief of joy. “To me, this rings true as I have found it is quite difficult to compare myself to others and feel joy at the same time.

Comparison not only robs us of joy, but it can also fuel self-criticism and a lack of self-acceptance. Typically, comparison leads to perceiving others as superior to you in some way and feeling inadequate or inferior. “I am not as successful, competent, attractive as they are. “Why don’t I have what they have?” We use comparison as an avenue for self-criticism, “What’s wrong with me? I must be an inadequate loser.” This hinders(阻碍)self-acceptance.

We often tell ourselves we are acceptable only if we meet certain standards, and we evaluate how we measure up by looking at others. The tendency is to conclude that we are not measuring up, particularly if we have a low sense of self-worth, and we worry that others are going to judge or criticize our perceived failures. We don’t just ask ourselves. “What’s wrong with me?” We worry what others will think: “What’s wrong with them?” The looming(迫近的)sense of possible rejection creates uneasiness and anxiety.

Comparison is deceptive(造成假象的). It tells us that if we meet the expectations, lose weight, get a promotion, or buy the house, we will feel better, calmer, more self-assured, and stop comparing ourselves. This may be temporarily true, yet, a comparison is an internal process that is ultimately based on our thoughts and sense of self, not external circumstances. We can always find something else to compare, another expectation we tell ourselves we are not meeting.

To stop comparing ourselves to others, we have to recognize that the comparison game is unwinnable and exhausting and stop playing. We should shift from being guided by comparison to being guided by personal values.