The POWER of Talking to Strangers....

I still remember yanking on my father’s arms as a young tike begging him to stop talking to everyone that walked by us while grocery shopping at Kroger. All I could think about was getting my hands in those Oreo's and getting outside to play hoops in the driveway. My father was famous for taking hours to get out of any building he went into. He was, and still is, fascinated with people’s lives and stories. He genuinely cares for strangers and they eventually become his friends. As I’ve gotten older, I still ponder on how he grew such a successful business because he didn’t even know how to use email most days. Little did I know, he would have taught me the most valuable skill I have today. The ability to connect to strangers…

What if every stranger that walked by you today was worth the next $1 million dollars to your business? What if they had an idea that could cure cancer but just didn’t have the resources to fulfill their dreams and gave up? What if the product or service you sell could save their life or their business? What if taking just 3 minutes of your day to ask valuable questions someone brought an idea that was bigger than iPhones? This is how I think about every human being that walks past me on a daily basis and because of it, I’ve experienced moments most will not in their entire lives.

I’m now the spitting image of my father everywhere I go. Sometimes they call me the “Stranger Whisperer” as a joke (I honestly don’t even know what that even means!). I believe every person has their own unique story to life and it deserves to be expressed and listened to. I believe there’s a lesson to be learned from any 5 minute conversation. I believe everyone has a connection they need in their life right now whether that be just a listening ear, a referral to a doctor that will help their child’s sickness, an attorney to handle their next real estate deal, a referral for where to get their hair cut…you get the point. What if I could be the reason their kid finally got in touch with the right doctor? Or if I could help them find their next place to live? What if my business was the answer to their prayers?

My curiosity to understand all walks of life over the years has helped me build a network of individuals all across the world from all walks of life. I have friends from various backgrounds, countries, colors, sizes, genders and varying religious and political beliefs. Some have stayed friends and others remain acquaintances. Little do some know though, that they have changed my life. Years ago, a gentleman gave me advice while out for ice cream encouraging me to buy my first home. Six years later, I’m closing on my 20+ rental unit and it took me from being in debt from college to being self-made. Moments like these are why caring about strangers are so powerful to me.

I’ve challenged myself to journal about every stranger I talk to the next 30 days. I’ve been wanting to do this for years and I finally am. I challenge you to open your mind and heart to someone new every day. I bet my life, that if you talk to a new stranger who passes you by for 30 days straight, something wonderful will come out of it.

In November, I like to do a #RAK which stands for Random Act of Kindness. If you are in line at Starbucks, pay for the person behind you. If you work with someone who’s done a great job at a project, put a sticky note on their desk with “Nice Job!” on it. If you haven’t done something for your wife lately, put a sticky note on the mirror waiting for her each morning when she wakes up and remind her of something you love about her. The little things matter to people, try to make it a habit to implement a weekly #RAK to share with the world, it’ll help encourage others to share and do the same! If anything, share it with me, I'd love to hear about it.

I’ll complete this article with Part 2 in 30 days! Maybe I’ll have some great stories to share from my "XConnect" journal. I call it XConnect because every new connection seems to open a door to 100x the connections compared to not making contact with the first person to begin with. It's seems to have a spiral effect!

#StrangersMatter #RAK