Eat Mor Chikin Inspire More People. Have you heard that phrase before? It makes you immediately think about Chick-fil-A doesn't it? Most all of us have eaten at or driven by a Chick-fil-A. Your experiences have more than likely been positive ones. I've even heard people say, when talking about Chick-fil-A, "that's God's chicken."
I absolutely love Chick-fil-A. I usually get the 4 count chicken strips meal. Recently, I have enjoyed substituting the fries for the Mac and Cheese. I absolutely love their chocolate chip cookies. They also just came out with a new brownie that is to die for. I'm a huge fan. Not only is their food good, quick, and affordable, their restaurants are always clean. Their staff is always super friendly saying, "what can I get you today, my pleasure, can I get you a refill, have a great day." Also, their business stands for something greater than just selling a lot of chicken.
Over the past couple of years I've had the opportunity to build a relationship with the operators and the marketing manager of one of the Chick-fil-A restaurants here in Norman. I have just been blown away and have learned more about the business from this relationship. These people care about their staff so much. They have developmental conversations and make sure they are set up for success. They know their customer. I'm one of them, and they have invited me to come have lunch with them in their store. Yes, the operator bought my lunch. They care about their community as they partner with other organizations to throw events and support others. My team at Life.Church Norman has been able to partner with them to serve sandwiches to school teachers during the pandemic this year. We also took sandwiches to a local fire station with them. We have partnered with them to throw a Chick-or-Treat event for halloween. They gave out hundreds of "Be our guest" free treat cards that night and we got to invite people to our church. I have just been absolutely blown away by what this business stands for, their care for others, and their involvement in the community.
At that lunch that I mentioned above, one of my teammates and I were asking questions about the business and the operator, Nick, disappeared for a minute and came back with two books, again, he gave to us for free to read. The books were titled Eat Mor Chikin, Inspire More People: Doing Business the Chick-fil-A Way. The book is all about the story of Chick-fil-A and S. Truett Cathy and how he got started. I just finished this book and wow. I'm just amazed at where this guy came from, how he got started and the legacy that he has left behind. This book first off has inspired me. Truett Cathy came from nothing. He started a burger joint in one restaurant that then turned into two, until one burned down. Then he started selling his chicken in lots of different places. He couldn't control the quality that way so he ended up starting what we now know as Chick-fil-A. Chick-fil-A has over a billion dollars in sales. They are a fast food restaurant, that has two cows as mascots, they close on the busiest day of the week for the food industry, and they are that successful. A Chicken restaurant has gone bonkers. And they don't just do chicken. Because of their success and the heart of Truett Cathy, they have also started the WinShape Homes organization supporting kiddos in foster care and they have given out thousands of scholarships to college.
What I really liked about this book is that Truett Cathy had values that he lived by and made decisions. He also lived his life in a way that inspired others. So, why am I saying all this? Why am I writing about a restaurant and a book? Well, I absolutely love this quote from Truett Cathy, 'Inspire more people." How can you inspire more people today? How can you use your story, your experiences, or your resources to inspire others? I don't believe that you and I need a billion dollars in sales before we can inspire others. I think we can start right now. When I was a senior in high school I received a scholarship from a family for college. This scholarship helped me go to the school of my choice and with help from my parents and some other scholarships I was able to graduate undergrad with no school debt (that was different for grad school). I was so inspired by this generosity that I now have a dream to one day either support a foundation or start my own in which I can help foster kids with scholarships for college. Here's the thing though. I can't wait until one day to be generous. I can't wait until one day to use my story or my experiences. I can begin making decisions and plans for those big dreams now. But, I do have to let who I am define how I live now not later. I am generous. I help others, because of my story, discover who they are in Christ and who He says they are. I can use my experiences and my story to make a difference now. This quote by Dave Ramsey was really thought provoking. "Money will not make you happy, money will make you more of what you are." Who are you going to inspire today? I'd love to hear what you are inspired to do if you wouldn't mind sharing. Email, text, etc.
Make decisions to be who you want to be today. If I want to be generous and give scholarships to foster kids one day I need to budget, save, plan, live a generous life now.
Use your resources, your experiences, your gifts to do something now/today. You don't have to wait. What can you do in your place of work, with your family, or your neighborhood that could make a difference for others. I started a blog.
Dream/Imagine what could be and what you could/can do.
