I bet when you read the title you said it the same way Clint Eastwood says it in Dirty Harry: Sudden Impact.

The real power of that title is not hid behind a Smith & Wesson model 29 .44 Magnum. It is found in the reality of its attainment.

I am not by nature a mean person. Some day’s I just wake up on the wrong side of the bed or I allow something to affect me negatively. Ruminating on it instead of shrugging it off. I replay the incident in my head over and over resulting in a bad attitude.

To make matters worse, I often store it in my back pocket and use it as ammunition to self-justify when someone finally calls me on my unkindness. This very destructive habit can cause you to lash out at innocent people.

It is not that I am bad really. It is just that I have a practice of handing off my bad attitude by poking fun at or possibly insulting someone else. The good news is that it can be broken.

One of my personal goals in 2008 is to work on my attitude and kindness. Right now, I would rate myself at 7 out of 10, which is far better than I would have rated myself in the past, but I still have a long way to go. At a minimum, I should be operating at 8 out of 10.

I am not sure why we do it really. It seems silly and immature. Psychologists would say that we poke fun or insult others because of “displaced aggression or the kick-the-dog effect”. You have a bad day at work so you pass-the-buck to someone else in an attempt to feel better, but in reality with each insult we are micro-fractionally lowering our own self-esteem further.

Whatever the reasoning, I recognize this behavior to be unhealthy and unproductive, and certainly not becoming of a leader. That is exactly why I am working on changing. I read an inspiring story the other day that sparked an plan. Let me share with you the story.

Late one night while traveling in an unfamiliar city, Tony Campolo wandered into a diner where the only customers were a group of prostitutes. He overheard one of them say that tomorrow was her birthday. The next night he came back with a cake and a sign that read, ‘Happy Birthday, Agnes.’ Campolo said, “the door swung open and in came Agnes…never have I seen a person so flabbergasted. Her eyes moistened…and she started to cry.” Tony Campolo made her day.

I realized from this story that I have the ability to make someone’s day. Regardless of their outward appearance, outward emotional appearance, or my poor attitude. Without spending a dime, I can improve another’s day and possibly mine too.

After reading the Campolo story, I decided to pay a compliment, at the very least, to one unsuspecting person every day.

That evening, as the day was winding down, I had yet to make someone’s day. My wife and I had gone out to dinner and stopped off at Office Depot on the way home for a few supplies.

As we were checking out I noticed the cashier was a little shy, soft spoken, and introverted. In a way, she reminded me of the actress in the hit TV show Ugly Betty. I noticed her nametag said ‘Rebekah’. It was spelled a little differently that the traditional ‘Rebecca’.

I looked right at her and said, “That is a beautiful way you spell your name. It makes you very unique.”

Her face lit up as she said, “THANK YOU!” Then she became a little embarrassed and quickly looked down again. I couldn’t help but notice her facial expression never let go of that bright smile as her hands now danced as she counted back our change.

If you are like me, and I hope that you are not, many times you wait for someone else to treat you right before you treat him or her right. Or worse, you hand off your dirty laundry to them in an attempt to make yourself feel better.

Don’t wait! Be the first to brighten someone’s day and you will be amazed how good it makes you feel.

Mark Sanborn, author of You Don’t Need a Title to be a Leader, says in his book, “You don’t help others when you feel good. You feel good when you help others.”

Great Leaders often lift others and raise them up to join in life’s celebration.

Today I have enjoyed my last cup of coffee, for the time being anyway.  Don’t get me wrong, I love coffee.  Not necessarily for the caffeine boost it provides, but more so from the comfort.  I enjoy drinking a warm cup of good java while working throughout the day.  The problem is: I drink way, way, way too much coffee.  And therefore I have decided to try a little experiment.

I am going to test my theory that coffee has been causing some issues with myself.  Could it possibly be linked to my problems? By the end of this experiment I will have an answer. I am giving up coffee for a minimum of one month, but if my hypothesis proves to be true (and all past tests have proven it to be true) I will be giving it up permanently. 

Over the past eight years I have drank coffee religiously each day.  However, I have noticed very subtle changes in my body and mind that I have compiled into this list:

• Tenseness in my jaw
• Tenderness under my eyes
• Tenderness in my eyebrows
• Twittery eyes
• Lockjaw at night when I sleep.
• Lack of a good night sleep
• Lack of dreams
• Drowsiness upon waking
• Complete lethargy around 3:30pm - 5pm.
• Headaches
• Tension in the back of neck
• Lack of focus at times - especially during high doses of coffee
• Tenderness of scalp

Now proponents of coffee would tell me I am crazy.  And, “that there are so many other things that cause these”:

• Staring at the computer for uncomprehendable hours
• Stress from work deadlines
• Lack of exercise
• Poor nutrition
• The list can go on for awhile

And, many times, I would agree with them - if it were not for complete relief from all said ailments when I have quit in the past for short durations. 

“So why am I telling you?” you ask. 

“I am not your doctor.” you say.  

Well, I am using you to help keep me honest.  In the past, I have attempted to quit drinking coffee only to return to it because there is constantly a fresh cup brewing in the breakroom and the fragrance slowly seeps out and across my desk.  Almost begging me to drink it - at least that is how I justify it.  The other reason may be that I get up everyday at 4:30 and coffee just seems to help me settle into the days tasks.  

So, as I write this post I am saying “goodbye” to the final sips of glorious java in my cup and saying “hello” to relief. 

So what do you think?  Is there a coffee connection?

I’ll keep you up to date on the progress.  Have a great day.