Build Then Bless is the reason that we do what we do over here at Lemonade Stand. If you haven’t heard about Build Then Bless or aren’t really sure what it is. Please read this little article here. We love building and blessing, and I want to start sharing some of the cool stories that we get to hear from our team members about ways that they have been able to bless people, or maybe times that they, themselves, were blessed by the selfless act of another person.
The first one that I am going to share is actually one in which I was on the receiving end of a blessing by one of my favorite team members, Derek Miner.
The coolest (at least to me) part of this story is that I wasn’t even working with these great people yet. I was still in the interviewing process when this happened. That made it even more special to me and is actually one of the reasons that I knew I needed to come here and be a part of this amazing team.
So, here’s what happened.
I interviewed with a few people from the team just to get to know everybody and to see if there was anyway that I could possibly add to the already amazing team and culture that had been built here. This was just one interview, and I was already thinking to myself “ok. I have to be a part of this!” But then it got even better!
At the same time that I was interviewing with Lemonade Stand, I was preparing to take a really difficult and stressful professional exam. This was my third of four, and it was one of the more difficult of the four. I was studying daily and stressing out about taking this exam soon.
I was scheduled to take the test on a Saturday. The Wednesday before the test was going to happen, I got an email from one Derek Miner (with whom I had one, single conversation). The email was pretty simple. I think it was actually Saint Patrick’s day that he sent it. It said,
“Hey, Preston! I heard that you were taking your CPA exam today, just wanted to send a quick note and wish you good luck! Seems like a fitting day to be wishing luck! ;)”
Simple as it was, it was more than enough. I was absolutely stunned. I could not believe that someone I had talked to once would care enough about me, just for being another human being in the world, to take time out of their day (and he is always slammed with things to do) just to wish me luck on an exam that had literally nothing to do with himself.
How thoughtful does one have to be to do something like this? I am still not even sure how he knew I was scheduled to take my exam that week. But he did know, and he did care. This also wasn’t just some crazy tactic to try to recruit me either. They didn’t even have a job opening for my kind of skill set that they were trying to fill. I was the one trying to convince them that I could help them out.
This was just a pure act of service and kindness that really touched me. It wasn’t some huge service project. It didn’t cost any money. I don’t even think it took a whole lot of time. It was just the fact that I had been thought of and cared for and that he would do something so personal and individual for me that made this such an incredible Build Then Bless moment.
Derek blessed my life that day as he has blessed the lives of hundreds of other people. This is what Build Then Bless is all about. These are what we call microinteractions. The small moments of kindness and love that we all have the ability to perform each and every day in almost every moment of our lives built up all together will create a lasting and impactful change throughout the entirety of the world and for all humankind.
That’s what we’re trying to do with Build Then Bless.
Join us and bless somebody’s life today!