Written by Jeffrey R. Armstrong – President/Owner of Armstrong Capital
Your favorite Master Note Buyer – Straightforward, Honest, Fair…
It is Saturday evening, tomorrow is Easter and I’m sitting in the Honolulu, Hawaii airport waiting for my 9:20pm flight back to Los Angeles after teaching a CCFC training session here in Waikiki. I don’t know what I want to write but I really feel like sharing my experience here. Words cannot describe the feelings that this special class of 37 students has left me with. I feel wonderful, euphoric and even blessed.
I am happy to have had the chance to meet such a terrific group of people, sad to be leaving them, confused as to why everyone in America and this world can’t be just as genuine, content to have had the opportunity to see life from their perspective, grateful for the opportunity to assist this group of people on their path to success in the cash flow industry and amazed at the outpouring of acceptance, love and generosity that this class has shown to me, fellow visiting instructor Tim Sardinia and on-site coordinator Brandy Hunt. I can honestly say that I think that they have shared just as much if not more than I have shared with them in these last three days.
Being from Southern California many people just assume that I have been to Hawaii before however this was my first time visiting the wonderful place that is Hawaii. Sure it has beautiful sights, palm trees, warm clear blue water, and white sandy beaches but what I was most struck by is the Hawaiian attitude and demeanor. I have found the Hawaiian people to be truly attentive, honest and truly caring people.
In the short amount of time that I have had here in Hawaii I have seen first hand the patient, caring and generous attitude of the Hawaiian people. At first I was a little put off by the laid back, we’ll get to it when we can, waiters and hotel staff. But as time went by I learned that it wasn’t that they didn’t care but that they took the time to talk to me and find out about me rather than just get straight to business or just do their job. The waiters at the restaurants seemed to really care if I was happy with my meal and if I had everything that I wanted, not because it was their job but because they actually cared. I don’t know, maybe it was just me or the fact that in Los Angeles you can actually tell that the waiters are just doing those things because they have to. One morning I woke up early and took a walk on the beach and was not in the room for my wake up call. I arrived back in my room about 10 minutes after my scheduled wake up call and a few minutes later there was a knock on my door. It was a hotel staff member asking if I was ok. They were concerned that I had not answered my wake up call. I’ve been in many hotels and missed many wake up calls and have never had anyone check in on me, ever.
I noticed that the class as a whole was exceptionally attentive and asked concise, direct questions. They were all very interested in how this industry could not only put them on the path to financial freedom and success but they were equally interested in how they could help other people in the process. I spoke with many of the students in this class on an individual basis, in both one-on-one sessions and in between scheduled sessions, and was continually struck by their friendliness and eagerness to learn about the cash flow industry and to share their culture with me. I was given gifts, lays, invitations and their true friendship. At the end of class when some of them came up to me and thanked me for being there and taking the time to share my knowledge and experiences with them, a few of the students actually had tears in their eyes. It was a very poignant moment for me.
Why am I sharing this with you? As some of you might know I have always run my cash flow business straightforward, honest and fair…the way it should be. I preach it, I teach it and I live by it. After speaking and teaching to this class I do not think that this was a new concept to this group of people. I think that we as cash flow consultants and professionals in this industry can learn a lot from them and their Hawaiian attitude.