HOW I GOT A SPEEDING TICKET BECAUSE THE DEPUTY LACKED AN IMPORTANT CHARACTER QUALITY

Here's an example of how my own, and someone else's lack of the character quality of alertness impacted my life...

I was driving faster than the speed limit, but not much faster.  Cars were passing me. 

As we topped a hill, the drivers of two cars that had been following me saw their opportunity to go around me.  Both of them started around me, but then we all saw the sheriff's car at the bottom of the hill.

One of the cars fell back in behind me.  It was too late, though.  The sheriff's deputy stopped all three of us.

As we pulled to the side of the highway, I heard him say with his bullhorn for us to pull forward as far as we could. 

The driver of the car in front of me (the one that had passed me) evidently didn't hear those instructions and did not pull forward as far as she could.

Trying to be obedient, and helpful, I pulled around the car in front of me to make more room on the side of the road. 

I ended up being in the front of the line. 

When the deputy finally got to me to write my speeding ticket, he told me that his radar had clocked me at 79 miles per hour (the speed limit was 55 mph).

I argued with him.  I knew that I had not been going more than 69 mph (I had my speedometer set to warn me at 70 mph) and I told him so, but to no avail. 

It was not until much later that it occurred to me that he apparently had not seen me pull around the car in front of me to a position in the front of the line. 

He assumed that since I was in the front position, it was me that he had clocked at the higher speed. 

He had not been alert to the details of which car was going fastest, and I got the ticket that was meant for the other driver.

It often happens that we are affected by the character of other people as well as our own. 

In this case, it was the officer's lack of alertness.

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Lack of Responsibility, Honor, Discretion and Enthusiasm 

Here is a situation where the character of the employees was definitely not what what was desired...

My wife, Becky, commented to me that she had been in a fast food restaurant near our home and that she definitely was not positively impressed. 

She said that as she started to enter the restaurant she had to walk around one of the employees who was lounging just outside the door smoking a cigarette. 

When she got inside, the counter person did not greet her, did not even look at her, and acted irritated that she had come in and interrupted a flirtation with another of the employees. 

During the whole time when Becky was giving her order, waiting for her food, and sitting in the restaurant to eat, the counter employee carried on her flirtation with the other employee. 

It was a very unpleasant experience for Becky.

As she related this experience to me, I couldn't help but think that the employees had certainly not fulfilled the wishes of the owner of the store. 

I'm sure that the owner wants the employees to act responsibly, showing honor and respect for customers and exercising discretion in their actions. 

My wife contrasted the experience at this restaurant with her experience at another one where she was greeted enthusiastically and made to feel important. 

She said that she would much rather give her business to the restaurant where the employees demonstrated better character.

I'm sure we have all had similar experiences.  I wonder how many times future business is lost because of experiences like these. 

Imagine the potential for a business whose employees demonstrate the character qualities of attentiveness, alertness, creativity, diligence, discretion, enthusiasm, ...

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