…No, not that kind, silly! This is a Christian website!
But in our household, there IS something we call “the love factor.” I made up it up years ago to describe just how much love is packed into every single thing we do on a scale of one to ten, and it’s come in quite handy in demonstrating the difference between the right and wrong way to act. (I guess I’ll always be a homeschooling mom at heart, no matter how old my kids are!)
Here’s a couple of examples: On the rare occasion that I go out of my way to make a special dinner for my family… no matter how good it turns out… the love factor of that meal is a 10. When I buy the ingredients and put them together I envision my family sitting around the table, enjoying each other’s company. It’s an act of love, and I’m smiling throughout. At the same time, if my kids come to the dinner table arguing, it immediately brings the love factor down to a level 2. I point it out to them, and they get it!
I was thinking recently of some of the best gifts we’d ever given our kids. One stands out with a particularly high love factor. It was a car we bought for our son Josh’s 16th birthday. We didn’t have much money to spend, but we did find a 1992 red Camaro that looked really cool. We drove it home from Miami, and I have to admit, it rode really rough. We were wondering if we’d made the right decision. We definitely did. The look on Josh’s face when he walked into the garage and saw that car was priceless. A 10 for sure!
When we go to our jobs or place of business each day, we should go with a love factor of 10, intending to do the best we possibly can, with a smile on our face. If we stop for gossip, or spend time surfing the Internet when we should be working, it brings the love factor all the way down.
Imagine dealing with an unreasonable customer. If you lose your cool and let your emotions get the best of you, the love factor hits rock bottom and you may lose out on a big deal. On the other hand, if you deal with the same customer in a kind, loving and understanding way, you can win them over… and they’ll know who to go to in the future. That’s the love factor at work!
Lots of people don’t realize how much love really does comes to play in business, but it definitely does, even if it’s not in the “traditional” sense. People want to do business in a place where they’re treated with respect, kindness, and compassion… all HUGE parts of love! Doing your work with a spirit of excellence is doing it with a high love factor.
As you go throughout your day, take a minute to reflect on the things you do. The way you treat other people. The way you answer the phone. The look on your face. The menial tasks you need to do that aren’t the most exciting like grocery shopping, cleaning the house, mowing the lawn. On a scale of 1-10, where’s your love factor?
If JESUS were walking on the face of the earth today, I guarantee everything HE did would have a love factor of 10. Isn’t it time we all set our standard the same way? After all, we’re the only JESUS many people will ever meet. Give ‘em some love!