“We don’t just do what’s easy; we do what’s right.”
“If your “why” doesn’t make you cry, then your “why” is not strong enough.”
-Jack Fallon
If you are blessed to work at TLC, attend one of our live broadcasts, or if you attend a TLC live event, you will eventually hear Jack Fallon ask you your “why” or talk about his “why.” He is happy that you have chosen to work here, that you ordered a product from TLC or that your just part of the community. But he also knows that if your “why” is important, you will achieve everything you are looking for and more!
Your WHY can keep you focused, hungry, and energized even when you feel like you are getting tired or overwhelmed. That constant reminder of your WHY is the fuel that will keep you going.
In the last two weeks, I was part of some of the most extraordinary and impactful initiatives in TLC history. I look back at those two weeks, and I realize that we had a 12 Days of Christmas promotion that we planned 48 hours before it launched and only three days after the historic Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend.
We also launched with 16 hours notice the TLC local restaurant takeover to help struggling area business owners due to pandemic shutdowns. The giant tree lighting and the ornament sale were both planned on very short notice. We also adopted a few local families in need and are helping them have a Christmas. All of this happened while all of our other daily tasks continued.
It was a crazy busy and almost non stop two weeks here at TLC for everyone. Despite that, nobody stopped for one minute to complain, nobody mentioned they thought we were doing too much, and nobody stopped smiling. Also, nobody tried to make anything easier; everyone wanted all of it to be great in true TLC fashion. There is a reason for this. Do you want to know WHY? It’s because the WHY made us cry!
Of course, this year has been a blessed one for TLC. God has been good to us and allowed us to give back financially more than ever, but the work involved in accomplishing all the initiatives has been very challenging. All involved deserve all the blessings in the world, and we should be proud of what we have accomplished this year and this season.
Black Friday Weekend: Our WHY was our Life Changers and customers. We knew that they had blessed us with their trust, loyalty, and purchases all year, and we just wanted to give back to them that weekend, and we did. Many sacrificed their Thanksgiving holiday and worked on their days off. Sleep was not an option for us, and surprises and excitement continued for four days, and all because that WHY kept us going!
We then started the 12 Days of Christmas. We were tired; we had just had huge sales, and many purchased and stocked up on their favorite products, so we did not need more promotions, nor did our community expect any. But Jack reminded us that 12 Days of Christmas was a TLC tradition, which became our WHY. Knowing that 12 Days was not only a tradition, but it’s fun and impactful moments kept us all smiling and working hard. Preserving tradition, it seems, is a WHY that can make you cry.
Moving on to the TLC Local Restaurant takeover. The state of Michigan decided to protect citizens’ health and required restaurants to be closed for in-person dining, which is understandable. But with many business owners barely hanging on financially, it threatened the existence of many of them. We knew we could not help all of them, but we knew we could help some and not just by purchasing food or having the public buy carryout orders. We also wanted to remind those business owners that someone cared and the human spirit was alive and well. The WHY made us cry. And as we visited the restaurants, many of the owners were brought to tears as they witnessed the TLC love.
TLC’s Tree Lighting and Ornament sale: This one was our most impressive achievement of the entire year in my mind. The tree, the sale of the ornaments, and the Livestream event with the virtual audience was terrific. So much work went into it, so many ideas kept coming on how to make it better, so many strangers found out and wanted to help, and so much joy and hope was displayed on Tuesday, December 15th at that event; it helped people come together, work hard and smile, I will never forget the feeling of that event last night, but I will also never forget the work that went into it.
All involved in the tree lighting event had a WHY that was so powerful that it kept everyone going and helped deliver a spectacular evening to the world. What was that WHY you ask? Benny Freeman, a 7-year-old boy with down syndrome and autism, reminded us that all of us matter, even those with disabilities or special needs. He reminds us that one story, one smile can inspire thousands to unite and help the world be a better place.
All the initiatives I just wrote about were not easy to do. Many people would not have noticed or even faulted us for not doing a few of those initiatives, but ALL OF THEM were the right thing to do. When you ask yourself if it’s the right thing to do, and if the WHY makes you cry, you MUST do it. Stop rethinking it and do it; that’s what Jack and TLC have taught the rest of the TLC crusaders in the world and me.
As we continue moving forward, sometimes we don’t have a specific why like Benny Freeman, but we always have the TLC WHY’S, which include helping people, bringing joy to the world, serving others; I could go on forever. But I think you get the point; our WHY is pushing us and keeping us going every day because the WHY includes all the stuff that makes us cry. Our families, our kids, strangers that have a story like us, and everything that helps make the world better and brings hope to people like us.
Today we start a new initiative, and most likely after that one is complete or maybe even before it ends, we will create another one. It won’t be easy, but it will be the right thing to do. How do we know? That’s simple because The WHY will make us cry!
Grab a box of tissues, put on your favorite TLC shirt or hat and let’s go! We have work to do and lives to change! Who is with me?
This week I would love it if you reply to me privately with your personal WHY; I would like to hear about it, and it’s an excellent way for you to remind yourself. What keeps you going every day? Let me know.
Thanks for reading!
Next week is Christmas week; let’s all love and remind each other we are blessed.
