Ice Breaker Dinner and Retreat (participants only)

Wednesday, August 24th, 25th & 26th

Want to learn more about LJC? Call the Chamber at (601) 649-3031

"Love is shown in your deeds, not in your words."

~ Fr. Jerome Cummings 

I normally don't send these type emails... haven't we all typed those words? I really enjoy getting those emails because it means that a friend has read something that has touched them so much they feel inclined to let down their guard and share it with others. Even more special, it means they have remembered me or a situation I have gone through and I am on their mind at that moment and they want to share their experience with me.

Wouldn't it be cool if we could get our customers (or visitors) to have the same emotion about our business and community? The feeling that the experience of working/shopping with us is so special that they want to specifically identify their friends who would get just as much joy from doing business with us, that would be the ultimate customer relationship experience. That is how to make customers (and friends) for life. I encourage you to seek out what makes your business authentic and excel at making the user-customer experience the best it can be. With good customer service in place I'm sure the cash registers will be ringing!

 I recently received one of those emails from a friend of mine. It doesn't have a lot to do with business, but in a way it does. It teaches a lot about life, people, relationships and leadership. The author is unknown but I hope you enjoy the message just the same.

When I was a kid, my mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work. On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage, and extremely burned biscuits in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at my mom, and ask me how my day was at school. I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad for burning the biscuits. And I'll never forget what he said: "Honey, I love burned biscuits." Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his biscuits burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, "Your momma put in a long hard day at work today and she's real tired. And besides... a burnt biscuit never hurt anyone!"

You know, life is full of imperfect things... and imperfect people. I'm not the best at hardly anything, and I forget birthdays and anniversaries just like everyone else. What I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each other's faults and choosing to celebrate each other's differences is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship. So...please pass me a biscuit. And yes, the burned one will do just fine! 

Life is too short to wake up with regrets... Love the people who treat you right and forget about the ones who don't.

ENJOY LIFE NOW - IT HAS AN EXPIRATION DATE

~ Unknown

"Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need."

~ Kahlil Gibran

"Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent."

~ Marilyn vos Savant

"Nothing resists a human will that stakes its very existence upon the achievement of its purpose."

~ Benjamin Disraeli

"Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved."

~ Williams Jenning Bryan

"Truth, like gold, is to be obtained not by its growth, but by washing away from it all that is not gold." 

~ Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy

A Study to Learn More about MCE Initiatives

"Red Hots and Deep Blues: Stories of Mississippi's Creative Economy" profiles people and places that have successfully harnessed creativity in their lives and communities.

Download a print-ready PDF document here