In exchange for a tip, Flaco would help us load the customer’s luggage onto the Mexican train. Our “customers” were western-state college students looking to let loose on our embarrassingly wild, Spring Break “all you could eat, drink, party n’ puke” 7-day train drain.

It was our last night in Mazatlan and the students were rallying at the train-station for the return back to California. I was in charge of taking care of last minute problems and issues.

But tonight I’m overloaded. Everything’s going wrong. Students are swarming. On top of this…I have to pee.

I make a bee-line for the bathroom. A scruffy man blocks my entrance. “Mil pesos”, he grunts. Nature can wait. I turn and walk away.

As the train rumbles into the station, students scatter like cats. Pressure escalates. Amidst the confusion, Flaco decides to join in. With uncustomary aggressiveness, he suddenly grabs my hand for a tip in advance.

“No tengo dinero!” I holler.

A moment later he grabs again, this time with more aggressiveness.  I’m going insane.

I finally holler, “Vaya, hombre. Vaya!” (Go!)

He dosen’t. 

Instead, Flaco makes a last-ditch lurch for my hand, shoves a piece of metal into my palm, flashes a pie-eating grin, turns and runs off into the crowd.

I’m incredulous. What the hell was that all about?

As I look down and opened my palm, a flush of emotion shoots through me. In my hand is a bright, shiny, 1000 peso coin.                   

Flaco had seen me turn away from the bathroom. Thinking I had no money, this shoeless, destitute orphan gave me perhaps the equivalent of a weeks work of wages so I could use the bathroom. 

Here’s the point: Flaco blindsided me that night. I never saw it coming. Bam! Right out of the blue. However his action suddenly, and completely altered my perception of the evening.  Nothing could rattle me after that.

That “tension intervention” happened over 30 years ago. Yet the experience resides in the hallways of my mind to this day. Seared into memory for life.

I call it blindside branding.

Want to instantly arrest stress and create a memorable moment in the process? Go out and blindside someone with stellar kindness when they least expect it. A customer, co-worker, friend or even stranger. Brand their brain with a differentiated act of “wow!”

The process will ricochet back to you in the form of less tension, more joy, better health, happiness, contentment, good relationship, an energized day, and a better night’s sleep.

Did I miss anything?

Oh yeah… it’ll change this stressed-out, overloaded world for the better.

Say you can’t afford the time nor the “coin”?

Tell that to my friend, Flaco.