“If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs… Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it.” – Rudyard Kipling, Invictus
It’s tough to surprise your girlfriend with the “Big Question” when she picked out the ring in December… and had it sitting around the house for weeks.
But I knew I had to find a way to make it special… and make it snappy… because the ring was sitting in my office… teasing poor Michelle as she worked in the other room each day…
“Michelle, come and put me on,” the ring would sing to her…
But she couldn’t because I hadn’t officially proposed. Obviously this wasn’t fair to poor Michelle. Even worse for her was the anticipation. Anytime I wore something other than my daily outfit of joggers and a t-shirt, she thought, “This might be the moment!”
In my defense I was looking for that perfect moment. But with each week that passed I began to realize that waiting until Ballantyne’s Day was out of the question, because…
And each day she had to wait was torture to her. Still I wasn’t willing to rush what should be one of the most memorable moments of a young woman’s life…
I avoided the cliché date night proposals in fancy restaurants… and the “middle of the woods hike” surprise drop-to-the-knee (after all, how do capture that for Instagram when it’s just you, your lady, and some bears?)
So I thought about it. And then I stressed about it…
Until finally an opportunity fell into my lap…
“I’m going to visit my grandparents this Wednesday afternoon,” Michelle said on Monday. This was exactly what I was waiting for!
Now you might be thinking…
Oh, this is where Craig buys a dozen roses and spreads the petals out over the floor of his home, lights 100 candles, and hires a symphony orchestra to play The Lady in Red to surprise Michelle when she arrives home.
Not quite.
You see, Michelle’s grandparents mean the world to her…
She spent countless days with them during her turbulent teenage years…
Her grandparents were there for her through all the good times and the tough times…
And she spares a special bond with her Grandma… who is truly her best friend…
So I thought there could be no better place to spring a surprise proposal than in front of her grandparents so everyone could enjoy the moment.
“What’s the name of their retirement village again?” I asked (playing dumb) so I could get the address for the Wednesday afternoon surprise visit.
“Oh, and what time will you be home?” I asked. “About 3,” she replied.
“Oh no! Don’t rush home. In fact, I’ll surprise you with dinner… but you can’t come home while I’m making it… so you and Daisy must stay there until at least 4pm,” I said.
I had a podcast scheduled for 2pm Wednesday with client Eric Bach… If he and I finished at 2:45pm and I grabbed an Uber… I could be at Grandma’s before 3:45 pm…
As soon as Michelle left for Grandma’s at lunchtime on Wednesday I quickly changed into my suit and tie to look presentable (for IG photos, of course). Eric and I finished the podcast on time. I hailed my Uber… and then managed to hit every red light on the way…
Was I nervous?
Yes… And I was terrified actually that I wouldn’t arrive in time. Thank goodness for all the stress-relieving breathing techniques I learned during those years when I had to fight off anxiety…
Finally after what he seemed like two hours we pulled into Grandma’s parking lot at 3:37pm…
I looked for Michelle’s car … and my stomach dropped. It was nowhere to be found…
NOOOOO!
They had already left. I had just missed her. Everything was ruined. How would I explain the suit and tie when I get home after her…
And the fact that I didn’t make her dinner!?!
You can imagine my relief when two seconds later I heard the familiar barking of Daisy from inside Grandma’s. Somehow – without seeing me – lil Baby D could sense me.
I turned the corner to their house, walked in, and got down on one knee… And was immediately attacked with a million loving Labrador licks from Daisy… Fortunately D calmed down enough for the show to go on. Grandpa even caught the moment on camera…
(He was also the only one that cried, lol!)
And she said… YES.
Hurray!
The end.
The beginning.
Bottom Line:
You know, there’s a business lesson in here. Advanced results – in anything in life – require superior preparation. If anything is not going the way you want, ask yourself this tough question:
Am I doing the work in advance … the scripting, the thinking, the plotting, the scheming … required to succeed? If not, step back and go next level.
Genius is often simply superior preparation. Spend more time working ON the problem… and less time working IN it. That’s where you’ll find the magic moment & amazing results that you seek.