While riding a cab to the airport, the driver and I established a great rapport. We talked about our kids, our business and life in general; we laughed, agreed and disagreed but at the end we had a great interaction.
 
Before reaching the terminal he turned around and said to me: “ This is the best conversation that I ever had with a passenger. The way you express yourself, there is no chance of misinterpretation.”  A few minutes later, while dropping me at the gate, he gave me a strong handshake and repeated: “I meant it, this is the best conversation that I ever had with a passenger, have a safe trip.”
 
Great complement, even though I know that I’m not the most approachable person in the room. Thank you, thank you!
 
So here is my thought:
 
Approachable people listen and pay attention.  They interact, ask questions and do their best to understand by showing genuine concern and kindness. They smile and talk about positive things; they make people feel good.  They are real.
 
People are drawn to approachable people because they feel that they matter to that person; with that person they have their spirits lifted not looked down on.

Always keep in mind: It takes no effort to be nice, to give a sincere compliment, to be kind to a person. Most of the time we are so wrapped up in ourselves that we miss out on the beauty of meeting and interacting with a stranger.
 
A kind word can make a big difference on a person’s moment, day or life! - MFR
 

Last night, our daughter Isabela approached me:
​“Did you see what so and so posted?”
“Yes” I replied
“Can I post a comment about it?” she asked
“No” I said, “We do not want to engage in anymore battles… “
 
Anyway, a friend of ours posted something similar to this: “I voted for Trump but I am tolerant, I am not a racist, a sexist or a homophobe.”
 
Umm…
 
I can understand why people are on the defense after voting for Trump; knowing that he and his crusaders managed to intimidate and threaten every minority group, denigrate all women, among other things…
 
Although the vast majority of these voters never publicly agreed with his bigotry, they never denounced him; and that is the key “they never denounced and still voted for him!”
 
So here is a suggestion to all these people that are on the defense and want to make amends:
 
First, look around at your circle of friends and truly ask yourself:
Are any of them different than you? How diverse are they, are they gay or straight, do they practice another religion or come from a different ethnicity group…
 
If you feel that the majority of your friends look and think like you do, you are part of a “clique”, a small group of people who spend time together with shared interests in common, and readily allow others to join them; you are blocked from outside influence and have similar beliefs about people and the world.
 
That being the case, I do not have any problem, we all belong to our own “clique”, however, lack of exposure is not an excuse for intolerance toward those who hold different opinions or look different than us.
 
So my friend, I hope that from now on your actions will speak much louder than your vote; the next president has been chosen and there is nothing we can do about the choice, yet we can not become deaf or blind to his ruling; from now on we will loudly condemn xenophobia, bigotry and sexism.
 
I am optimistic that you will stay vigilant and always stand up to intolerance!