Last year was the first time I participated in the experiment called love week which my company is doing. (You can read about the project in my last article here). From the my colleagues I heard that you get your “human” present like flowers, chocolate, cake and whatever you think they would like. I heard from the crazy things some people got (and are spoken about after 2-3 years still) and my first thought was I will not live up to the budget/ expectation my human would have. But everyone kept telling me, "no worries, it is not about the money you invest”.
The Thursday before the Love week started we draw the names from a jar - I got Susan*, a women who just joined us that month and whom I haven’t talked much with before. As she was new there were not many people I could ask about her and I was pretty clueless what - besides the obligatory flowers - I could get for her or what could make her happy.
As Sunday came by, I started to stalk her on Facebook. I did not know what I was really looking for but as I saw what she is posting, who are on the pictures and what she writes about I felt I got to know her better and better. And out of details I noticed became a plan.
- I noticed she was vegetarian and trying to cut out refined sugar, so I got her a beautiful fruit plate for breakfast.
- I noticed that she was teaching Yoga, so I prepared a Chai tea break and gave her intent sticks and asked a Yoga friend if Susan could teach at her beautiful located class.
- As she was from the US, I thought she might have been a backstreet boys fan when she was younger, so I convinced 5 guys from my company to start singing for her in a meeting they had together.
- As she did not know many people I set up a “date” with a girl friend of mine to go roller blading, I saw that she did that whenever she is seeing her friends after awhile.
- And as I thought she might miss her home, I messaged everyone in her Facebook list who shares the same last name and her best friends who were repeatedly on pictures with her and asked them to send me a love message per video for her (and not tell her).
The plan was set up and I felt so excited about it that I even forgot that I will receive love actions too over the week. The week went by and other then the rest of colleagues she did not posted about the things she received so I did not get much feedback and could only hope she liked it. The videos from friends and family were planned for the last day and I felt so relieved when I got an answer from her parents that they will send me it over.
I send her first a message from her best friend and an hour later from her parents per email. Now, as she had a tool to leave a message for me too all her gratefulness and happiness got back to me in the email she wrote me.
I received a message from her brother late and send it still over at the end of the day. When I was packing my stuff together a friend of mine came upstairs telling me that Susan started crying downstairs as she received her brothers message. What I did not know was that she did not hear this kind of love from her brother before. For her that all came with such a surprise and she was endlessly grateful. She later told me that she never thought it is possible that someone who isn’t close to her can be able to shower her with so much love.
WOW, what a compliment that is!
This week really taught me that you never know what little actions can have a huge influence on other peoples life and that the love I spread to her that week was all she needed at exactly that time. Needless to say that this love week made us become close friends. Her family was also so happy to hear about this start she had in Mindvalley and how I impacted it that I got invited to stay at her parents place whenever I would be around.
Here is a sneak peek in what happens in our office during Love Week
If you now feel inspired to try out this project too, you can read more about Love week here.
*I changed her name, for her privacy.