The Power of Moments summary

One day, a small familial crisis erupted when a little boy suddenly realized that he’d forgotten Joshie, his stuffed giraffe, at the Ritz-Carlton hotel where the boy’s family had been staying.

The father quickly contacted the hotel staff and asked them to send the giraffe ASAP, and he also asked whether, in the meantime, they could send a photo of Joshie to show his son that the giraffe was safe.

We’ve come a long way since the early days of indoor plumbing and public sewer systems. Yet there are still places in the world where sanitation is a daily, life-threatening concern. In 2016, there were still a billion people around the world defecating outdoors – a problem that’s proved difficult to solve.

Back in 1999, the WaterAid organization was helping to install public toilets in Bangladesh, but getting people to use them was a challenge that required the use of a memorable experience.

Most people have a dream – something they’d love to do, if only they had the time, money or resources.

As the saying goes, there are no guarantees in life. If you follow your dreams, you may not find success, but you’re bound to create meaningful moments that will, at the very least, provide insight.

One’s teenage years can be a difficult stretch of time, especially if one has a tendency to be nervous or lacking in confidence.

And this general observation brings us to the next defining element of memorable moments: pride.

It can be downright annoying to have someone tell you to “turn that frown upside down,” or to be informed that you should make lemonade when life gives you lemons. If you’re in the middle of a painful breakup, this kind of unrelenting positivity can make you feel even worse.

Yet, as is the case with all clichés, those banal comments contain a kernel of truth, since it really is beneficial to use a bad memorable experience as a catalyst for good memorable experiences.

If you run your own business, the last thing you want to do is create a bad experience that a customer will never forget.

Of course, poor customer experiences can range from simply annoying to downright tragic.

In 2010, the Stanton Elementary School in Washington, DC, was ranked among the worst schools in America. But that year, Carlie Fisherow was hired as the new school principal, and she was determined to put the school on the path to recovery.

Fisherow began her repairs in the usual way, by refurbishing the rooms and replenishing supplies and hiring a new team of teachers. But she soon discovered that a more creative approach was called for.