Some mornings it seems like the whole world is out to get you. Even the bird's chirping sounds a little bit too high-pitched, your coffee was just a little bit too bitter, and the ride to work seemed just a little bit too long.  Unfortunately, Jennifer Green was having one of those mornings. Not only did two staff members call and sick at the Mexican fast food restaurant where she worked, but she was also seven months pregnant and the baby was feisty that day. Jennifer didn't have the luxury of just rolling back in bed, especially on a day when the restaurant was so short-staffed.  When she got to work she found that they were slightly behind schedule. It was all hands on deck as the staff worked double time to meet up with their 11am opening time. Just when it seems like things were getting back on track, and they might just meet up with the deadline, a Karen walked in. Her day couldn't possibly get any worse, right? Well her name wasn't Karen, but she sure behaved like a Karen. For those not familiar with the term, Karen refers to a middle-aged white woman who believes she is much more entitled or privileged than she actually is. The origin of the term isn't quite clear, but it has become quite popular on social media in recent times. Karen's are usually depicted as blonde, white, sporting a bob cut, and usually demand to see the manager over unnecessary things. The Karen marched in through the employee side door, like seriously, 10 minutes before the opening time. Trailing behind her was a group of teenagers. Jennifer felt a premonition that her day might be getting a lot worse, but tried to keep things under control. Sorry, we don't open until 11, Jennifer told Karen as she sauntered towards the counter oblivious to everything but her phone. She thrust something at Jennifer and promptly went to sit down at a table. Realizing that Karen had thrust a credit card at her, Jennifer tried to get her attention once more. Karen merely called through the window let them get whatever they want. She was referring to the group kids who had come in with her. At this point, Jennifer realized that this must be the same Karen who the staff regularly complained about. She came in every Sunday morning with a group of teenagers, and was known for terrorizing the staff. This was definitely going to be a long morning. Jennifer tried to take charge of the situation. Jennifer promised that she wouldn't let this ruin her day, so she tried to take charge of the situation. Company policy demands that customers be present at the register when their payment is being made via credit card transactions for their safety and that of the company. I need you to be at the register when I ring it up, ma'am. Company policy, Jennifer called out to Karen.  As she headed towards the table she could feel the baby kicking, and this only served to make things worse. Most customers cut her some slack when they saw the growing baby bump, but Karen seemed oblivious to the nuisance she was causing. She said a silent prayer than this was all a misunderstanding, and that Karen will come around once things are explained to her calmly. Jennifer couldn't have been more disappointed in her response. That's when things really started to get ugly. What part of they can get whatever they wanted you not understand, she fired at Jennifer. I don't care what you charge me as long as I get a receipt, she said with a look of pure contempt. To top things off she ended the tirade with don't interrupt me again, or I'll get you fired, as she waved Jennifer away. After her hectic morning plus the baby's kicking, Jennifer was practically at her breaking point.  If it's trouble Karen wanted, it's trouble she's going to get. As per company policy, customers are required to be physically present at the register when their credit card is being charged. This helps prevent fraud and disputes between clients and the restaurant. But it was also just common sense. If something was to happen to the card while in possession of the company, they might be held liable. Also, the card owner may be charged with negligence by the credit card issuer. Most importantly it makes sure what occurred next never happens. The group of teenagers had been waiting patiently while the whole exchange was taking place. So Jennifer went ahead and did exactly as she was told. She took their orders and served them all their food. After serving their meals, she charged Karen through her credit card. She brought over the receipt, careful not to disturb her. Then Jennifer decided it was time for her to take a little break. She told the staff to come to get her when Karen sees the bill. She needed a break desperately. Jennifer knew it would only be a matter of time before Karen saw the bill. She expected a huge reaction from her. Anyone would react if they say a bill that large. As much as she wanted to stick around and watch the saga unfold, she desperately needed a break. The events of that morning had been almost too much for her to handle. She felt drained physically, mentally and emotionally. All she needed was a few minutes of peace and quiet. As Jennifer settled in for her quick break in the break room with a cup of coffee in her hand, she noticed that she could watch the whole thing unfold right through the CCTV monitor. She kicked back her chair, took a sip of her coffee and waited. She watched as Karen finally took a look at the receipt. She saw her face go through various expressions, first surprise, then disbelief, before finally settling on rage. I want to speak with your manager, Karen screamed. Jennifer calmly watched the angered woman grow more irritated by the minute.  It was time for action. As she stepped out the first thing she noticed was that Karen had turned an unflattering shade of crimson and was getting redder by the minute. Well, her complexion was unlikely to improve anytime soon, especially after hearing what Jennifer has to say next. Walking confidently up to Karen, she composed herself, squared her shoulders and got ready to make the big reveal. That's me, she said calmly on the manager. Karen slammed the receipt on the table and started mumbling through a mouthful of food. Jennifer couldn't make out anything she was saying, but one word rang out clearly, refund. Jennifer simply took a look at the receipt, and it was clear to anybody who saw it why Karen reacted the way she did. In all her time working at the grill, Jennifer has seen some pretty strange things, but this had to be a first. The receipt before Karen was easily the longest that she had ever seen. It looked more like the kind of receipt you get at a drug store that's crammed with discounts. Unfortunately, Karen wasn't expecting any discounts. This receipt was filled with all the expensive orders and sides the kids had made while she was on her phone. To top it off the figure at the bottom was enough to quake even the most stout hearted of people. At the bottom of the receipt was a whopping total of $250. Apparently, the kids weren't just hungry, but they had quite expensive tastes too. By this point, Karen was practically livid and was demanding that they refund her money. Jennifer tried to calmly explain that she could not possibly refund that level of inventory. It was against company policy and would probably get her fired. She told Karen that she had requested several times for her to be physically present at the register when the charges were made. That's when Karen flipped out. By that time the restaurant had started to fill up. Karen was causing a commotion by holding up the line and arguing with Jennifer. Several of the other customers tried to calm her down, but she wasn't having any of it. Even though she was secretly enjoying seeing Karen flustered like that, it was time to calm things down. The situation was causing a scene and holding up business. As Jennifer tried to calm Karen down things suddenly got out of control. As Jennifer stepped forward to try to calm Karen down before things took a turn for the worse. The angry Karen suddenly pushed Jennifer as hard as she could. Time seemed to stand still as the pregnant waitress toppled backward. From the look on the face of Karen, she knew that she had made a big mistake. No matter what her issue with that receipt was, she should not have laid her hands on a staff member and especially a pregnant one. Luckily for Jennifer and Karen, one of the other staff members was able to catch Jennifer right before she hit the ground. She absorbed the full impact of the fall and probably saved Jennifer with her quick thinking. The entire restaurant let out a collective sigh of relief that a serious accident had been averted. Now they all turned to face Karen, whose expensive bill issues suddenly seemed forgotten. From the look on her face, she knew she was in trouble. Suddenly tall men stepped forward from the crowd. They were regulars at the grill and as it turned out were police officers who were off duty at the moment and came to enjoy a quiet lunch. Though Jennifer didn't want to press charges for the sake of the kids, the officers insisted that they had just witnessed an attack on a pregnant woman. This qualifies for aggravated assault and they had to arrest Karen. Talk about a twist.  This was definitely not how either of them expected their day to turn out. Every day we go through certain situations that test us. Remember to always be polite to anyone you meet, especially those in the service industry. Always try to keep your cool, no matter how irritated you get, and never lay your hands on another person in anger. The main character in our next story is quite similar to Jennifer. She's also pregnant and working in a restaurant. But something very different happens between her and the customer that results in her chasing him into the parking lot keep reading to find out more. In our fast-paced environment, anger, outrage, and sadness are all too familiar. Most people tend to live their lives on their own and give little to no consideration to others. Many have already lost their faith in humanity and often find it hard to accept goodwill from others. However, there are times when the smallest acts of kindness show us that there is indeed hope left for everyone. In mid-February, a pregnant waitress who worked at a busy diner didn't expect that she would experience the positive effects of unexpected kindness from a customer, least of all from a police officer. The lunch was simple, the service went on like a routine, and the cop was charged $8.75 total for his meal. However, it was only after he left that the pregnant waitress discovered what the cop had done for her. It left her in tears. Courtney English is a 23-year-old woman living in Camden County, New Jersey. She is a cheerful woman who has a smile ready for everyone. She is also industrious and hard-working. Her winning attitude is what made her great and well-appreciated in her job. For almost two years, Courtney worked on an on-and-off basis at Lamp Post Diner in Clementon, New Jersey. She was never ashamed of her work and had other part-time jobs that made her working schedule tight. Even when Courtney got pregnant, she wanted all the more to take her shifts in the diner so that she would be able to make ends meet. Unlike most women who tend to stop working when they become pregnant, Courtney knew that would never work in her situation.  She chose to stay committed to her job as a waitress. Somehow, she had gotten used to the job and although it was always busy at the diner, the pleasant co-workers there, who she already treated as her friends, made everything more comfortable and smooth for her. Moreover, she had gotten used to her regular customers, all of whom were excited for her. Courtney's life was an open book to her friends and co-workers. She fell in love and was excited to build a future with a man she had met at one of her odd jobs. They lived together at her boyfriend's small flat and there, they began to dream about a family. Even though she was young, she felt sure she had found the love of her life. Despite her father's advice about not being aggressive and impulsive, Courtney was deeply in love. She felt as if she was more than ready to face the world. However, it seemed that some good things in life were never meant to last for her. They had been only living together for a few months when her now ex-boyfriend started showing his true colors. He had had some dirty dealings in his jobs and couldn't keep his faithfulness to their relationship. She had forgiven him the first time he was caught. However, it soon became a hobby for the abusive man. The time Courtney finally realized she had enough, was also around the same time she discovered she was pregnant with his baby. Hoping that it would be the start of something new, she excitedly told him about her condition. However, he saw her pregnancy as the bomb that shattered their dreams into pieces. When Courtney realized she had fallen in love with the wrong man, she had no choice but to leave him. She was pregnant at the moment and only had some part-time jobs to live by. She was only 20 years old, and it was hard for her to swallow her pride, but she soon found herself on her father's doorsteps. Seeing his daughter helpless and crying, Brian Cartigan didn't have second thoughts of taking her back, even after they had argued. Courtney would always be his little girl, and he promised himself that he would always be her knight in shining armor. Thanks to his love and guidance, Courtney found herself back on track again. Typically, a pregnant woman is advised to rest and avoid physical activities, especially during her third trimester. As a waitress, Courtney was well aware that her job was physically demanding. However, she had no choice as she needed all the money from it. She was determined to stay at the diner until the end of February, even as her pregnancy was in its eighth month. Aside from the risks she was taking every day at the busy diner, Courtney was not ashamed to admit that she was still living with her father. She couldn't afford to rent her own apartment, at least, not at the moment. All she could think of was to deliver her baby safely and healthily into the world. For her, other plans for the future could wait. Lamp post diner is a small but famous destination for locals. The food is delicious and always served fresh. Moreover, the menu is wallet friendly. Like any other food hub in the area, the diner has its own regular customers. Every day, Courtney expects to see them, and they catch up with one another. The atmosphere within the diner is friendly, and the people can easily see they are dining with family. Because of this warm environment, Courtney had no trouble working hard and was used to giving her best smile to everyone. Since Courtney is naturally friendly and courteous to everyone, the regulars are happy to have a chat with her whenever there's a chance. She always wears a beautiful smile, and she genuinely cares for everyone. Soon enough, she developed friendships with her regular customers, and they have the habit of updating each other about their personal lives. Of course, most of them were excited for her and her baby as well.  Mostly, she would look at the family's dining together and imagine what her daughter would look like. At times, there would be a pain whenever she thought of her ex-boyfriend, not because she was still in love with him, but because Courtney believed she wouldn't be able to give her daughter a complete family. But as fast as that thought crossed her mind, she would also remember her loving father and her supportive friends who always assured her that everything would be all right. But she knew that ultimately, she had the sole responsibility for her future. That knowledge gave her the strength and the courage to go on with her life day by day. The days seemed to fly for the mother to be as she was always busy at the diner. Whenever her schedule was light, she would talk to her baby and smile at the thought of seeing her soon. She couldn't wait for her due date. Her manager at the diner, as well as her co-workers, had been very supportive. As much as possible, they gave the pregnant woman lighter tasks, so that the safety of her baby would not be compromised. They knew how hardworking Courtney was and she deserved all the help she could get.  However, Courtney had no idea that before she was able to file for her maternity leave, something unforgettable would happen at the diner. Friday is the start of the busiest days at the Lamp Pass Diner. Customers come flocking at the end of the week, and Courtney had to move fast, but efficiently. Since she knew exactly what her regular customers wanted, she often found the time to entertain newer diners. It was a Friday when a police officer stopped by at the diner for lunch. Although he was not a regular customer, Courtney knew that it wasn't the first time the cop had entered their place. Since the other waitresses were busy, she went on her way and politely waited on the policeman with her most cheerful smile. He seemed to be in a rush when he gave out his order. The man in question was a Voorhees township police officer. Aside from the uniform that gave away his job, the other waitress told Courtney that he came to the diner to grab something to eat every now and then. He ordered a salad and a glass of water and waited for his order patiently. Since Courtney was naturally efficient with her job, the cop's order was delivered to his table in no time at all. He muttered a word of thanks and started to eat right away, looking oblivious to his surroundings. So when Courtney moved over to the next table for a quick chat with her regular customers, she had no idea that the cop's ears were still on her. The family at the other table next to the Voorhees township police officer was close to Courtney. They casually asked about her pregnancy and even advised her to take her maternity leave already. Her belly was already large and her customers were growing quite concerned about her situation. In a determined voice, the pregnant waitress told her regulars that she planned to work until the end of the month. The doctor had given her a due date of April 1st, and she needed all the shifts she could get. It was a casual talk for Courtney, and she had no idea that the man from the other table was intently listening to every word she said. Perhaps it's true that cops are always in a rush. It didn't take that long for the police officer to finish his salad. He promptly gestured to Courtney for the bill. His simple lunch had cost a total of $8.75. Courtney took the receipt from the register and brought it to his table. He was poker-faced as he handed the bill back to Courtney. She thanked him and wished him a good day as he left the diner. As part of the protocol, she took the receipt to the cashier and went on to continue with her job. But within a minute, she was informed of some surprising news. When the cashier showed Courtney what had been written on the receipt, Courtney had to do a double take. In the tips section, the cop had written $100. At the side of the paper, he also scribbled a personal message that made Courtney's eyes water in an instant. His order hadn't even cost him $10, and it was a real surprise to see such generosity. Since the cop was only gone for only a few minutes, Courtney ran out of the diner and checked the parking lot. She looked for a cop car and scanned the vehicles leaving the premise. However, she failed to spot a generous customer. When she returned inside, the real essence of what had happened came to her all at once. Aside from the $100 tip, the cop had left a sweet message. It was not unusual for the customers, especially her regulars, to give her extra tips every now and then. However, this was the largest so far, and the thought that it came from someone who seldom visited the diner was quite strange to the pregnant waitress. But aside from the surprising act of generosity, it was the note that baffled Courtney's mind. She tried to remember what happened earlier. She was sure she had only asked for the cop's order, delivered him his meal, and attended to him only when he had asked for the bill. There had been no casual conversation between them. For a moment, Courtney thought it was just a random act of kindness. But what about the personal note? Courtney read the note again and again. It read, enjoy you are first, you will never forget it. Then, in an instant, the realization hit her. She remembered talking to her regular customers on the next table about how excited she was for her first baby. She even bragged that she would have a beautiful baby which she planned to name Kaley. Perhaps the police officer had overheard the conversation and detected the genuine excitement in her voice. Courtney also remembered saying that she would soon be out of work and was taking advantage of every penny she could get in the meantime. Even without having a direct conversation with the officer, she was pretty sure that the mysterious man had felt she needed extra resources. All the staff and the diner were close to each other, and they were extremely happy for Courtney. They witnessed how she struggled to continue working even when her belly was too big and heavy for the job. Moreover, they knew how she valued her role and her customers. Well-deserved tip is what they said. But for Courtney, it's about more than just the money. She was deeply moved by the thought that even total strangers could extend their help to someone in need without making them feel less of a person. She was so happy she ran and cried to her boss. When Courtney told her boss about the amazing thing that had happened, her manager confirmed to her that the police officer was indeed a regular customer. Perhaps, Courtney hadn't noticed him all along because she has her own set of regular customers she attended to on a day-to-day basis. Moreover, people come and go, and they were always busy at the diner. She was quite ashamed at the thought that she had failed to notice him, while the cop had only needed a few minutes to know she was in need. However, the information she gathered from Mark Petitti, the diner's manager, had made her happy. It meant she had a chance to thank the man for his generosity at some point. In excitement, she called her father. Who she knew would be glad to hear the good news as well. When Courtney took her break, she snapped a photo of the receipt and texted her father. She had always been a daddy's girl, and she wanted him to know how much a stranger had made her happy that day. On the other line of the phone call, Brian couldn't help but smile about the random act of kindness the anonymous cop had shown his daughter. He could clearly sense how much it had made an impact. In his mind, he already knew what he wanted to do to show his sincerest appreciation. Personally, Brian had some bad feelings for police officers. He knew some of them treated other people like dirt and took advantage of their position to power trip. They knew they were capable of enforcing authority, they had guns, and sometimes, it didn't end in a nice way for innocent people. However, even if police reputation was heavily marred on his eyes, Brian was aware that not all of them were the same. As a father who was a witness to the struggle his daughter was facing, Brian knew how the act had impacted her in more ways than other people could imagine. So he felt determined to thank the cop who made him realize an essential lesson in life. Since Courtney was not able to personally thank the cop, Brian asked for her permission to post the receipt, as well as the uplifting story of kindness. He wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to express his gratitude towards the officer's selfless act and generosity. In his most sincere words, Brian shared his amazement and appreciation for what happened that day at the diner. The picture had a long and meaningful caption. According to him, he just typed in what he really felt. Within minutes, the heartwarming story had gone viral. In a time when there is so much negativity surrounding police officers, Courtney's story was a refreshing and inspiring moment for many. In a lengthy message, Brian summed up the lesson he had learned from Courtney's experience. A part of the post read, Yes, I am sure there are some bad apples, but most of them are just doing their jobs, they deal with the worst of society every day, and have to keep going back every day and deal with it all over again. They risk their lives each day just to do their job, of trying to enforce the laws that they didn't make. Brian Cartigan had no idea that his Facebook post about the generous tip along with the heartfelt note would shed a positive light on the way people see police officers. In no time at all, positive reactions came flooding to his feed. It might have been a small deed for others, however, it matters to a lot of people in their locality. Brian was extremely proud of his daughter, who was doing everything it took to be able to provide for her own daughter. She would be becoming a single mom in a month as her ex-boyfriend who impregnated her had left her just like that. Although he wanted to make a move and fight for his daughter's rights, Brian chose to respect Courtney's decision. The mother-to-be did not want anything more from the spineless man who had ditched her when she accidentally got pregnant. Somehow, Brian knew the irresponsible man would just be an additional burden for her. So when he found out that someone had made her incredibly happy, it meant something to him. The grateful father also called the anonymous cop a wonderful person. He shared that the lovely message, as well as the generous tip, had not only made his daughter's day, but even her entire year. Another part of the post read, I don't know you Mr. Police Officer, but you made my little girl cry and made her year. Thank you, I always had the utmost respect for officers, but you went above and beyond not just an officer, but a beautiful human being. God bless. With Courtney's story suddenly going viral, it had opened the door for other people to share their positive interactions with their local police department as well. It turned out that many cops are still committed to their values. Although the other stories were not as exciting as Courtney's, it doesn't mean they are not worth sharing at all. The incredible thing that happened at Lamp Post Diner one Friday is another example of how small acts of kindness can result in positive energy being passed on from one person to another. Soon enough, the media had taken note of what happened and decided to find out who the viral cop was. However, the officer chose to remain anonymous. Leading news outlets in New Jersey had set up interviews with Courtney as well as with Brian. It was such an excellent opportunity for the mysterious cop to take the entire compliment to himself. However, by refusing to appear on interviews, he proved once again that the act of kindness was a selfless one and not just for the show. Of course, Courtney's manager had given her the name of the generous police officer. But since he was reluctant to take the credit, the grateful waitress decided to thank him personally and in private. She knew one day, she would see him again at the diner. Already, she felt excited to share with him exciting news about her baby. Just like her, Courtney was aware that a police officer in their area was not entitled to a hefty salary. The cop who had eaten at the diner was evidently not filthy rich and yet, he decided to share some of his blessings. According to Cardigan, their reaction was not sparked by the amount of the tip, but rather the humanity of the action that moved them the most. The cop had seen Courtney as a struggling young girl who worked in a busy diner. She was pregnant and he knew it wasn't easy to stand with that kind of weight on her. But despite her condition, she still managed to serve everyone with a genuine smile on her face. Courtney had already filed for her maternity leave, but she still had a few weeks to wait for her due date. Of course, the $100 tip was not enough to solve all of her financial worries. However, she knew that whatever happened in the future, there would always be signs that every day is filled with hope and life surprises. After her delivery, Courtney will be able to take six to eight weeks off work, which isn't long for a new mother. However, she knows that once her daughter is born, she will always have a source of strength and determination to carry on.


on everyone Sam here with latent sports cards we are doing 2022 panini elements and gold standard football hobby six box mixer number six random team style here is a link to a look at the results as always you can find these on the results tab on the website as well as link and chat let's do it guys good luck here uh certain elements we'll finish on gold standard love both of these products i have to say very good products that come out earlier in the early in the year i have to say i love that gold standard always comes out goes elite gold standard i guess legacy first technically elite gold standard uh and then um elements christian watson rookie that is 30 out of 99 and matthew stafford a mercy on that is three out of 95 sorry hold on let me switch that now tyler my bad oh tyler wait you're in the last one right i meant this no no there you are tyler h sorry tyler okay you know it's you there's no there's nobody named tyler with a w in there randomly you know it's you uh kyler murray it's going to be the electric jersey that is three out of 70 there you go tyler tyler getting the uh kyler murray on the cardinals uh cardinals combo spot got demian pierce former gator going to the uh texan 65 out of 75 nice it's got houston that's a solid hit these actually he's running back one john a and then we've got uh hardy nickerson going to the buccaneers 26 out of 79 might have to change that to your youtube channel name now do it then it's gonna be like why is there a w in your name tyler that doesn't make any sense is it a silent w here we go stephan diggs uh 37 out of 199 i'm jealous here xenon ray lewis 20 out of 54 there you go ravens you got the ravens amy b i can be jealous amy uh demian harris is going to be our next one that is 49 out of 75 for the texans again there you go houston john got going to the lions one out of 125 bookend amonra saint brown second-year auto we've got detroit that's actually solid daniel b getting the amonra he's having a heck of a year he's out though he's out on sunday so i'm screwed in fantasy then we've got nice rookie rps steel signatures zamir white going to tyler whar h with the cardinals raiders combo 25 out of 199 there you go tyler last box of elements you've got cobalt sake one barkley for the giants 13 out of 27 followed by a kyler mary 28 out of 74 nice one there god davis mills um that is fusion swatches 48 out of 199 oh that's cool going back to amy and the ravens gust the bus edwards 63 out of 125 on the auto nice one there gust the bus he's got to come back and then 76 out of 99 going back to the lions jameson williams on the rookie steel signatures congrats um daniel b again with the detroit lions john hitting literally a card in every single one of those boxes with the texans two pierces and then a mills on the end all right let's do some gold standard korean davis price that is 75 out of 75 oh yeah absolutely absolutely there uh who's that daniel and we've got michael thomas 78 out of 99 slant boy going to the chargers with i believe this is vaughn if i'm not mistaken yep vaughn getting a keenan alan 32 out of 299 that is game worn there you go vaughn game worn on the keenan nice god rookie is vealish jones jr 15 out of 49 going to the bears on three colored patch he did it that's so awesome that is fantastic i love that dude that's awesome that's awesome jimmy k getting that one oh that's great dude that's fun thanks for being a good sport about it got gelani woods 175 out of 199 going to indy on the rookie auto that's so funny dude that's so great i love that got good as gold elie michael 133 out of 199 this next one's gonna be nasty i think uh who's got them well this is the niners going to carl h who's got this is jimmy k we've got 11 out of 49 travon walker boom congrats jimmy that's disgusting number one overall pick two color one color travon walker that's nasty that'll be going right into a mac as you say vaughn's definitely jealous of that one yeah we'll always know it's you tyler we'll always know who it is at least i will forest might not get the joke if we have someone else breaking it might be like that's just strange but i will always get the joke have a kitty for the falcons who's got this team this is actually a really solid car too uh anthony p getting the uh opulence super short print eight out of 35 james cook rookie congrats on that one these fall usually about one or two per case exactly tyler that's the only only option right there so just keep coming back got pierce ron jr jersey 362 out of 399 for the pats got game-worn jersey gerome bettis the other bus the original bus i'll be honest 91 out of 199 it's got oh that's uh arthur congrats arthur that's a game-used gerome bettis hall of gold that's cool man can i have a motherload or uh 12 out of 25 dude why are you doing this to me panini got mike williams auto there you go vaughn 12 out of 25 and i'm so jealous dude uh this is so hard to have to show congrats again emie how about ray lewis goldfingers 13 out of 25 boom ray lu the land shark congrats emie we'll get that in a mag for you i am so jealous that card is so cool so cool we've got tirion davis price 20 out of 149 emie if you're watching vaughn in youtube chat just goes the pain in sam's voice tirion davis price congrats again on that one carl h with the niners that's so sick dude i know emie i might be inquiring about that right that's such a sick card i'm so jealous of that oh yeah i'm gonna start booing all the stealers it's now we've got desmond ridder that is five out of 49 there you go falcons and nikobi dean uh 60 out of 75 arthur are you still in here arthur slash wane please tell me you are because we've got col commet white gold jersey card 175 out of 299 just got any scridge cards not to trade for it yeah cool commet arthur slash wane are you there god wow one out of ten and tonio gibson on the laundry tag emie again with the football team all right just one just give me one second wane nice one there emie i'm gonna have a heck of a mail day sick one there then going back to emie with the commanders that's terry mclauren eight out of 49 on the auto what's up collector the card collector how you're doing congrats emie on that one that's nasty we've got that's sick bruce matthews 53 out of 99 all right arthur you ready buddy are you ready because here's what we got for you kenny picket three out of 49 rpa boom arthur c on the one spot last card of the break mojo kenny pick it let's go congrats arthur that is gonna do it for the break what a like just what a crazy crazy mixer we have literally four cards and mags from six boxes that's wild um all right let's do a quick recap here this is a heck of a mixer guys uh col commet for the bears uh drone bettis for the uh that's game use for the stealers pierce ron jr patricks vealish jones jr bears uh kenan alan chargers davis mills uh texans damien pierce for the texans collard murray cardinals bruce matthews titans terry mclauren football team or commanders i guess uh terry and davis price for the niners mike williams the 25 for the chargers elon michel niners uh jelani woods for the colts uh that is jameson williams even like a card like that's pretty solid for the lions i mean that's a first rounder gus edwards ravens uh zamir white raiders got a manra saint brown lions uh harty nickerson for the um buccaneers and damien pierce for the um uh texans and we got four mag cards we had trevon walker 11 out of 49 nice one there for the uh jacks had laundry tag and tonio gibson nice one there for the commanders had ray lewis gold fingers autograph 13 out of 25 so nasty and really solid hit here three out of 49 kenny picket two color rpa congrats again arthur that'll do it for the break guys next up we've got some uh full case of gold standard


I'm Geoff Watts and welcome to another of my top 10 tips videos. In this video we're going to look at some tips for helping you coach as a leader. So in this video we'll look at what coaching is, why it's important for leadership, and some tips on how you can get better at coaching in your leadership role. There are a number of different leadership styles and stances that you can adopt depending on the results that you're looking to achieve and the environment that you find yourself in. If you're looking to create a more self-organising, resilient and proactive culture, then a coaching approach could be a helpful, useful tool for you. But if you're looking to develop self-sustaining teams, self-organisation, resilience, proactivity, creativity, then coaching could be something that would be helpful to you in creating that kind of culture. So if you're looking for some quick results where there is a right answer, you know the right answer and you just want immediate compliance, then coaching might not be the most appropriate tool in your toolbox. So what is coaching? Well, coaching is about helping other people find their solution based on a getting a better understanding of their situation. It's not about trying to work out how to weedle your solution into other people's minds so that they say what you want them to say. As a coach, my role is to try and help the people that I'm coaching get a greater insight and awareness as to what's going on, both in the situation and for themselves, so that they can make a much more informed decision about what they want to do to achieve their goals. And from a leader's perspective, that can be quite a challenge. Most people have got to their position in leadership because of their expertise, their ability to solve problems, their ability to analyze and find the right solution. A coaching leader will put their need to solve the problem to one side and focus on what the person or the people they're coaching think they need to solve and help them solve their problem. Coaching is really about building self-sufficiency within the people you're coaching rather than being the bottleneck as a leader, so that every time there's a problem, they come to you for a solution. Successful coaching builds that self-reliance and people know that they can solve their own problems. Coaching is different to mentoring because mentoring is really about providing or passing on expertise or experience or know-how. So mentoring you could say is about having the right answer or as coaching is about finding the right question because the right question will unlock the right thought process for the person you're coaching and allow them to find their own path rather than just follow yours. Coaching isn't management either because a coach doesn't hold the agenda. They don't hold the power in their relationship. So the person you're coaching is in charge of what they want to focus on and how they want to go about solving it. Coaching isn't about people learning from your mistakes. If anything, it's about helping them make their own mistakes in a safe environment and learning from them. So when is coaching appropriate for a leader? Well if you're looking to get engagement and buy in, then helping people find their own solutions is going to help with that. If you're looking to create self-sufficiency, proactivity, again coaching is going to help with that because you're helping people find their own solutions. If you were looking to focus your time somewhere else and need to get away from being the bottleneck or the dependency within a team, then again a coaching approach will help you achieve that. So what can you do? Well here's some tips. Tip 10 is to agree what coaching is. Now that might sound strange because I've just kind of given you a definition of what coaching is but not everyone has the same interpretation or expectations of coaching. Not every coach has the same coaching style. So the first thing is to get some kind of common agreement about the expectations of what coaching is expected to provide and how we're going to go about doing that, what our roles, our responsibilities, our expectations of one another are. If one person's expecting one thing and somebody else expecting another, it's not going to be particularly effective. This can be as simple as both parties writing out what they believe their definition of coaching is and their expectations. Comparing and contrasting and then coming to a common agreement about what we both expect coaching is. This is often called a coaching contract but it doesn't have to be the right definition. The most important thing is that we have our definition and we agree on it. It might change over time but it's good enough for now. Tip 9 is to create some safety and I'm talking psychological safety here. Create the conditions for the person or the people that are coaching to feel comfortable with you and with the process. Create an environment where people feel able to be open, to be vulnerable, to share their concerns, their hopes, their aspirations, their anxieties because the more open people can be in coaching the more benefit they get from it. They have to be sure that what they're saying to you in this conversation, in this coaching relationship is not going to come back to haunt them, that you have no ulterior motive that is not going to be used in their performance appraisals without them knowing or shared with anybody else. Whatever it is that they need to feel comfortable, do whatever you can to give it to them. The first step is usually around confidentiality. This idea that clarifying that there is no ulterior motive, that what's said here is safe and secure. If you're coaching from a position of line manager then that can obviously be quite tough because there's often this view that appearances need to be kept up. The appearance of strength that we can't really risk showing our weaknesses to our line managers for fear that we'll come back and haunt or hamper our career progression. So making clear that that's not what's going to happen here is really important and not just saying it, proving it.  If you are prepared to make yourself vulnerable you're not only an increased empathy and trust in the process but you demonstrate that nothing really bad is going to happen as a result. Tip 8 is to get permission. That might sound strange because we've already got an agreement as to what coaching is. Almost a coaching contract but we still need explicit permission to be that person or that team's coach. Coaching really should be pulled as a service. That's the derby used phrase that I really like which is don't go around inflicting your help on people. You're not going to be an effective coach if you come along and say right I'm going to coach you on this. Tip 7 is to meet them where they are. Now what does that mean? Well really it means don't make any assumptions about what their concerns are, their anxieties, their hopes, their goals, their objectives to what coaching is for them. This is about what they think they should be doing and why. So ask, find out and really listen to what's being said. Once you understand where they are, where they're coming from or their current situation is, only then can you really start working with them to help them find some form of momentum towards whatever their goal is. Tip 6 is ask to help them understand. Now that can be quite tricky. As human beings we're naturally curious, we want to know stuff, we want to find stuff out. Part of that is so that we can draw connections, identify patterns, solve problems but part of it is also because we're just nosy. And as I mentioned earlier on the best leaders, the best coach leaders don't necessarily worry about having the right answer. Their primary concern instead is to have the right question because the right question will force the right thought process for the person, the team that you're coaching. And ultimately that will be what helps them gain forward momentum. I say this can be tricky partly because of our curiosity but also partly because well we don't like silence. Our natural tendency will be to fill that silence and rescue that person by offering a suggestion of our own. Now that's good, it's nice, it's helpful in a way but that teaches us and it teaches them that when times get tough and we're struggling then they can rather ask to come up with a solution. And when we're coaching that's not our aim. Our aim is to try and create that self-sufficiency and that ability to solve their own problems. When we're in coaching mode the goal is to help them find their answer, not to satisfy our curiosity. Now this is just something you're going to have to practice, reflect on, get some feedback on perhaps. Tip five is once we've asked to help them understand is to listen actively. Active listening is more than just hearing the words, it's listening for the intention behind the words, it's listening for inconsistencies. And a big part of active listening is to play back what we've heard, just to check we've heard it correctly and then we're not passing it through our own filters and hearing what we expect to hear or want to hear. So something as simple as can I just check I've heard that correctly, what I heard you saying was this. That kind of playing things back and just checking in, we'll just ensure we're staying on the same page, not diverting in our understanding of things. And also it increases a bit of empathy. People like to be listened to, they like to be heard and it proves that you're staying with them, that you're staying with the conversation. Tip four is have belief. One of my favorite quotes is from Goverland and he said, When we treat a man as he is, we make him worse than he is. But when we treat a man as if he already were what he could be, we make him what he should be. One of the principles of effective coaching for me is the idea of unconditional positive regard. And that means we have a view that the people we're coaching have the potential to become what they want or need to be. And whether or not that's true is secondary to whether or not it's helpful, which might sound like a strange thing to say. But if you believe it's true and you act as if you believe it's true, then you're more likely to make it true. Not least of all because you're going to pass on that feeling that it's possible or even inevitable to the person you're coaching. If you don't believe in them, that will also transmit to them and they'll lose faith in your integrity, your relationship as a coach, as a leader, and they'll lose faith in themselves as well as the process. To be honest, I'd much rather be proven wrong having a positive view of somebody than proven wrong when having a negative view of somebody. Tip three is to help the people you're coaching increase the benefit. Hopefully once we've worked out what their goal is, what they would like to achieve, we can deduce that it's beneficial for them to do so. If it isn't valuable to them, why would they even bother doing it? Clarifying what that benefit is, really drilling down into what it can do for them in the long term in terms of their objectives, their career goals, but also their values and their principles. Sometimes helping them imagine a future where what they're aiming for, whether it's learning a new skill or making a change at work or whatever, imagining that that's already happened has become a reality can help make it more real, more inspiring and increase their motivation to actually give it a go and go for it. By talking through the benefits with a coach, sometimes they can also identify benefits that they weren't even aware of or just haven't really given a lot of thought to. All of these extra benefits and the weight and the perception of these benefits can just give them that sense of, yeah, this is worth investing more time in. This is worth doing. I want this. Tip two is to reduce the cost. So on the flip side of that cost benefit equation, if you like, there are some costs associated with making it happen. These could be financial costs, time costs, emotional costs, mental costs, physical costs, opportunity costs or just fears, fear of failure, for example, and you as a coach can help reduce them or mitigate them. Some of those costs will be real. Okay, they will actually be something that they need to do in order to get some benefit. And by listing them out, we can create an action plan for mitigating those costs, making things a little bit easier. Perhaps even you as a coach or a leader can do something to help reduce those costs. Maybe some of those costs might not actually be real. Quite often, people will imagine costs or barriers or problems that in all probability won't happen. So just getting them out of your head, verbalizing them or putting them on paper can help us just critically evaluate their likelihood. And if they are unlikely, then we can just make a conscious decision to not include them in our decision making process of whether to go ahead with this or not, which increases the chances of it happening. And my number one tip for increasing your coaching ability as a leader is to let go of the solution. Now, I know I'm running the risk of repeating myself here, but it's so important it's worth saying again. This is one of the problems that we're mostly unaware of. As a leader, we have a history of expecting to solve problems, of being expected to solve problems, of having problems escalated to us to for us to do something about being the problem solver has helped us to get where we are. But it won't help our people get to where they need to be. So letting go of your idea of the solution is the number one thing that you can do to increase your effectiveness as a coaching leader. One thing you can do to help you with this is just to remind yourself that even if you know the answer, your solution is never going to be as likely to be successful as a solution you can help somebody else come up with. And the main reason for that is ownership, because their idea is their idea. They're much more invested in their idea being a success than my idea being a success. Even if you're not intending for them to take your solution on, it's much harder for them to get rid of that thought out of their heads once he's in there than if they've got a blank canvas to start from. If they're struggling to come up with a solution or an idea, it can be overly tempting to offer yours. It's natural to want to rescue them with your idea, your solution, your suggestion.  But if you're in that kind of situation and you do offer something, even with good intentions, you're going to be overly influencing the situation. So if you find yourself in a situation where the person you're coaching is struggling to come up with our own idea, try coming back to something they've done in the past. Ask them, when have they been successful? When have they tried something and it worked, even if it's not directly related to the situation at hand. Looking back at their past strengths, their past successes and seeing if anything can be pulled from those situations and applied to the present to help them in this situation. Another strategy that could be useful for you as a coach here is to help them think about how to make the situation worse. We often call this the psychopath approach. And people often find it easier to be destructive and constructive. But once you've thought of all the ways of making it worse, you can flip them to think how we can make it better in the alternative. Or at least stop it from getting worse. But whatever you do, try really hard to keep your solution and your suggestions out of this conversation. So those are the top 10 tips. Just a quick recap. Agree what coaching is between yourself and the person you're coaching. Create a sense of psychological safety. Get permission to be their coach. Meet them where they are. Ask questions to help them understand, not you to understand. Listen actively. Have belief in them. Help them increase the benefit of what they're trying to do. Help them reduce the cost and the concerns with what they're looking to do. And let go of the solution yourself. I hope those tips were useful and you can go up at some of them into practice in your leadership style when coaching your people and your teams. So if you've got anything that you would like some tips on in the future, all you need to do is like the video, subscribe to the channel and leave a comment naming the topic that you're looking for some help in. And you never know, the next video could be for you. Also, if you're looking to help yourself develop as a coach and a leader, then why not try some of our training courses? Just check out inspectandadapt.com and look at the Certified Agile Leadership Course or the Advanced Certified Scrum Master Course or the Advanced Certified Scrum Product Owner Course or you can get some one-to-one coaching sessions with me. Sometimes having some one-to-one coaching yourself provides a great insight into your coaching style and your coaching approaches. There's even a discounted Taster Session available. Just look on inspectandadapt.com and go to coaching. Okay, well that's the end of the video. I hope it was useful and until next time, I'll see you soon.


Russia prepares to implement Ukrainian scenarios in Armenia and war moves to the Caucasus region. Ararat, Mirzoyan and Jehun Behrimov, the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan respectively, held two-day consultations in Berlin with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock serving as the mediator. She first met with each of them separately before beginning to negotiate a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the establishment of diplomatic relations. Baerbock believes that peace can be achieved between Azerbaijan and Armenia while Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated that his country had no plans to invade Armenia. However, Armenia continues to distrust its neighbour, Neza Vizemaya Gazeta writes. While diplomats in Berlin sought to reach an agreement, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan proceeded to clarify Yerevan's relationship with the collective security treaty organisation CSTO. Speaking in parliament, the Armenian head of government stressed that in 2021, he asked the military bloc what its area of responsibility was in his country. Since there has been no response, the Armenian authorities have frozen their membership in the CSTO and will formalize their decision legally if the situation does not change. Pashinyan's behaviour is really provocative. He is attempting to provoke Moscow into making harsh diplomatic comments and other impolite actions in order to break off Armenian-Russian relations under these guys. Furthermore, Pashinyan would claim that he did not start the crisis. Vladimir Novikov, chairman of the Institute of CIS Countries Caucasus department told the newspaper. Most likely, Armenia's Prime Minister believes that the longer Russia's military operation in Ukraine lasts, the more issues Russia will face and the less interest it will have in the South Caucasus. As a result, he is seeking additional security guarantors which can only be western countries that are unable to accept Yerevan without the latter severing its relations with Moscow, the expert added. At the same time, Novikov noted that if Yerevan wants to suspend its participation in the CSTO, it must follow a specific legal procedure to do so. As a result, everything Pashinyan says in private has no legal ramifications. However, the expert believes that if Armenia is able to reach a peace treaty with Azerbaijan through one of the western platforms, it will most certainly quit the CSTO. Many Armenians are dissatisfied with the military bloc's failure to protect them during the difficult times and Yerevan is nearing the end of its relationship with this organization. Vadim Mukanov, head of the Caucasus division at the Russian Academy of Sciences Institute of World Economy and International Relations told Neza Vizemaya-Dazeta. At the same time, there is no talk of breaking off relations with Russia, but overall, Russian-Armenian relations are at and all time low, he added. Armenian expert Ara Vdanyan says Russia does not hide its intention to leave the region. At the same time, the Armenian authorities use all possible means to provoke Moscow. All this brings us closer to the scenario of Ukraine or Syria. According to him, if the current trend continues, the future perspective of Armenia seems quite uncertain. Risk of Russian tactical nuclear strike, higher than thought. Russia's threshold for using shorter-range tactical nuclear weapons may be lower than defense experts in the West believe. The Financial Times has claimed cited purported Russian military documents. The materials, which were allegedly presentations for Russian naval officers, discussed operating principles for the use of nuclear weapons the Financial Times reported. They were supposedly produced between 2008 and 2014 and shared with the British outlet by Western sources. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the newspaper that Russia strongly doubts the authenticity of the documents. Moscow's military doctrine allows for the deployment of nuclear weapons in retaliation to a first strike against it or its allies or in situations where Russian statehood is threatened. Senior officials including President Vladimir Putin have drawn attention to the country's nuclear arsenal amid the Ukraine conflict. The US and its allies have accused the Russian leader of nuclear blackmail, although Moscow has rejected that allegation. The criteria for the use of nuclear weapons in the documents reviewed by the FT included losses by Russian forces that would irrevocably lead to their failure to stop major enemy aggression and a critical situation for the state security of Russia. The destruction of 20% of Russia's strategic missile submarines, 30% of nuclear-powered attack submarines or a simultaneous hit on main and reserve coastal command centers were cited as specific examples. US struck Houthi cruise missiles and drones in Yemen. The US has launched a series of strikes against Houthi cruise missiles and surface drones in Yemen according to the US Central Command. The US Central Command sent comm forces conducted seven self-defense strikes against four Houthi unmanned surface vessels and seven mobile anti-ship cruise missiles that were prepared to launch against ships in the Red Sea, the US Central Command said. It is reported that the US military detected these missiles and unmanned surface vessels in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined they presented an imminent threat to US Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region. These actions will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for US Navy and merchant vessels. Since November of last year, there have been ongoing attacks by Yemeni Houthis on trade ships in the Red Sea, often associated with Israel. In January, the terrorist group launched its most significant attack. The US and British military repelled an attack in the Red Sea in early January. At the beginning of January, the US and Britain conducted powerful strikes against Houthi-related targets in Yemen. This was in response to the constant attacks by the Houthis on civilian ships in the Red Sea. On January the 28th, a Houthi drone in the Red Sea attacked a British military ship and the next day the Yemeni Houthis claimed to have attacked an American destroyer. However, the Pentagon refuted the militants' claim. Also on February the 6th, it was reported that a British cargo ship was attacked by the Houthis in the Red Sea.