One of the first coins I gave away was to a familiar acquaintance and sales clerk at a local shop. I had stopped in just before Memorial Weekend. It was around noon and she was frantically trying to keep up with the lunch-time crowd. When it came to my turn in line, I asked her if I could give her something.

I pulled the coin out of my pocket and proceeded to teach her the meaning behind the coin. Astounded by the principle she had just been taught, I watched as her whole demeanor changed and a smile appeared on her face. She graciously accepted the coin along with the challenge to live The Outcome Formula as best she could.

A few days after the Fourth of July I was again in the shop. As soon as she saw me, her eyes widened and she exclaimed, “That coin has changed my life! My brother and I haven’t spoken in years and I decided that I was not happy with that outcome. I decided that I needed to choose a different response. He is coming over to my house this weekend to help me paint and I am excited to finally catch up after all these years.”

I have four kids, 3 fun loving boys and a beautiful daughter. I have found multiple occasions to teach the Outcome Formula to my children and they all have a coin of their own. Now, my oldest son and my youngest son tend to butt heads at times. With 7 years difference in age, my youngest believes that he can do anything his oldest brother can do. More often than not, this is their source of friction.

One day I overheard them squabbling, I went into their room to check in on them. Not at all concerned with what event had caused them to fight, I simply asked “Are you both happy with the outcome here?” Both shook their heads and quietly said “No”. Over time the disagreements between the two of them have been greatly reduced.

Later that same day, I was unable to find something I was looking for and my frustration began to get the best of me. Seeing this, my wife stepped in front of me and with her hands on her hips said, “Hold your hand out.” “What?” I asked. She repeated “Hold your hand out.” I held out my hand and she pulled a coin from her pocket and placed it in my palm. Nothing more needed to be said.

It was Ryan's last day at his job. Having received a severance notice a couple months before he had had time to prepare for this day. The problem was that in spite of all his efforts to find new employment, nothing had came of it. He was truly stepping into the unknown.

I had known Ryan for several months but had never taken the opportunity to teach him the Outcome Formula and decided that today would be the day.

I taught him the formula and extended the challenge to him. He took the coin and stared down at it turning it over in his fingers for a few moments. He said "Tory, I feel all tingly inside and the hair on the back of my head is standing on end. I accept your challenge." He then looked up at me and his eyes were all misted over.

"Thank you. The timing of learning this could not have been more critical" he said. Beaming inside, I thought "Of all the days, this would be a good day to learn this."

But then he continued, "My relationship with my son has been really strained lately and I've been trying to figure out why. What you have just taught me has given me the answer I've been looking for. I see now that I've been reacting to the things he's said and done. I am the problem, not him. This is powerful. Thank you again.”

Even when we think we may know, we never truly understand what is going on or what they may be going through. Regardless, we can make a difference when we share the Outcome Formula and let them apply it to their life.

Just before Thanksgiving I was at the Post Office mailing a package. The name tag of the Postman across the counter simply said “Joe”. “Do you need any stamps today?” Joe asked. “Not today, thank you. Are you ready for the impending holiday hustle and bustle?”, I asked. “Not really, but ready or not here it comes”, he said.

“Can I give you something that may help you through the holidays?”, I asked. He looked confused but reluctantly agreed. I then taught him the formula, extended the challenge and presented the coin to him.

A week after New Years, I was in again mailing a letter. There were a few people in line when I arrived, one of them a taller man obviously perturbed as he stood there holding a crumpled package. As the man stepped up to the counter I thought “Oh boy, this will be interesting”.

As the man expressed his disdain for the condition in which his package had arrived I watched Joe calmly respond to the situation. I don’t remember the exchange in its entirety but I do remember the man leaving content with the outcome. It was quite miraculous!

When it came my turn I placed the envelope on the counter and complimented Joe on how well he had handled the situation. It was then that Joe recognized me and said “Hey, I think about that coin all the time. I responded quite well, didn’t I!”

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times for two very influential women in Jessica’s life. One was her mother and the other was a very close coworker.

Diane was Jessica’s mother. For a few months her mother seemed to be very aloof and Jessica began to sense something was wrong. After multiple attempts to discuss what was wrong with her, she inquired with her step-dad. He told her that Diane had been diagnosed with cancer but didn’t want anyone to know nor did she want to talk about it. Diane did not allow anyone to accompany her to her regular doctor visits. She became more isolated as time went on and just a little over a year later she slipped into a coma and passed away.

Stephanie was Jessica’s coworker at a retail furniture store. A young mother in her mid-thirties the timing couldn’t have been more horrific when she received her diagnosis. She was a lover and a fighter and she carried on for four more years- living, giving and loving. Some of the final words she said was “Cancer has given me far more than what it has taken.” She passed away with many friends and family members close by and cast an indelible imprint on the lives of those she left behind.

As Jessica and her husband related this story to me I couldn’t help but think how both had fought their battles with cancer and both had lost but the way each of them had responded couldn’t have contrasted more which resulted in entirely different outcomes.

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