From Faking a Smile to Sincerely Serving Others

(Minghui.org) My husband and I are both Falun Dafa practitioners, and we run a small store that sells daily necessities. Every day we meet people with all kinds of personalities and encounter various situations. On the surface they may seem trivial, but they can stir up human thinking. I’d like to tell you about a recent incident.

We sell things at low prices, so our profit margin is small. Some customers buy something worth two yuan that can easily fit in their pocket, but they want a bag, and some even ask for a big bag. I felt uncomfortable, thinking, “How is this person like this? How many cents do I earn when I sell you an item worth two yuan item, but you still want a bag? A bag costs several cents. If every customer insisted they be given a bag, I wouldn’t make any money.” On the surface, I acted as if nothing was wrong.

Whenever I encounter something big, I can remind myself that I’m a practitioner, but I didn’t pay attention to such small things. I didn’t take it seriously or think I was wrong.

I went to a nearby supermarket to buy vegetables. It’s close to my home, so I didn’t ask for a bag and carried the vegetables in my hand. I realized I forgot to buy meat, so I went to the butcher shop next door. As soon as I entered, the butcher shop owner saw me carrying vegetables, and she quickly told her son, “Get her a bag to put the vegetables in.” My heart was touched, and I felt this lady was so nice. On the way home, I couldn’t calm down for a long time. Her giving me a bag, touched me and warmed me. I saw the good qualities of this shop owner, and my impression of her suddenly improved. Afterwards, I always went to her shop to buy meat, and whenever I passed her shop, I remembered her kindness.

Through this experience Master showed how a small act of kindness can touch people’s hearts. It helped me think about things from another person's perspective and realize the importance of every word and deed. I also realized that kindness is not just something done intentionally, but is revealed in what one says and does. That is true kindness.

Master said,

“You probably remember something I’ve often said to you: a Dafa disciple should consider others first in everything he does. Whenever something happens or whenever a situation comes about, even if it’s a minor thing, my first thought is of others, for it has already become natural for me—I just think of others first.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the 2002 Conference in Boston, U.S.A.”, Collected Teachings Given Around the World Volume II)

I knew my attitude was wrong. I only considered my own gains and losses, and didn’t think of what the other person needed. I measured others by my own standards and thought they were all wrong, so I complained, accused, and only endured.

After I had these realizations I worked hard to change myself. I try to view things from the other person’s perspective. I try to pay attention to my words and deeds—even my facial expressions.

If I feel unhappy with a customer, I promptly correct myself. When customers enter the store with other items, I offer them a bag. When some customers are not satisfied with the goods they bought, I will try my best to resolve the problem and help with returns and exchanges. I behave better than when they purchased the items. I must be more attentive, because some customers are upset when they return or exchange goods. My kindness helps alleviate their anger. When I introduce the products, I consider what the customer really needs. A little girl said to me happily, “Auntie, you are doing good deeds every day.”

I keep correcting myself, measuring myself by the standards of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance, and truly thinking of the customers from the heart. The feedback has been very good, and people say they feel very comfortable in my store, my attitude is good, and the quality of our items are also good, so they are very happy to shop here. Our sales have increased.

It is Master’s teachings that allowed me to change from smiling on the surface to sincerely thinking about my customers. Dafa’s compassion refines me. I happily serve my customers every day. I no longer care whether their words or actions hurt me, I can tolerate them. Even when I see goods that have been damaged by customers being quietly put back, or when I see from the surveillance camera that someone is stealing goods, I no longer feel resentment. Instead, I feel that at a time when the morality of the world is declining, it is so fortunate that I have learned Dafa; and how pitiful it is for those who do not have a chance to benefit from Dafa or who have been poisoned by the Chinese Communist Party’s lies.

In today’s world where materialism and profit prevails, my husband and I use our sincerity and kindness to make our store a truly safe and worry-free place. It is Master who has changed me from a selfish, narrow-minded, complaining person to an altruistic, open-minded, and morally uplifted person. I am grateful to Master.