Provoking Your Greatness - Misti Burmeister

Ever been in a touristy area where you were bombarded with restaurant staff doing their best dance to get your into their establishment? Often, they start with their own version of “hello,” and then quickly make their way to, “Come eat?” The first couple of times, saying, “No, thank you,” is no big deal. But after a while it gets annoying, and you start avoiding their side of the road. Even still, one lady in Sorrento, Italy, called out across the road to us, “Hey girls, what are you doing?” Apparently, she thought this approach would work better than her usual of, “Come and eat girls?” “We’re going for a walk,” I responded, avoiding eye contact and continuing in the direction of the shops. “Well, stop walking and come eat,” she commanded, as if such a tactic might actually work. And it did, just not to her advantage. It literally made me stop and think—If you have to beg us to eat there, your food probably isn’t very good. From that moment forward, we avoided any restaurant with staff trying to lure us in, a