This weekend I went to a tweetup with some local folks just to get together and talk about the conference I just spoke at and to get together in person for awhile. It was a nice time, even if our group was smaller than normal. The next time anyone tells you that it's easier to get people together in the fall rather than in the summer just stare at them and do whatever you wanted to do in the first place.

A few of us decided to go to dinner once things started breaking up so we took a short walk to a restaurant that's gone through many different name changes over the years. It was busy, but then Friday nights are always busy. We had a guy whose name I don't remember right now, and he was friendly, which most food servers these days will be.

I'll own up to this; I tend to be a little fussy about my food. I don't take a lot of chances with what I eat, and there are a lot of things I don't remember as far as what certain foods are. I'm a straight up meat and potatoes guy; throw in something else and I'm going to question it.

So I went into my usual routine, asking questions about all sorts of things I had no knowledge of. However, I use humor to do it because I understand these folks have a tough go of it. I know they deal with some people who won't even attempt to be gracious in their interactions with them. Some people are hard to please. Goodness I'm hard to please, but the waitstaff at restaurants can only control so much.

I always have a good time with people who bring me my food. I work on bringing a smile to their face so they'll treat me right; that plus it's the right thing to do. Some restaurants I go to often, and it's always nice when they already know what I'm going to ask for. It shows I've made what's hopefully a positive impression. And I try to remember their names as well, even though I'm usually bad at names, and they seem to appreciate that also.

People will treat you better if you treat them with respect. People who work for you and with you will react to what you have to say better if you treat them well. This isn't a new principle, but it's one I see so many people forget. When you get it into your mind that you're entitled "just because", you'll ultimately fail in the long run, no matter what it is you do.

Think about how you treat others. If you're not treating them as well as you could be, try something new; be nice. I'll bet you get better responses, and positive feelings, and you'll want to get that feeling as often as you can.