what i learned passing out flyers as a gift box in nyc

Have you ever dressed up as a gift box, with a Santa hat, a bell in hand and passed out flyers to scowling New Yorkers? I have. Yep, I've been that person we all pity, avoid and at times, hate. 

I never thought I would be one of those people. Whenever I feel frustrated about my life, I walk down the buzzing streets of New York and am instantly grateful that I'm not one of those people that has to stand outside in the cold, pass out flyers and face a whole lot of rejection. 

Alas, a few weeks ago I stood out in the cold, passed out flyers and faced a whole lot of rejection. When my supervisor told me I was going to spread the word for a local business by dressing up as a gift box (thank God there was a red bow that matched my lipstick). I reacted like most of us would - I didn't really want to do it. I wanted to whine and delegate it to another colleague. But I had to get in the box and spread cheer to perhaps the most least cheerful city in the world. 

I found myself a little corner in SoHo with my partner in crime, Santa of course, and began to ring my bell for all of New York to hear. 

The reaction from the crowd, to my surprise, was warm. We passed out our flyers quickly and even posed for photos with overly joyous holiday crazed folks. My favorite moment was when I held my last flyer and despite all my efforts which included singing "All I Want for Christmas is You" Mimi style, no one was helping me out. Suddenly, an older man snatched the lonely flyer out of my hand and told me he appreciated the hustle. 

That's when I learned that the hustle is all that matters. When you work hard, whether you're dressed as a gift box passing out flyers or crunching numbers behind a desk - it's hard work that gets noticed.  As a PR lady, I actually enjoyed being crazy with the people on the streets - because it's the people that matter. We are the people. We speak with the people, directly. We tell them what they need to know, and we tell them in a fun way. You can't get the word out behind your phone with tweets and Facebook posts - you get the word out by actually connecting with people. Our crazy antics drew people to the local business and kept them there. That's what it's all about, and it took a day with Santa for me to remember that. 

I also learned that New Yorkers aren't that tough - they will take your flyer if you hustle just right - and match your lipstick to your bow. 

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