Man greets people on street every school morning for years, leaving a lasting impact in his community
One California man is showing how small words can make a huge impact in people's daily lives.
Every school morning for years, Dick Kazan has been standing on the street in Palos Verdes Estates offering something nice to say. He wishes for everyone — particularly children on their way to school — to have a good day.
"Everybody, no exceptions, wants to feel important. I want them to feel important," the 79-year-old said. "I want them to feel beautiful. I want them to feel needed. And I want them to feel safe."
What started as a simple effort to help direct traffic and meet his neighbors has turned into a labor of love over the last seven years.
"I get a feeling of love ... I know a lot of these people are moved by me," Kazan said. "I make it a point to learn the names because if you wanna make people feel important, you've got to learn their names."
If he misses a day, people often notice. But it's not only on school mornings that Kazan is spreading his simple, yet important message. He lets people know they matter, in his own neighborhood by greeting people at supermarkets or in the gym.
Many people have shown their appreciation back. Kazan has letters and notes on the wall of his home office. One reads: "Dear kind man, I was having a rough morning, dealt with not-so-friendly people, but you made my day when you surprised me and told me, 'You, too, have a nice day.'"
Kazan explained the letter, saying he saw a woman coming out from a store who appeared upset.
"I just came up to her with a smile. I went into shop. When I came back, she'd scribbled that on a napkin," he said.
Alongside the notes are family photos, but missing are the awards and plaques of a businessman and a company founder to signify the person he used to be. Kazan said he did not have the best childhood and was determined to be financially successful, but it came at a different type of cost.
"I made a fortune and I was not a very nice person. I was a really driven person. I was an honest man, but a really driven man, and people didn't enjoy me, to be perfectly frank," he said.
Kazan worked in computer and high technology leasing, saying the company had "about $2 billion." On his 46th birthday, he made a personal pivot. His home office now is the world headquarters of the "Kazan Today," which is his online newsletter that includes "recipes for success" and little droplets of inspiration.
The transition, Kazan said, took time. He pointed to an unlikely tapestry of acclaimed men, including Michelangelo, John D. Rockefeller, George Bernard Shaw and Gandhi, that he said gave him guidance.
"With Gandhi, at times I found myself lost in the process. So did he. Michelangelo, he says to us, the greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it's too low and we reach it. That's most people!"
They led him to share a simple message, wishing everyone a good day.
His message resonated deeply with Philipp Hartwell, an investment banker who wrote to CBS News contributor David Begnaud about how his Palos Verdes estates neighborhood in suburban Los Angeles has been made better by Kazan.
"I just wanted people to know that there are still good people here," Hartwell said. "And that you start the kids off, and whether the kids appreciate it, I'm sure the parents do, that you're starting them off on a good note."
Kazan said while his words are seemingly small, his old self would never share simple messages of kindness.
"He would say, 'What is wrong with you? You gave up that great big house,'" Kazan said. "He thought in terms of money, drove Porsches, that Dick Kazan. And he was always in a hurry and he always had his watch out for any meeting or whatever. If this wasn't making money, he wouldn't do it."
But now at 79 years old, Kazan has different thoughts on his current self and the big message behind his small words.
"It's the most important thing he's ever done, aside from being a husband and a father."
