Last summer I was driving alone through northern Ontario, Canada on my way to Lake Superior country for my annual solo camping trip. I do this once a year to find solitude and peace in the beauty of nature and to recharge my emotional batteries.

As I was driving through a small town between Sudbury and Sault Ste Marie, I passed an insurance business that is owned by the family of a young woman with whom I had gone to college.

I reminisced about Margaret, wondering where she was and what had happened to her since our college days. On the spur of the moment, I pulled into the parking lot and went in and met her brother, who had taken over the business after their father had retired.

After discovering that Margaret was alive and well and now a director of education in southern Ontario, I gave her brother my card with a request to tell her that I had dropped in and was asking for her.

One year later I received a call from Margaret telling me that her brother had indeed given her my message. After a up on all the news, Margaret invited me to conduct a one-day seminar with her administration and office staff. I agreed and we made plans — fleshing out the details of the day.

For my efforts I was wined, dined, and housed in a very nice hotel. Best of all, I not only received my full fee for a one-day seminar, but also a very healthy order for 250 copies of my books.

 If I hadn't stopped on a whim to inquire about a college friend from years ago, I would have missed out on a full-day seminar at full fee, a substantial order for my books, and a glowing testimonial letter from a satisfied school board official.

The lesson? Those little, unassuming, spur of the moment gestures of interest in others often open doors of opportunity you haven't even imagined.

Mike Moore is an international speaker on humor and human potential. Contact Mike at www.motivationalplus.com.