Life Lesson

Some people are terrible at reading others let alone a room full of others.

It’s not that they’re stupid, although that might be the reaction of those around them.

It’s more so a lack of empathy and effort to read the room.

I’m guilty of stupidly not reading the room from time to time. After all, it’s my moment to talk, to share and I care about what I’m saying. Alas, I forget that what I’m saying doesn’t matter if it falls on deaf ears.

More empathy. More effort. That’s all you need to get better at reading the room.

 

Stay Positive & Try It Out

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The more you vocalize where your attention is, the more those around you will focus on it, too.

If you complain how your business is suffering and how your brand is not being recognized, people will find ways that both are true.

If you mention how you notice when the floor is clean, staff are more likely to mop it before they close up shop.

If you tout how incredible your colleagues are, the more likely you’ll attract equally positive and motivated team members.

It’s no different then when you begin to think of a car you want and then you see it everywhere.

You attract what you put your attention to, and others focus on it, too.

 

Stay Positive & The Good And The Bad

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There are plenty of artists grabbing the low-hanging fruit.

It’s almost always the case that the artist goes after the short-term, the instant gratification project, the thing that gets them in the magazine now, not later.

An entire society supports that endeavor, too.

We’d rather have something to watch tonight and talk about tomorrow than to wait a year from now to talk about it. Maybe it won’t be as cool later? Risky.

No doubt, though, we need more artists who are in it for the long run. We need you to fight for the sweeping new process change, the giant “impossible” building that provides a better education to students and to use the half of a billion dollars for something better than a NFL stadium.

The artists we need are those in the long run, focused on crafting a legacy whether they get to experience it or not.

 

Stay Positive & Are You That Artist?

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Two ways to write better for your business.

1. Always have thesauraus.com open, then use it frequently to say what you want to say better.

2. Learn to speak about your business, then write what you say.

It’s the two-step process of what and how you write something about your business that makes all the difference.

 

Stay Positive & Yup, Words Still Matter (Now More Than Ever)

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You recently spoke in front of more than 200 people. There were a few in the front row that you noticed could care less about what you were saying.

The other week you wrote a post with a new idea and not one reader shared how it moved them.

You spoke up in a meet just yesterday and no one gave you feedback. They carried on with what they were doing.

Certainly you failed, right?

 

Stay Positive & Remember, It’s A Spectrum

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Tumblr has a pop up that asks “What face are you making when you use Tumblr?” and then asks you for feedback why it’s that face.

Many airports, especially in Europe, have buttons on the way out that you can press to show how satisfied or unsatisfied you were with your experience.

Restaurants and retailers are utilizing this technology feedback tool, too.

The problem I see with it is that it’s not targeted enough.

When everything that makes up a business should be creating a reaction, you can’t have one button because you’ll never know the specifics of what makes them happy or frustrated.

Better to invite 20 strangers to each walk through your establishment with you and you ask how they feel about every item: The decor, the table set up, the doorway, the lighting, the staff dressware, the temperature – everything.

There are tools to help find the time that people are having a poor experience (although, you can tell that simply by looking at sales), but nothing will replace the need to assess reactions item by item.

It’s amazing how much of a difference you can make simply by going through it all yourself.

“How will/are people reacting to this?”

The more consistent the reaction, the stronger the business will be.

 

Stay Positive & Smile, You’re On Camera

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Those who ask questions have an enormous advantage over those who don’t.

This includes you asking for help, for advice, for leadership. It includes asking for a shoulder, a listener, a friend. The more you ask, the more you’ll be provided. Don’t convince yourself that the world isn’t full of people who want to help, because it is.

Those who listen to the answers, advice, and feedback they’re given have an enormous advantage over those who don’t.

This includes asking follow-up questions, giving them your full attention and taking notes. It includes stepping out of your shoes and into theirs, seeing the world through a different worldview and trusting they’re there to help you, because they are.

Those who act on what they hear from others have an enormous advantage over those who don’t.

This includes setting goals based on the information you’re provided and to develop a game plan. It includes establishing a team of support, of doing things even when it feels risky and to put your lizard brain second to your heart, because you need to.

It’s a cycle. Those who live it have an enormous advantage over those who don’t.

 

Stay Positive & Where Are You Stuck?

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