GarthBox

Do things happen and then you smile?

Or do you smile at things and then they happen?

Lucky for us, we can choose the order.

Stay Positive & Smile On

Safe to assume we’ve both had no shortage of awkward moments and interactions.

For the life of me though, I couldn’t recall more than a couple.

Safe to assume you’re in the same spot, too.

Yet it’s interesting how we let the feeling of potential awkwardness or the actual awkwardness itself stop us from taking actions.

Was it awkward standing next to people I didn’t know at a happy hour waiting to be introduced and then I wasn’t so I had to introduce myself while they carried their conversation forward. Sure. Awkward. But they don’t remember it – and I only did because I started writing about the idea.

Seems to me like there’s much better things to stop us from taking impactful actions or making connections.

Stay Positive & Road Hump, Not Block (No One Remembers Driving Over Those Either. Awkward.)

It’s basic sense that if you want to connect with someone, figure out what they want and then help them get it.

Even ol’ Zig Ziglar has said that you can have everything you want in life if you help enough others get what they want.

What I see many forget when they make a connection is they don’t ask for anything in return.

Specifically, they don’t ask for a connection with someone else.

It may be selfish to ask for information or a physical item, but a connection is a gift to both the giver and the receiver.

Think about the last time you introduced a friend to another friend. Did you feel ripped off? That you were doing them a favor? Or did you feel like you did something special? That it was a win-win situation?

One last reflection on the topic: If I were a betting man, I’d bet that you and anyone you’ve talked to in your life has considered becoming a teacher at some point. Inherently there’s a passion inside of us all to want to help another. It just so turns out that making a connection is a selfless and positively selfish way to do it.

Stay Positive & Ask For A Handshake Before You’re Onto The Next Thing

I was talking with a CMO of a beverage brand. She was telling about how sober curious consumers are today. When I discovered her brand was a non-alcholic beverage, her statement about sober curiosity is to be expected.

I was talking with a co-founder of a tech company who just took a full-time role (in addition to existing company) with a draft line technology company. It controls the flow, pour size, etc., ultimately getting more out of the keg. Then he shared how it has auto-close control for places like stadiums to stop the pouring of beer at a specific time. With the press of a button. We weren’t expecting to hear that.

Both experiences are memorable, but which person now holds more klout? Which person built a stronger connection?

Stay Positive & What Are You Sharing Today?

Most of the day-to-day we go through is quite mundane.

Same can be said for what others go through that involves us, too.

Unless, of course, we decide to add a story.

The hotel receptionist on a recent work trip used the minute that he was processing payments and setting up the hotel room keys to share a goofy story about how there was a guest that checked in only wearing a pool tube and then released a massive scorpion in his room. The story was a bit out of left field, no punch line, etc.,

But of the options between that story and pure disconnected silence between us for that minute, the story experience wins.

What do you do when you buy groceries? When you’re making your coffee? When you’re backing out of the garage?

There’s no shortage of mundane moments.

Stay Positive & Tell A Story (Or Two) Today

There’s no such thing as over-communication.

You can’t be proactive with your significant other, your boss or your neighbors. Where there’s a connection, there’s an expectation of care. Communication shows you care.

There is, however, a point of no return when it comes to advertising.

You can’t serve the same ad and message to people whom are not relevant for it again and again and again.

Not to say you don’t annoy either. (My wife is annoyed at how much I’ve talked to her about the motorcycle I’m getting.)

But the biggest difference is that when you over-communicate, it shows you care.

When you over-advertise, it shows the opposite.

Stay Positive & Which Are You Doing More Of Lately?

There’s a lot in this life that’s a recipe for mental destruction.

Comparing where you’re at to others is one of them.

While I don’t know personally, cocaine seems like one.

Supporting certain activists seems to do the trick, too.

One more I’ll note: expecting anyone to care about something as much or more than you do. They won’t.

The restaurant owners who are upset about their managers not caring as much about the shop as they do… it never leads to anything positive for the owner. Quite the opposite actually.

Here’s the thing about people who care as much as you do or more. They exist, but they’re doing their own thing. They’re not working at your restaurant. They are starting their own.

Stay Positive & Good Thing You Don’t Actually Need Them To Care That Much