Have you ever noticed that those two words contain exactly the same letters? Interesting, isn’t it?
It takes as just much energy to react as it does to create, however the outcomes are usually very different. Author Alan Cohen points this out in his book Relax Into Wealth (Penguin 2006). He also says “There is no private good. What is truly right for you must also serve others.” I love that! It’s a good test for our actions.
One simple way to create a positive atmosphere is with the words we choose. A single word can encourage or discourage someone in a heartbeat. My team recently challenged each other to avoid words such as “don’t, not, and can’t” for a whole week. If we heard a team member stating something in a negative way, we respectfully pointed it out and asked them to re-state their comment in a positive way. For example “I don’t think this offer is going to go…” becomes ”I am facing some challenges with this offer and could use some help to bring it together.” We’ve had a lot of fun with this exercise and it has really raised our awareness of our language. Think about how important this is with clients! They count on us to help create a positive future and it can start with something as simple as the words we choose!
I challenge you to create an empowered atmosphere in your life by taking the “Positivity Challenge” for one week. I’d love to hear how it goes!
