Tell Me Something Good!

This article is inspired by the hit written by Stevie Wonder and performed by Rufus with singer Chaka Khan. The song reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is still heard today in commercials and ads. This is a funky unique song that has a tendency to get in your head…and replay for the day. Go check it out on YouTube and I’m sure you’ll recognize it.

So what, Paul? Good question. Let me get back to the title of the article…

There’s an exercise that I’ll have my coaching clients perform which can be a real eye-opener. They’re assigned the task of asking 5 to 10 people in their circle to do one simple thing. They ask them to Tell Them Something Good!

Now, if that raised an eyebrow because it sounds so simple and insignificant, you’re not alone. But try it and see what happens. By the way, don’t worry, you don’t have to sing the phrase to them. In fact, it would probably mess up the whole exercise and you might get responses like, “Tell you something good!” Response, “Ok, it’s good that you’re not employed as a singer!” You get the point. Now, be prepared for the responses and take note of what you get once you throw this out there. People who give you positive and uplifting responses are your go-to’s moving forward.

When you need a pickup, a reset, a booster shot, or a shot of espresso, these are your people. They can help you get through a difficult situation or pump you up to finish a task or goal. On the other hand, people who complain and moan in answer to your question are most likely draining the energy out of you…daily.

Now, I’m not harsh enough to say, “Don’t talk to those people” because, unfortunately, some of them could be very close to you. What I am saying is that you need to limit your interactions knowing that people are going to have a tendency to pull you up or drag you down. The good news is that just like you would prefer to be a person who can pull others up, so would those people around you. They might not see what they’re doing so help them, by example and positive repetition, to develop a more positive outlook for the present and the future.

So, what can you do right now? Go ask your 5 or 10 people ASAP! I guarantee that you’ll appreciate this exercise, but if you find that you’re surrounded by negative influences on your attitude, you’ve got some work to do to fix that or you’ve got to start spending more time in more positive circles.

If you’ve always been curious about what a coach can do for you in your business development, let’s see if coaching might be a good fit. We start out by helping you “Get Squared” to unleash transformational growth, then we move into the other pillars that lead to clarity and a systems-focused business that you own instead of having it own you.