Hey there,
Dachia here,
Welcome back to Focus on your small business .. this is sort of an aside, non-episode.. bonus type thing.
I wanted to quick say something about … our humanity, and what it means to be part of society. This may sound odd, but I think most of us at this level, Silver… have seen the articles or heard the discussions about the suicides in this country.
Veterans, police officers… and just regular people.
I’d like to encourage you… or give you permission if that’s what you need… to smile and say hello to a few strangers this week. Make eye contact… show some teeth, nodding your head and say, “hey there.”
I know it is completely out of our comfort zone for some of us.
And there is the very real possibility that the person you engage is a complete flake. Raising my hand, that’s happened to me.
And if you are a guy, you have other concerns. If you smile and nod to a woman, you will likely be met with a stare or no eye contact at all. That’s ok!
But, quick note to guys… do this with oncoming traffic… not side by side… that can cross a line fast. You may get pepper sprayed.
But determine what number of people you are going to engage quickly this week. It might depend on how many people you see on average during the day or the week.
If this is really uncomfortable for you… just do one. Start with one. Plan it out in your head. Imagine you are having the best day ever. In fact, maybe you need a soundtrack to get in the mood. Maybe a little Natasha Bedingfield – Pocketful of Sunshine
Or Pharrell Williams – Happy
Trust me… good happy music will help you want to connect with absolute strangers who might just be raving lunatics… but it’s worth the risk. For you… and for them.
Some years ago, I lived outside Tampa and we had some traffic. And I made deal with myself that every single day, I would let 3 cars into traffic. That was a big deal. Traffic was… brutal.
But it made me look for cars to let in. And that made me more aware of my surroundings. It became a habit.
I’d like for this to become habit. Every day… wherever you live.. wherever you are… you look for people to smile at… and nodding and say hello or howdy…
This exercise will also help you push the limits of your bubble and take little chance.
Reinvention is about chances. Just going for it.
Hold the door for folks. Connect even if only briefly.
Can you imagine if this kind of caught on?
I read a statistic somewhat recently about a number of people who had attempted suicide and that they would have not done it had one single person said hello… asked how they are ad really cared about the answer.
Just one person.
What’s the point of reaching silver if we can’t take a moment of chance … a moment of risk… and connect with a stranger for a second or two?
That was just on my heart today. I think it was a result from a post of a friend of mine.
Keep in mind, you can talk to me. Email me or leave me a voicemail. There’s a button my website. super easy. And I would love to hear from you, whatever story you want to share.
And you can also sign up for a daily affirmations or weekly newsletter emailed directly to your inbox. Again, super easy and free.
Ok, I’ll talk to you next week at our regularly scheduled time..
I hope you have a great week. It’s all up to you.. with a little bit of me.