ACT and BE

 

ACT AND BE

By Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, first written, unknown, updated March 6, 2022

 

“ACT and BE as though HOW you ARE dictates that EVERYONE else WILL BE that same way?”  James Redfield, The Twelfth Insight.  In other words, ACT and BE POSITIVE and EXPECT everyone else to be positive.  ACT and BE NEGATIVE  and EXPECT everyone else to be NEGATIVE.  It IS something that YOU can choose, every day!

The problem with writing Nuggets For The Noggin is not so much what others who read them might think of them or me for writing them, no, it is that some who read them might take them personally as if I wrote a specific Nugget directed at a specific person.  This is such a Nugget.  Who knows, maybe I did write this one with specific folks in mind; certainly not you of course.

I consider myself to be an “observer”; I try to observe things that oftentimes other people fail to see.  This may include my physical surroundings but more often it involves seeing people for what they say, what they do, or not do, and their body language.  Everyone has opinions and this Nugget reflects mine, right or wrong.  But before you dismiss what I say, consider this, if I think, see or feel this way, is it possible for someone else to think, see or feel as I do?  Like, for example, your customers or worse, your family members?  A word to the wise should be sufficient except for possibly you-know-who.

I was truly fortunate when Bill Wiersma, author of the book The Big AHA asked me to proof read a portion of his newest book, The Power of Professionalism.  The book should be considered a “must read” for anyone who thinks of themselves as a professional or who works in a profession where you should be considered a professional.   In this regard it is NOT about what YOU think of yourself that counts, it is what your customers think, your peers think and the people you work with and for think that counts.

The following story is told to emphasize this point. I was waiting for a friend to come through the New Orleans airport terminal.  While waiting, a man in a janitor's uniform with his janitor’s cart stopped near where I was sitting.  He was there to pick up the trash from the nearby trash can.  He carefully removed the trash bag, tied it tightly and placed it on his cart.  He then sprayed the trash can, wiped it dry making certain to leave no streaks or finger prints on the stainless steel can.  He then placed a new trash bag in the can making sure the seal around the top was tight so the bag would not slip into the canister.  That was not enough, he than loosened one side of the bag to force the air from between the bag and the canister out so as to avoid creating an air bubble inside the canister.  He then replaced the top to the canister, wiped it down, and then took a couple of steps back to observe his work.  I said to him, "Good job!  I am curious, does anyone ever comment on your work?"  He said "No but thanks for noticing."  He went about his business and I mine.  Can a janitor be a professional?  Was he a professional?  In my eyes he was.”  I believe in his mind he was as well.

If someone were to observe your work in action, would they say you were a professional?  Would they say you have the customer’s best interest at heart?  Would they get the impression that you love what you do and do what you love?

It seems fashionable to refer to The Law of Something like the Law of Attraction, The Law of Leadership, etc.  I do not know if there is a Law of Self-Education but if not, there should be.  The Law would simply state, an Education is what you get when you read; Experience is what you get when you don’t!   There are a lot of folks acquiring experience when they should have earned an education, know what I mean?

If I had a magic wand and would be granted just one wish, it would be that everyone read Jeffrey Gitomer’s book, The Little Gold Book of YES!Attitude and Bill Wiserma’s new book, The Power of Professionalism.  (Maybe that is two wishes; so be it!)

Being a professional, at least to me, starts with having the proper attitude.  How many courses have you taken on attitude?  My guess would be none; not sure such a course is even offered.  Yet having a good attitude about everything is essential to your success.  But few if anyone has ever literally worked on their attitude.  Do you have attitude improvement on your Daily To Do List?  You should!  It starts with looking in the mirror and asking yourself if you are in a good mood or not.  If not, what are you going to do about changing it?

The following is a list of situations, conversations or simple observations.   How many of them describe things you have said or done?

1.       Comment:  Why do I always seem to get the weird customers?

2.      Comment:  Buyers are liars.

3.      Comment:  Do you know how hard I worked for those people?

4.      Comment:  I can’t lose this deal; I worked so hard for the commission.

5.      Comment:  I’m not going to drive all the way over there to get a signature.

6.      Situation:   Talking while waiting for someone to answer a call you just made?

7.      Situation:   Chewing gum or food while talking to someone.

8.     Situation:   Engaging in very long winded explanations with someone who is typically short winded.

9.      Situation:   Engaging in very short explanations with someone who expects a more in depth explanation.

10.  Situation:   Talking with someone on your Bluetooth telephone while also talking with someone you are physically with

11.   Situation:   Arriving late for a meeting

12.  Situation:   Leaving early from a meeting

13.  Situation:   Carrying on conversations at a meeting when the leader of the meeting is making a presentation

14.  Situation:   Using your cell phone while driving (hint, you are not as good a driver as you may think you are)

15.  Situation:   Calling people during a typical supper/dinner hour

16.  Situation:   Calling people after 8:00 pm for business on non-emergency issues

17.   Situation:   Calling people before 8:00 am for business on non-emergency issues

18.  Situation:   Entering an office that has a closed door because your issue is too important to respect the closed door

19.  Situation:   Interrupting someone’s conversation to interject your comment whether it is pertinent or not

20. Situation:   Being late for an appointment

21.  Situation:   Failure to call to let someone know you are going to be late for an appointment

22. Situation:   Failure to do what you said you would do

23. Situation:   Discussing politics in a non-political situation

24. Situation:   Discussing religion in a non-religious situation

25. Situation:   Telling off-color jokes

26. Situation:   Listening to off-color jokes and not leaving the area

27.  Situation:   Gossiping about others

28. Situation:   Listening to gossip about others without excusing yourself

29. Situation:   Always making excuses for the condition of your car’s interior

30. Situation:   Always making excuses for the condition of your office space

31.  Situation:   Seeing trash lying about without doing something about it

32. Situation:   Saying critical or derogatory things about people who are not present and who you would never say to their face

33. Situation:   Disregarding traffic laws or expected courtesies but especially with your name rider on the side and back of your car

The Keller Williams WI4C2TS focuses on Integrity; do the right thing.   While that is an admirable goal, it would be even better had it said, Integrity, do the right thing, especially when no one is watching.

The Law of Attraction IS real and it DOES work both positively and negatively.  If you find your conversations to be continually negative you will most assuredly attract more negative situations and negative people into your life.   On the other hand if you work on insuring that you have a positive attitude, engage in positive conversations and avoid negative people you should then begin to attract more positive situations and people into your life.    You tend to receive more of what you expect to receive.

A perfect example of this occurs with a lot of senior citizens.   When you get the chance, listen to the types of conversations seniors engage in.  Most involve sickness and disease.  If you constantly think and discuss sickness and disease and if the Law of Attraction works, why would these same people then not expect to have more of what they think about most come into their lives – sickness and disease?  I know this because…

Do you honestly believe that the top producers within the real estate industry sit around and talk about how horrible their buyers and/or sellers have been?  Or do you think they talk about what they are doing that is working or what they might want to try or ask another top producer what is working in their business?

You are what you are but you don’t have to be what or who you are.  No one should accept who they are because there is always room for improvement – always!  To be a work in progress you must ALWAYS be aware of EVERYTHING you say and do because if you aren’t - someone else is; no one lives in a vacuum.  Your words, your actions and your body language have a tremendous influence, both good and bad, on other people.  What kind of influence do you leave behind?  Do you brighten a room when you enter or when you leave?  How do you know?  Why not ask someone who will tell you the truth?

ACTION STEP

Keep a small pocket size notebook with you for just one week.  Make a mark for every incident that you either observe or you engage in that may not be in your best interest, your team’s best interest, your family’s best interest, and/or your customer’s best interest.  As you learn to keep track of such incidents, conversations and situations, you become increasingly more aware of them and will learn how to better avoid them.  Why go out of your way to make your life miserable.   Jeffrey Gitomer said that people try to rain on your parade because they have no parade themselves to rain on.  The question is, how many parades have you been raining on?  How many of them were your own parade.  Misery does love company.  Are you avoiding miserable situations, engaging in other people’s miserable situations or God forbid, causing miserable situations?  Are you sure?