For reasons I don’t get, some people intentionally do things that cause themselves pain. Maybe you like to eat hot peppers. Maybe you run marathons. Maybe you DVR Dr. Phil.
No matter how much pain and suffering you seek by choice, no one while
driving ever comes upon a long line of brake lights on a hot freeway and says, “A traffic
jam? Alright! What could be better than finding myself in a spontaneous parking lot
while aspirating diesel fumes? ”
Instead, you grind your teeth and fantasize about super-villain style ways you’d like to remove that stupid smoking dump truck idling five feet ahead. The most frustrating part is how helpless you feel. The problem is just too big for one person to solve. Or is it?
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal reported the surprising news that the
behavior of a single driver can make a difference in unsnarling a traffic jam simply by backing off and letting others in ahead of themselves.
In other words, the generosity of anyone makes things better for everyone. It’s the power of one that can make a difference. Don’t you wonder what other big issues could be significantly affected by the choices of one person? A broken work culture? Employee disengagement? Customer service? The answer to all of these and more is, Yes! And it doesn’t have to come from the top down, either.
It takes an understanding of what people need and a willingness to put their needs before your own that will make the difference. No matter where we are in the power structure, we’re all just people with common needs. These include the need to be recognized and appreciated, the need to feel included and the need to feel that our personal problems matter to others.
A recent Gallup poll found that nearly two-thirds of workers reported that they hadn’t been thanked on the job one time in the previous 12 months. Although that’s sad, it’s also empowering to know changing that miserable statistic is within the grasp of every person every day who choose to make a difference.
Other choices each individual can choose resulting in making a difference in the work place and making it more joyful and less stressful include:
- Expressing enthusiasm – Enthusiastic and positive people influence other people’s behavior up to a third degree of separation.
- Not so random acts of kindness – When kindness is random it can change someone’s life. What would happen if it were a daily objective?
- Shared laughter –Providing shared laughter brings people together in ways only surpassed by the way people come together after a calamity (but lots cheaper and easier than staging a flood).
- Use positive words – The words we choose not only communicate outwardly but inwardly as well. Dr. James Pennebaker of the University of Texas at Austin has concluded that patients that use positive words express a dimension of happiness even when illness or challenges exist and those who used positive words to discuss their challenges did significantly better than those who used negative words about their illness or pain.
These are just a few ways to change the world around you with your influence and
willingness to meet the sometimes hidden but critical needs that we all have to feel
recognized, connected and uplifted.
It’s about putting others before yourself and, just like in a traffic jam, that can help you and everyone around you to get unstuck and rolling in the right direction.
Selecting an uplifting, informative and motivational speaker is critical to the success of any conference or meeting because that decision will determine the emotional impact of the event. The attendees will remember a great keynote speaker long after the food and surroundings have faded from memory. Dave Caperton is a nationally-known humorous speaker who teaches his audiences how to laugh while they learn how to use healthy and compassionate humor to manage stress, cope with change and boost personal and organizational success. “Dave Caperton is awesome. His background as an educator and comedian allowed everyone to learn and laugh the entire night.” shared Mike Patricelli of Boeing Aerospace. To have Dave at your next event contact 888-766-3155 or see Dave Caperton- Speaker