Cash In On Kindness

Kindness is a high value currency, and its expenditure returns magical results. One act of kindness can improve a person's entire day, and in return, improve your own. 

People don't respond well to feeling disrespected. A really great way to repel others is to belittle or humiliate them. One tried and true way of earning the results you want is by practicing kindness. 

Just one act of kindness causes a ripple effect of positivity that will inspire everyone who witnessed to continue being kind. Being kind to others, with no expectation of return just feels good.  

It has been proven that being kind to others releases the love hormone oxytocin, which relieves stress and improves overall well being. 

Here are three easy ways to cash in on kindness today:

            1.         SMILE! Smiles are surprisingly contagious, so don't be afraid to share your grin with everybody.

            2.         BE GRATEFUL! Showing genuine appreciation for others brings more to be grateful for. 


            3.         COMPLIMENT! Let people know when they have done something well.


Implementing these three actions will benefit not just yourself, but everyone who interacts with you. 

Are there any other acts of kindness that you practice daily? Tell me all about them in the comments below.

Author: Coach Gigi 

Stop Trying to “Manage” Your Time

Time Management is dumb. 

Few things are certain in life: death, taxes and that every single one of our clients wants to talk about their time management.

Let's make one thing clear - most people stink at this. At some point, everyone stinks at this.  We don't use the term “time management” in our sessions, we replace it with “rhythms.”  

Now, if you've worked with us before you are thinking "ooooo she's talking about me!"  Well yes, I am, and I'm also talking about everyone else, too. 

When we think about how the world functions, we see that everything is rhythmic. The tides have a rhythm, the orbit of the planets has a rhythm, animal hibernation and migration...you are no different. 

We try to fit the way we use our time into a template someone else has created for us - how is that working for you? When you try to box yourself in, you are fighting against nature.  

Consider what natural rhythms need to take place in your life, so that your time is optimized in a way that makes sense for you. This is really freeing. 

When we have that paradigm shift from "must manage every hour" to " I have naturally occurring rhythms" we end up doing more things we want to do. 

There are certainly rhythms that don't feel so natural, but are still important to practice..and maybe, they will become natural.  Don't fight what doesn't make sense for you. 

Where is an area where you'd like to see more progress and what can you do to make that fit into your natural rhythms? 

Want to talk more? Let us know. 

Heated Discussion

We live in a divided time of heated debates and discussions. 

Social media can be a rampage of opinion pushing and accusation throwing. Dinner conversations that used to be a time of connection are overtaken with the passionate sharing of convictions. Work-place dialogue on any issue is dangerous. 

How do you handle yourself during these heated discussions? Rather than just getting your point across, have you tried purposefully, intentionally asking questions? 

Author Gregory Koukl offers two great questions you can use when in a discussion: The first is, What do you mean by that? And the second is, How did you come to that conclusion? 

Pretty simple, right? You're having a discussion and the other person throws out a strong statement. Your shoulders tense up. You grit your jaw. You're ready to verbally spar.  But, instead of immediately pushing back to get your point across, you ask, “what do you mean by that?”

That question, or some variation of it, let's the person know you're hearing them and that you value what they have to say. You're also clarifying to make sure that you actually understand the terms they're using, position they're taking or ideas they believe.

“What do you mean by that” also puts the other person in a position where they have to explain their strong statement further. We live in a sound-byte society and it is possible they are just boldly saying something they've heard, but not ever thought about what it means, or if they actually believe it. This first question prompts them to really make sure they know what they're saying.

Second, ask, How did you come to that conclusion? This lets you into their life experience. As you listen to their answer, you begin to understand why they think the way they do.  "How did you come to that conclusion?" also makes them really think about why they are where they are.

Do they have any evidence for their thoughts? Is it just something they feel and don't know why? Did they have a bad experience which caused them to throw the baby out with the bathwater? "How did you come to that conclusion?" makes them think further about why they believe what they believe. 

Once you've got here with someone, the discussion may still be tense, but you're still connected. It may be a great time to repeat what you've heard them say back to them. Then ask them a question about something that doesn't make sense. Or, ask if they'd like to hear your perspective. If they say yes, you now have their permission to share your point of view. 

As Gregory Koukl says, questions can slow down a heated conversation. They also allow you to be a different kind of person in a divided world: someone who listens and tries to understand, but still stands firm in their convictions. 

So next time you're heading for a heated discussion, ask questions first before you try to get your point across. 

Discovering Your Secret Sauce

What if you offered something so amazing, that everyone wanted to steal it?!

The idea of industrial espionage dates all the way back to Ancient Greece. Chefs at the time were struggling with rivals scheming to steal their signature recipes. This is where we get the phrase, “secret sauce.”

What's your secret sauce?  It's a common question to answer while we plan or market our offers. It can also be hard to differentiate ourselves from the other guys.  We are going to make this easier for you...real fast.  

Your differentiator might not be your product or service. It might be you...the way you interact with customers, your marketing, the fact that you're more consistently in front of people than your competitor. It might be the predictability that you offer customers. People love to know what to expect. It might be clarity of purpose. 

USAA is a financial services firm that focuses on military families.  What they offer can be found through countless other companies, but their focus on making life easier for those in public service is what helps them maintain a 98% customer retention rate. 

Creating an extraordinary, distinguishable thing for your customers is essential for good business, but consider which element of your business, that extraordinary thing is. Once you've identified it....leverage it as much as you can, because that is your secret sauce.  

In the comments, let us know which company you think stands apart from the rest.