Two words of advice
Monday, March 05, 2007 - posted by hellomynameisscott at 5:23 AM
Two words ain't much. But sometimes it's just what you need to hear:1. Next Time. When you (or someone else) messes up, don’t dwell on the mistake for more than a few minutes. Sure, it’s easy to exclaim, “You putz! What the hell were you thinking?” But a better approach would be to say, “Next time, don’t talk on your cell phone while driving.” “Next time” is solution oriented. Patient. Less angry. Less reactive. And most importantly, positive.
2. Until now. In the book University of Success, Og Mandino suggests using these two words to thwart self-limiting beliefs. Instead of thinking, “I suck at public speaking!” or “I’m a terrible writer,” say to yourself, “Until now, I’ve had limited success with public speaking,” or, “Until now, my writing has been sub-par.” The key is to add a resolution phrase afterward. For example, “Until now, my writing has been sub-par. But I’m confident that practicing every day will improve my skills.” Start thinking in the right direction. Forget about how bad you used to be. Imagine how great you’re going to become.
3. What’s next? The first boss I had out of college was the owner of a discount furniture store. She’d write, “What’s next?” on note cards all around the store. See, at Pam’s store, there was always something to do. Always something to improve. Yes sir, no employee would ever go bored while SHE was around! And it worked, too. “What’s next?” kept us on task. Always thinking about the future. The next sale. The next customer. What’s next for you?
4. Not yet. These two words are the perfect substitute for the word NO. Less of a rejection. Less negative. And perfect to use in response to someone who doubts your efforts. What’s more, “Not yet” implies improvement. For example, let’s say you tell a friend you plan to write a book. She says, “Really! Cool. But do you actually know anything about writing books?” And then with a big smile on your face, you reply, “Not yet.” Your friend smiles back. Because she just KNOWS that book will get done.
LET ASK YA THIS...
What are your best two words of advice?
LET ME SUGGEST THIS...
Post 'em here!
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Scott Ginsberg
Author/Speaker/That Guy with the Nametag
www.hellomynameisscott.com
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Scott,
What a great post! When working with my clients I always stress the idea of simple strategies. I love it and will post a link on my blog.
Robert Monteux
www.hypnocoachingbog.com
Use 'and' in place of 'but'.
-Lena
another great post!
lately I`ve read almost as good as this one telling to use "Thank You' instead of "I`m sorry", so that would be another 2-word advice ;P
One persuasion professional tells to use 'when' instead of 'if' (not to leave a choice)
You rock!
I just stumbled across this blog by accident, and I can't stay away! I'm not applying this so much to sales as just moving through the world today...and everything seems to totally jive. I am buying the books, the t-shirt...all of it!
Thanks man!
Of Course - as in of course I will do that, of course I will consider that, of course I will read Scott's blog!
"Why not?"
When someone asks us to do something we've never done, we used to think of excuses why we couldn't do them. Now, we say "Why not?!" and give it a shot.
This works in personal life as well!
When someone thanks you for helping them say "my pleasure" instead of "no problem". Why insinuate they were a problem to begin with?
My favorite is: "It's physics." I use it to explain all sorts of things that I don't understand.
Really enjoyed this post - I do love words.
Scott - nametag girl here (you owe me an email, check your Jan. in-box)
I like:
So what? As a marketer, I have to ask myself why anyone else would care and I need to relate my message to their needs/problems
And
Shut Up (internal dialog, of course). To remind yourself to LISTEN to people, make sure you understand where they're coming from, before you start to get defensive, or ahead of yourself in other ways. Listening is not waiting for your turn to talk.