This was a good week to be in business. I don’t know if it was Valentine’s Day or just good luck but it seemed like everyone was feeling the content love. This week’s collection should give you plenty to think about. Each of these writers brings a thoughtful, insightful and unique perspective. You may agree or disagree but I don’t doubt that you’ll be pondering these even after you leave the page!
Are You Renting Customers Space In Your Head?
Written by Adam Toporek
While we’re on the topic of love, let me say that I loved this post. It asks the question: how much power do we give other people to affect and control our emotions and reactions? This post resonated with me because sometimes when someone bugs me, my brain will hold onto that irritation like a pit bull on a raw steak. It will gnaw and worry, or, as Adam says, it will rent space. I dare anyone to say that they haven’t been obsessively bugged by someone at least once! Adam makes a great point about how negative people and experiences can take up space in your brain so that you simply don’t have enough space for anyone or anything else. I desperately want to share the essence of the problem but I’ll let you read the post to find out. Two words: confirmation bias.
Be Do Have And Create More Success
Written by Sue Price
This is another post that will get you thinking and Sue gets to the heart of the matter in the very first sentence: “Most people approach life back to front.” You may know this as the “if onlys”. If only I had this much money I could enjoy my life. If only I had this kind of job I would have more freedom. If only I lost weight/owned a house/connected with an influencer I’d be happy/secure/successful. Sue makes the point that by latching onto those if-onlys, we’re sabotaging our ability to achieve what we want. Instead, we should approach what we want from the end point: act like the person that we ultimately want to be. It’s an intriguing exercise and I encourage you to use this as a springboard to practice changing your thinking.
Your Zero Sum Thinking Sucks
Written by Chris Lema
If you’ve ever needed to hire someone or ever wanted to be hired by someone, you’ll recognize the dilemma that Chris describes in this post. The premise of a contract or price negotiation is that someone gives and another takes. There’s a push-pull until one or another of the parties has reached their limit – I’m not willing to pay more or I’m not willing to earn less. That, as Chris describes, is zero sum thinking (though he does a much more elegant job explaining it than I just did). So how do you get around this problem? I’ll let you read the post to find out what Chris has to say. It’s bound to get you thinking about how you approach your customers and even how you value yourself.
How To Spot Jargon, Then Substitute What You Really Mean
Written by Becky Gaylord
Ever read a blog post, website, email or sales pitch that says something about leveraging the synergy of the cloud to transform mission-critical growth strategies? I give you credit if you actually read that sentence without skipping right through. Becky gives us an introduction to business jargon that should make you laugh (if it doesn’t then you should probably go reread your marketing copy). This is the first in a post duo, so be sure to check her blog for her “kill the buzz” follow up. But for now, be sure to click on the link to her infographic and see which words you’re guilty of using.
How To Not Be an Expert
Written by Jessica Ann
As long as I’ve got you thinking today, I’ll leave you with this one from Jessica, who not only gives us some food for thought but also sparked a lively discussion in the comments about the meaning and nuances of calling yourself or someone else an “expert”. She makes a good point: calling yourself an expert, especially in a creative field, can box you in. Do you need expertise? Of course. But think past the label and tap into the divergent side of thinking. While you’re there, you’ll enjoy the Onion video, especially if you’re tired of everyone and their dog calling themselves “social media experts”. Where do you come down on the idea of “experts”?
I hope you enjoyed this week’s wrapup. Would love to know if there are any here that you particularly enjoyed!
I wanted to have the heart of the gate with the best way
Thanks so much for the mention Carol Lynn! I’ve been genuinely surprised by the depth of reaction to this post, but I think “renting space” is something that affects us even more in our personal lives than in business.
Thanks again, and I look forward to checking out the other great posts you highlighted!
Oh, I could totally relate. I have a lot of tenants up there 🙂 But it’s quite true even in business. It’s easy to hold onto the irritation, then every customer afterwards just becomes your own self-fulfilling prophecy. I really enjoyed your post!