When I teach I provide participants with lots of practical tools.
For example, in a recent customer service class I covered:
- the service mindset
- how to analyze what your customers want
- three communication essentials for connecting with customers
- a framework for dealing with difficult customers, and
- how to recover when things go sideways
That's a lot! And it's coupled with handouts, activities, and reflection.
At the end of most classes, I ask people a variation of the same two questions:
What one concept or tool stood out to you? What could you try tomorrow?
There's no need to take it all on at once.
Through years of teaching and coaching, I've seen that we're often so eager to change that we take an all-or-nothing approach: Do it all or don't do a thing.
And through the years I've tried to let others know that the most important part of development is to do one small thing.
That thing that stood out? Test drive it!
Check the results. Are you pleased?
Good!
Practice it for a bit and then add another small thing.
Then do another!
Stack small steps on top of small steps until you have a whole bunch of small steps leading right to the top of your big goal.
Make the future you proud!
And here's a secret you should all know:
The future you does not only exist in that far away place you’ll reach when you:
- have it all figured out
- saved enough money
- found the perfect weight
- earned the right degrees
- applied all of the lessons you learned.
The future you is mere minutes away. Make that future you proud.
The future you is the one who is pleased with the way you handled a sticky situation. Make that future you proud.
The future you is the one who said what needed to be said at the team meeting. Make that future you proud.
The future you is the one crossing the finish-line of the workout that you didn't want to do but did anyway.Make that future you proud.
The future you is the one who just made a micro-movement toward a bigger goal. Make that future you proud.
Fun fact: I sat down to write this blog post and though I knew what I wanted to say, I wasn't sure how I'd say it. Still, I knew I wanted to make the future me proud.
And I did. 💕
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| Yay! |