Episode 89 Are you up for the Challenge?

Lisa Thal is an Author, Speaker, and Business Coach.  Simplify Your meetings. She wrote the book "Three Word Meetings."  Lisa coaches leaders on how to take their sales and business meetings to the next level with fun and interesting 3-word  topics to get your sales team motivated and inspired.  She has over 34 years of marketing, sales, and leadership experience.

 

In episode 89, I ask you to join me in the challenge to "Look For Good"!

 

Let me start by saying it's not your fault? The world is consumed with negative news. We have come to understand that from the past year. In media, the stories that get the most attention are always the negative ones. Why are we drawn to doom and gloom? Here is a little insight into why this happens. There is a term for this, and it's called Negativity Bias.

 

Kent Campbell ReputationX wrote an interesting blog on Negativity Bias.

 

Why are people so negative? Humans have what is called a "negativity bias" because we've evolved to react to threats. Like Google, we're pattern discovery machines; when something stands out, our minds highlight it like a threat. Why is the news so negative? Because the media leverage negativity bias to increase profits. The fact is, bad news gets more attention, more clicks, and leads to generate more revenue. Negative media coverage reports show that negative words such as "bad," or "worst," and "never" are 30% more effective at catching people's attention as opposed to positive. The majority (95%) of headlines have been reported as being blown out of proportion!

 

Take, for example, airplane crashes. They always make the headlines, but car crashes hardly do. Yet every year, car crashes kill thousands of people more.

 

And Google knows this, so they react to this pattern by giving you what you seemingly want - that often means more bad news.

 

So your thinking, ok, Lisa, what does Negativity Bias have to do with Look for Good? Stay with me. What if we shifted from the doom and gloom and Looked for good? Think about it, instead of focusing on everything going wrong; we looked at what was going right? We Looked for Good!

 

So I am putting out a challenge today to start to look and recognize good things happening, Positivity Bias. 

 

Are you up for a challenge? How do we do it? It starts with you. I recommend that you become an observer of your thoughts for a day. Agree to be an observer pay attention to your thinking loop going on in your head. You may be overwhelmed, frustrated, or had a bad day; a client cancels their business with you, so your day and thoughts shift to Negativity and start to focus on scarcity. Where did your focus go? Did you take a drive down a negative alley? Keep in mind those thoughts travel throughout your day. No one wants that.

 

None of us are perfect; yes, we have bad days. We are going to shift it to the positive happening in your Life. I have my health, family, friends; I get things done, solve problems, I have a job, and I have great clients that I get to work with. I have so many opportunities every day. I am sidestepping that negative thought of lack in my life. I am having a great day, vs. my day is so so. The world has shifted, but you can too. You focus on people doing good things. I like to reframe some of these setbacks, opportunities, and possibilities! 

 

When you feel stressed, you smile or laugh. Ha..Ha. Goodbye negative Bias, not today.

 

Be the observer or your thoughts. Shift your focus at that moment to get things done. I am going to provide solutions to my clients. Smile and thank another co-worker for a job well done. Good for you! Send a thank-you note to one of your best clients.

 

Audit whom you spend time around. Are you spending time with battery drainers or battery chargers? You know the difference. You get a call on your phone, and you say ugh. I will answer that call later; you don't have the time or energy.

 

Conversely, a call comes from someone that lifts you, makes you laugh. Take that call. You audit your focus on where and with whom you are spending your time. There is so much good happening. Think about the clients that can benefit from your ideas, your energy, your positivity. Replace a negative experience with something positive.  

 

Think about your word association and change it. When feeling pessimistic or overwhelmed, it puts you in that state. You may tend to stay there, which is not good for you. So then you don't have the energy. Change the word overwhelmed to opportunity. Change the word Anxiety to action—negative thought to positive thinking. Every time you start to feel frustrated or overwhelmed, laugh and say yeah, this is a moment. Ha. I will see this as an opportunity for me, and I am up for the challenge.

 

So I was hoping you could help me spread the word of saying goodbye, Negative nelly, and hello to more Positivity. Start to look for the good in Life. Look for good things happening with you, your kids, family, co-workers, and clients. Let's start a movement of momentum and possibilities.

 

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