The three women ranged in age from 18 – 23. They stood behind the cash register, in the small dress shop, clapping and singing. Because they were speaking Chinese, I had no clue what they were saying. But I had an idea what they were doing. My escort, oblivious to the singing because she had heard it in shops so often, asked one of the girls what they had said . It appears they were singing and clapping to the beat of: Be Your Best, Make the Effort, Perform Your Best Work.
Years ago in a motel in Long Beach, CA, I remember men gathering a few minutes before 7a. We had the sleeping room next to their meeting room (hey, it was what we could afford) and we’d hear the guys as they unenthusiastically greeted each other. Mostly they just grunted. But at the stroke of seven, they’d all be in their room next door (and I’d have the pillow over my head) and they’d start chanting: To be enthusiastic, you must be enthusiastic. I wasn’t exactly enthusiastic about this and neither were they, at first. But as the “rally” continued, with each round of the forced chant, despite themselves, I’m sure, they’d get a little louder, a little more awake, a little more authentically enthusiastic. At 7:05a – on the dot- we’d hear a great shout, then laughter and poof, they were gone, headed to a day of selling.
Pretty corny? Yeah. Pretty powerful? Yeah. And it’s so much better than hitting the snooze alarm hopeful the day will go away, or getting out of bed thinking, how am I going to get through this day, or commuting to work thinking filling your head with negative thoughts….. (insert your favorite negative expression here)
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What are you doing to face the day with confidence? What are you telling yourself to position yourself for success? What are you doing to ensure your attitude is enthusiastic and positive?
It’s what we say to ourselves and to others that determines our success. Success always starts with what we tell ourselves. So what do you say to you?
Maybe we should bring back the motivational “tape” to replace its biggest competitor, the mobile phone. Maybe a 5 minute pep rally with ourselves in the car would remind us to be our best, make the best effort and perform our best work. Because really, to be enthusiastic, you must be enthusiastic.
