Your 2013 Manners Makeover
February 9, 2013
I recently shared a challenge on my blog that I’d like to extend to you: 3 Habits to Start Creating Today.
To set a new standard for interacting with others, please incorporate these three habits and share your findings with me. I love hearing about your results.
The first habit to develop in the “manners makeover” challenge is to be fully present. With all the distractions we encounter in our daily lives – cell phones, email, etc – it can be tempting to multi-task when engaging in a conversation. To create this new habit, the next time you’re talking to someone, really stop and listen. Refrain from thinking about what you’re going to say in response, or worse yet, thinking about what’s on your to-do list for the day. Enjoy the moment fully by focusing ONLY on the person you’re listening to. You will be surprised at what you learn.
The second challenge I’m offering is to compliment others more frequently. On your last interaction with someone, did that person make you feel better? Or did they leave you feeling a little deflated? It really only takes a moment to “fill a person’s bucket.”
The Gallop organization has created a wonderful metaphor to take us to a new level of personal interaction. Imagine that each of us has an invisible bucket—and we also have a ladle. When we engage with others, we can either fill his or her bucket, or we can take from it. And the good news is that when we fill someone’s bucket, we’re also filling our own. You know that feeling you get when you compliment someone on a new hairstyle or a sharp looking outfit? Making someone else smile makes you feel joy!
You never know the effect that a simple comment can have on someone. It may be the positive push they needed that very moment to work through a difficult situation. And it’s so easy to do.
My third “manners makeover” challenge is this: Leave things better than you found them. We owe it to those that came before us to leave things better than we found them so that those that come after us can enjoy the same benefits that we had.
By incorporating these three tips into your everyday encounters, you’ll create new habits that will leave a lasting impression.
If you’re a Twitter user, share your thoughts and experiences with us by using the hashtag #MannersMakeover in your tweets.
Wishing you a prosperous 2013!
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