Have you made a positive impact on someone lately?
I was just thinking of the four years I taught a healing class through the OSL (Order of St. Luke the Physician). It was my goal that when the adult students left the class that they were better off from coming to class. Not worse off.
I have a thing about people not beating up on another. I believe everyone has a right to have their own thoughts and views as long as it is consistent with the Word of God.
But you know what? Sometimes, even adults can sometimes act like kids and they want to one up the other. They want to poo-poo another’s dreams, thoughts and even experiences.
I have learned over the years, that no one can deny another person’s experience. Even if they aren’t using the right verbiage to explain it, it doesn’t deny the experience.
One way that I was able to maintain peace in my class for four years was to go in a half hour early to mentally and spiritually prepare myself. I needed to get my needs and concerns of the day off of my chest. I needed to make sure I had dealt with any sins in my life, known and unknown. The Lord would reveal what I wasn’t aware of. I needed to get my head in the game!
To turn this into a business principle, when you network or meet people for the first time, strive to add something positive to their life. It could be as simple as a having a listening ear or making constructive comments. You could engage them in conversation while actively listening to their words.
Listen with the intention of staying on that same subject versus thinking of what you want to say next or being focused on another story or topic unrelated to the conversation at hand. When I am thinking of something to add to the current conversation, I sometimes jot down one or two key words to remember my thoughts later so I can return to actively listening to the other person. It does take patience. And I believe the rewards are great!
There is a time and place to share like stories for the point of encouraging someone that
1) They are not alone or the only one and
2) for giving credibility to how you would understand because you do have a frame of reference for their experience.
In networking, unless you schedule another time to meet, that might be the only time you have with the person to make a good impression.
So let’s go out there today and make it a good one.
As John Maxwell says in his video series, Winning With People on Right Now Media, that a friend of his once said that it is “more rewarding to resolve a situation than to dissolve a relationship.” We would not want to dissolve a relationship before it can start.
Enjoy your day thinking of others more highly than your self. (Romans 12:3, Philippians 2:3, Colossians 3:12-17)
And ask yourself, Have I made a positive impact on someone, lately?