Happy Holidays Everyone! I hope everyone has a safe and fun Thanksgiving Holiday. This Thanksgiving is a special one for me and a time where I want to express gratitude for all that God has given me. This year was a challenging year for me and one of many lessons but through my lessons God provided many things to be grateful for. What about you? What are you grateful for this year? What lessons have you learned and how did they effect your way of thinking? Today I have invited Roger Boneno, one of my Go Giver Friends, to share a story about a lesson he learned and how it effected his life. I hope you enjoy!
“How an Accident in which I Knew No One… Changed my Life” – Roger Boneno
Almost 20 years ago, as I was driving on I-10 just outside of Beaumont towards Houston, a Minivan raced up behind me. I was young, and full of ego, so I thought I would “teach them a lesson.” The sports car I was driving easily stayed in front of them, allowing me to block their path each time they tried to pass. We kept this up for at least 15 miles, until all of the traffic began to slow down… Apparently, there had been a very bad accident on the other side of the freeway; at which point the minivan slowed down, drove across the grassy median, and went straight toward the accident.
I thought I knew why that person was trying to get around me; and it had nothing to do with getting to the scene of an accident.It was not a shining moment for me; but it WAS a defining moment for me. At that point, I decided that the answer to “What are they thinking?” was not one I could answer by myself.
What about you? In your business or your personal life; how many times have you reacted negatively based on what you thought were the malicious motivations of others?
- Someone approaches you at a networking event or asks to meet with you, and you assume they are just trying to “sell you something you do not want”
- Your friend or a relative tells you (or posts on Facebook) about a recent success, and you assume they are trying to “show-off”
- Someone does not invite you to a lunch or a party, and you assume they are trying to “slight” you intentionally
- Someone seems a little harsh in their comments; and you assume they are generally inconsiderate.
Maybe sometimes you were right; but what about the times when you were not?
- Did your reaction help, or hurt, the situation?
- Did you build up, or tear down, the relationship?
- Did you increase, or decrease, your own contentment and motivation?
- Did you maintain, or diminish, your focus on positive steps to grow?
When I was part of some amazing teams at YUM! Brands (Kentucky Fried Chicken); we had a concept called “believing in the Positive Intentions” of others. On those teams in which people truly practiced this concept; amazing things happened. On one team I was on, with leaders from Marketing, Operations, and Strategic Planning (that was me); we were able to create a dramatic turnaround of hundreds of inner-city restaurants AND create a new restaurant model that is now the basis for every KFC in the world today. A big part of our success was that we always believed in the “positive intentions” of everyone on our team.
So, what if you decide to change your perspective? What if, whenever you have an interaction with someone; you make a deliberate intent to believe that they do have positive intentions?
And try this in EVERY interaction:
- A Tele-marketer calls, and you actually listen
- Someone you do not get along with especially well posts some good news on Facebook, and you press the like button
- You go into a potentially antagonistic meeting, and you visualize agreement while you walk in with a smile
- Someone speaks a little harshly, and you respond warmly
For the next 21 days, wake up every morning with a conscious affirmation that you will trust in the positive intentions of others. Do this consistently for 21 days and you will build a life-long habit of being one of the most positive people others will ever know.
Is this risky? Maybe. Is it possible that people will take advantage of you? Perhaps. But, the gains you will get from opening your life up to positivity will far outweigh the infinitesimal amount you risk.
Roger Boneno is a Coach and Consultant, specializing in working with owners and executives of retail and restaurant businesses. He has 20 years of business experience working with both Billion $ publicly traded companies, as well as small and mid-sized, privately-owned businesses. A huge believer in both the Law of Attraction and in The Go-Giver Laws; Roger seeks to provide businesses tools and training that help create businesses that run themselves; and let the owners have freedom.
I hope everyone enjoyed Roger’s story as much as I did. You can connect to Roger by visiting his webpage www.CoachRogerBoneno.com
Happy Thanks Giving Everyone! As you share your holiday with family, friends or others take the time to be grateful for all they bring to your life. Remember that Thanksgiving is a day for THANKS and for GIVING! You never know what the next moment will bring you.
Many Blessings,
~ Michelle Colon-Johnson