Brooke and I laugh often that our personalities are often the exact opposite of our ‘typical’ married friends. Meaning Brooke matches the man’s personality and I match the woman’s.
Brooke would rather swing a hammer, fix something, or mow the yard and I’d rather play with the kids or have a long conversation over a bottle of wine.
She is an achiever and doer. I’m a connector and encourager.
One thing I sucked at for many years was the disease of making excuses for my personality and allowing myself to become passive. Indecisive. Timid.
Being nice, kind and honest certainly doesn’t equal passive, but it leads to that at times. Especially in the face of more dominant personalities.
So for all of you ‘love cats’ (as Tim Sanders calls us), one theme I hope will resonate with you is this: Initiate. It may be hard for you or push you out of your comfort zone but take the first step.
It’s not always glamorous, but I’m becoming more aware that the world is waiting for those that take action and make things happen.
There are a million ways to take initiative, but lately I have tried to:
Pick up the phone. Make a call. Not a text or an email, an actual call. Call a client. Call a prospect. Call a former colleague. Your hopeful voice will encourage them today.
Hire a babysitter. If you have kids, you and your spouse need time away from the normal routines. To dream. To connect. To talk.
Take something from your boss. Don’t wait for her to ask for help, take action and tell her you’ve got it. And then go make that project amazing.
Hand write a thank you note. And send it in the mail. Old school I know but no one is doing it. Personal or professional it doesn’t matter, take the lead and say thank you to someone with a written note.
Throw a party. You’re a connector by nature but don’t sit around waiting for invites. People love being around you so take the lead and throw a party. It can be simple stuff like pizza for your staff or s’mores for your neighbors but gather people around you.
I’m learning that stuff gets better when I initiate. Do something. Start moving. Initiate.
