What You Say?

What people say around you has a great impact on your performance.  Yesterday as the business day was winding down, one of my colleagues walked by and said quietly, almost to herself, "I am going to go be better now and do my run."  Be Better is a big theme with our team this year, so it is part of our office dialogue throughout each day.  Yesterday, those words really hit me. She was going to push through and complete that run.

I also had a workout scheduled for the afternoon.  Tuesdays are very busy days in my routine, and I was thinking about letting the work out slide.  Eventually, I decided I would still make it to the gym, but I would modify the planned work out from swim (difficult) to treadmill (easy).  As I pulled in the parking lot, I kept hearing those words, "I'm going to go be better."  They rubbed off.  I got in the pool and knocked out the laps.  Never would have done that without the unintended push from my office mate.

Wherever you are today, remember that your words have power.  They will shape your actions, influence your emotions, and they will influence everyone who hears.  A few questions to help you shape your environment:

• Does what I am saying raise the energy or deplete it? 
• What can I say to affirm what my colleagues are doing around me? 
• How do I bring laughter to others and attention to their accomplishments?
• How can I shape this work environment to make it a little better?