Experience = Positivity

Driving directions

• Recall the last time you drove to a place you hadn’t been to before without using GPS
• Even with driving directions in hand, you probably drove a little slower than normal
• You probably re-checked your directions a few times while on route
• And you may have thought for a moment that you should have already arrived at a certain street or passed a certain landmark by now
• If you’ve since made a second trip to that destination, especially not too long after the first trip, you probably ditched the map, puffed out your chest, and drove on confidently at a greater speed
• Why is that?
• Well the obvious answer is that you’re now experienced in driving that particular route
• Experience is simply gaining knowledge of something through participation or action
• Experience brings confidence
• What does confidence bring?
• It often brings things like:
• Motivation
• Aspiration
• Joy
• A desire to serve
• And many other things (all positive, by the way)

The simple equation

• So if experience (whether it be successfully arriving at a destination, becoming an expert in your industry, traveling abroad, or stepping out of your comfort zone) will bring about positive feelings and desires within you, why not commit yourself to getting out and experiencing life more and living richly?

Celebrity me

Mirror, mirror

• Why do some people have significantly more mirrors in their homes than others?
• Are they trying to make rooms more spacious? Are they more vain?
• Is it possible to get up in the morning, get ready to go out, and then leave the house without glancing (or staring) into a mirror?
• I’d respond ‘Sure, why not?’ But then actually doing it is a little harder than you might think
• Has the mirror become such an integral part of our lives that we can now not live without it? (Even though the modern mirror was only invented in the nineteenth century, the earliest mirrors date back to 6,000 BC
• Regardless of our fascination with our own outward appearance, there are plenty of mirrors around and many of us cannot resist opportunities to check ourselves out (glass buildings, changing rooms, rear-view mirrors, etc)

Practically speaking

• Here are a couple reflection-related suggestions that can give you some interesting insight into yourself, your level of self-confidence (proclaimed or actual), and the way you lead your life
• Record yourself with a video camera
• Gone are the large VHS cassette-loaded beasts that your father used to surprise you with at every family event, and you can pick up a nice compact digital camera at any electronics store (and become a YouTube star as well)
• I’ve done a number of mock interviews with career coaching clients recently which really illuminates a great deal about a person
• For most people, watching themselves onscreen brings about some level of surprise; Most are surprised at how monotone or unenthusiastic they sound, while others get a laugh at how fidgety they can be
• I recommend watching yourself on video as it’s a great way to learn your mannerisms (sometimes for the first time) and tweak your mannerisms and enthusiasm level - which helps whether you’re interviewing for a new job or looking to motivate your staff more
• Watch yourself in an angled mirror
• Position a full-length mirror on the floor against a wall at a 45 degree angle (ensure there is carpet or a rug on the floor so the mirror doesn’t slide out)
• Take some time to observe yourself and your surroundings in the mirror as well as:
• Walk toward the mirror from a distance and observe yourself while walking and while standing in front (Check out your stance, your body itself, and your facial expressions)
• Standing at the base of the mirror, observe the room through the mirror (You’re seeing things from an unusual angle: You’re seeing things from a low position, yet you’re actually looking down to the mirror)
• Recite a speech; Have a conversation; Run through your facial expressions
• Give these two suggestions a go since they can be quite insightful, a great confidence booster, (and a good laugh), but also likely to help you both professionally and personally in more ways than you think
• Many people fear public speaking and these are effective tools to help get over this fear or bolster your speaking skills
• Even though speaking to an audience of one (a video camera or mirror) isn’t real life (they also don’t throw tomatoes though), it gives you a starting point to go from and quickly show where you need work (e.g. talk slower or minimize the use of words such as ‘like’, etc)
• Enjoy it and let me know how it goes!