This month, something a bit different\u2026\u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As I write this article, it\u2019s night-time, my dog Bobby is sleeping at my feet, I have a cold glass of soft drink (maybe \u2013 maybe not) within reach, and as I look out of my window, in the darkness all seems right with the world. It\u2019s quiet and very tranquil. I could be mistaken for thinking how perfect the world is outside.
But I will soon be shaken back to reality the minute I wake in the morning. The television will be telling me about the next natural catastrophe, another major financial institution getting into difficulty and another politician\u2019s personal problems becoming food for the public, another war escalating somewhere, and more job losses being announced. Need I go on?
Even as accountants, when we contact a client, it is usually because we\u2019re sending bad news or we\u2019re reproaching them for something or other: \u2018You owe $$$ in taxes\u2019, \u2018You haven\u2019t sent in the missing information we need to complete your financial statements and tax returns\u2019, \u2018you seem to have overlooked paying our invoice\u2026\u2019 and so on.
How would it feel if, just for one day, you only did positive things; wrote positive letters and emails and said positive things? If you only ate healthy food, parked as far away from the office as possible, took the stairs instead of the elevator, drank water for the day, smiled for no particular reason and looked for opportunities to give genuine praise to team members at work? What do you think it would do to your frame of mind, your interactions with staff, clients and even family members?
I would suggest, that it would have a very positive impact in both directions \u2013 how you saw the world and how the world saw you. It is in your power to do exactly that. Why not try it for a day and then come back and have a read of the rest of this article.
Welcome back – how was it?
Did you feel more \u2018in control\u2019 of your day? Did it feel good to offer sincere praise to someone when you were able to catch them doing something good at the office? How was your relationship with your partner? Did people start to go out of their way to help you with your objectives that day? Did good news arrive in the mail? Did you hear from a friend or good client that you hadn\u2019t been in touch with for a while? In short, did you have a good day?
Don\u2019t get me wrong, I am not advocating that we should all pretend that everything is wonderful, because clearly it is not. But just imagine how your week would be if you tried to incorporate a little of this activity every day.
I compare this concept to what many great athletes employ in their everyday routine. Let\u2019s look at professional golfers, for example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Golf Professionals often envision themselves making the perfect swing and driving the ball into prime position on the fairway to approach the green, before their every shot. And just look at the results. It seems that they make it all so effortless! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Behind the scenes, though, they\u2019ve all put in their 10,000 hours, and have practiced until they have become (almost) perfect. Talented? Sure. But hard workers? Absolutely. Indeed! Just as the professional golfer thinks through their shot before, they strike the ball, you too can put some positive mental energy out there in your firm.
Tony Robbins advocates that one should \u2018act as if what you desire has already happened\u2019 and subconsciously, you\u2019ll find a way to actually make it happen. Indeed, he teaches some really complex, but also simple material.
For example, Tony says: \u201cIn essence, if we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently.\u201d
If you stop and analyse that quote, and seek the true meaning, what I believe he\u2019s saying is simply this: \u2018If you want to be consistently happy, you need to act consistently happy!\u2019 and thus he is also saying \u2018If you want to be consistently unhappy, you need to act consistently unhappy!\u2019
During 2022, which were you? Just ask your staff, maybe they would say you were the second alternative for the at least some of the time! But it doesn\u2019t have to be that way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What I\u2019ve taken until now to say, is that if we can inject a little positive thinking into our day, it can make a big difference to not just ourselves, but to those around us too.
I think that the accounting industry gets a bad rap from the general public. They see us as boring, introverted, number-crunchers. I say it\u2019s time to fight back. I say it\u2019s time to show the world how exciting, professionally, and financially rewarding our profession can be.
Let\u2019s start with a smile. It\u2019s one of the most infectious things we can pass on to our clients and staff. And it\u2019s free!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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