- Come to Learn — I don’t know it all. In fact, in the scheme of things, I know very little. But what I do know is that there is something to learn at every turn and if I come into every day, every situation, with the intention to learn something than my experience feels purposeful.
- Observe First —There’s a lot you can learn through observation. You walk into an office reception area and you can learn a LOT about what it’s like to work there. Are people walking together (community walks together), are they holding a glass of water (if it’s reusable you learn something about the person and if it’s actually glass it tells you something about how they have communal spaces), are they just looking down at their phones (perhaps they’re over-burdened with work).
- Encourage the Inhale & Exhale — Breathing is contagious. I realized this first with my kids. If I came into a situation where they were distraught or worked up about something if I first looked at them and took an audible inhale and exhale they would follow my lead. Nearly everything is going to go better after a complete inhale and exhale.
- Smile — Nothing will put you in a place of thriving in the moment like some eye-contact and a genuine smile.
- Ask — Be curious. I was reading a blog post from a colleague and in the comments someone noted that Oprah once said: “no question is inappropriate if asked respectfully” and I loved that reminder. You can be curious about ANYTHING as long as you come from a place of respect. Curiosity is also contagious.
- Do One Thing — Starting is the hardest part of any task and we spend entirely too long trying to figure out WHERE to start. So don’t figure that out at first. Instead, do one thing, maybe it’s your favorite part, just do one thing to generate momentum and you’ll be showing up in bigger ways faster.
- Fail, Try Again, Repeat — I loathe the expression Fail-Fast. Some of my best failures took a really really long time. What made them my best failures? I learned the most. Learning is thriving.
- Seek the 2% Improvement — When you come from a place of looking to make something even 2% better than it is you’re in the right head-space. You are present and with ease — it’s something you can feel.
- Share — Your experiences, your life, your thoughts, what you enjoy, your money with others. Share it all. The sign of true abundance is how freely you share.
Originally published at medium.com