Investing in Language 1

Language is a tool that can invite or divide.

Adding new language to your everyday chatter will give you many more tools to gain insight, understanding, and wealth.

The new bit of language I got this week was this sentence that the facilitator popped out during an executive meeting

“We may want to massage that idea around a bit”

It was such a great use of letting the idea be the subject of the discussion not the person, it was not “Johns idea”.  it was just an idea that needed more work.  The way it flowed gave others in the group the option to open it up for more work, add to it, or morph the idea totally.

I love seeing new ways language can be a wealth building tool.  

What is my gift?

I have people ask me all the time the same question related to being a philanthropist:

What is my gift?

It makes me giggle because it is so simple that it become very complex.

We all have the gift to see how life on this planet could be made better.

It is that simple. It is that available.

What in the world could use a drop of your flavor to make it better?

A shoreline of garbage could use an upgrade and you could snag a walk at the same time.
The pile of unused soaps could make someone in a shelter very happy.
A child would love to hear that they are special.
A neighbor would love for you to send over a little treat.
Your friend may love an extra long walk in the sunshine.
.
Go forward and share your flavor.
MM

Words are like money

I often tell my students that there are many forms of debt.
Some debt will chain you and some will set you free.

Our words are like coins and those words can do many things.
Today I had someone that loved me consistently tell me the ways in which I was not "perfect".
My hair was a mess, my bra strap was showing, I weigh too much and on and on it went.

I smiled and told them that was not willing to continue this banter because as a CEO of a company those words rolling around in my head will leave me impoverished and unable to lead effectively.

I encourage you to give words as investments and not as chains of debt.

Grace as a gift

Yesterday I was standing in line at the grocery store and saw the cashier just lose it over a woman in mid-check out who had dodged out  mid-ring-up to  run back to get some blueberries.

The cashier was really annoyed and was about to drop the sale and start on my order.

That would have meant that the woman who could not remember berries would have to start her check out of her entire order over AND hustle to the back of the line.

I told the cashier with a smile, I had the ability to be generous with my time and I could hold off a bit while she gathered her forgotten berries.
The woman comes back out of breath from running with berries and starts apologizing to me.

With all my calm, I told her the same thing I told the cashier. I had the ability to be generous with my time.
It was not difficult to give her a few moments of my time to get berries. I added that they seemed important by the way she took off like a shot to RUN and get them.

Tears swell and she tells me her daughter was ill and REALLY wanted those berries. It had been a tough three months and she was tired. Too tired to come back.

I would have done the same for my kids. I told her she must be a really nice mom to go to that trouble to make sure she could deliver that gift of berries.

waves and good tidings and then my turn came with the annoyed cashier.
" Now, wasn't that worth the wait?"

Pushed out of her annoyed coma the attendant agreed.

Grace is often the most generous gift we can all give.