Have you ever noticed how some people jump in and make it happen? You probably know a person or two who does, and it could be you. Yet, others sit on the sideline, waiting for someone to take the lead. As a second part to the Brittany story shared last week, in this short video (5 min.), you’ll hear three ways to identify who is not a changemaker and who could be a changemaker. Being a changemaker doesn’t require grand gestures. It’s the proactive steps taken to make change happen or to flip unexpected events into positive ones.

Can one person be a changemaker? This six-word question can ignite various negative and positive responses.

Last week I had a call with a conference chair from a leading healthcare system looking for an inspiring presentation, yet it had to be fun with learning objective takeaways, too. (Yes, I have the right keynote to hit each point.) As we were diving into organizational challenges, I shared one story that resonated.

What happens when you have three weeks of construction vehicles working in front of your office window? You tie the event to this week’s short video (under 8 min.) that unexpectedly connected to our Toxic People Series. You’ll hear three fun analogies related to people who could be in your Inner Circle, aka Power Team, but might not be in your corner. Meet Mr. Dial-Up, Mr. Just One More, and Mr. Toolman. And yes, they could be Ms., too.

In this final topic, it’s all about Transmitting Your Positive Emotions to Override Toxic Energy.

Sometimes it’s hard to keep your chin up after encountering a toxic person because emotions are contagious. Negative emotions include fear, anger, disgust, sadness, rage, complaints, and annoyance, to name a few. The stronger the emotion someone feels, and the longer they talk about it, the more contagious they are because they infect their negativity on you. When we allow our emotions to swing into the negative column, we’ve caught the toxic vibes the other person threw out.

Guarding your positive attitude is crucial to success. Consider this: Optimistic sales pros outperform pessimists with better selling skills by 57 percent. Mindset is everything.

It can be hard to taper time with peers, challenging customers, and relatives. So, what can we do when we can’t taper our time with them? First, we can tame toxic conversations.

Does summertime put a little extra zip in your step? Does it feel like the season of growth to you? Summer feels like a great time to think about what works and to access what doesn't. So let's start with the people. If you're like me, I've love to say that every person in my network exudes positivity. Well, it is a goal. 😊

Life is looking good with many restrictions lifted. Yay! However, to grow and move forward, sometimes we need to go back. Most of us had actions we wanted to take but couldn’t due to the mandates. In this short video (under 5 min.), let’s talk about what your choice will be now that we’re turning a corner.

Over the weekend, I watched my son Josh finish his first marathon, the Gettysburg North-South Marathon. Before the race started, you could feel the runners’ anxiety, tension, and excitement in the air. Over 400 marathoners bounced up and down, sprinted, and stretched while their pit crew (supporters) offered words of encouragement. And a round of shouts and cheers erupted when the race started.

This week's quote hits home for me. I've been very inconsistent in creating videos because of all the "imperfect" reasons I had bouncing around like a superball inside my head. In November, when I jumpstarted my YouTube Channel, I knew that fearless had to be my word of the year. Fearless action means: Done is better than perfect.

Got your one word? Find out three ways to leverage your one word in 2021 in this week's video issue. I've included a few examples as a way to get the most out of your #oneword365.

Have you created resolutions for the new year? Or have you given up on resolutions because you found they haven’t worked in the past? If resolutions work for you, you are in the 20 percent category. Go you!! For those of us who found resolutions usually don’t work, we’re in the 80 percent category according to U.S. News. Either way, it’s okay.

As we put the old year behind us, we always have high hopes, goals, and expectations for the New Year!

As we close in 2020, I wanted to express my gratitude to you personally.

Click the video for my mini message to you and something new for 2021!

It’s time to start fresh. It’s time to Power Up, Play-Up, and Bounce-Up in 2021!

Mj

We wish you the happiest of holidays. During the past nine months, your feedback and support have been a gift to us here at Team Mj. We are very grateful to have you in our Bounce-Up Chronicles Community.

How do you prepare for the new year? My colleague Robert takes life by the horns. He ends December with an intentional plan in a warmer climate. First, he enjoys a week with his family celebrating the holidays. In the second week, he evaluates his year and maps out his business plan and goals for the following year. It’s on his schedule and in his budget. Another colleague, Marquesa, goes “underground,” which is her terminology for going off-the-grid. In a similar way to Robert, Marquesa devotes her time off to her lifestyle business.

In addition to our usual December overload, we have the craziness caused by the ongoing pandemic and mandates this season. Talk about energy zappers.

When we’re concentrating on work tasks, solving problems, processing data, watching TV, and scrolling through social media, our brain remains in action-oriented mode. We think the more we do, the more productive we will be. Unfortunately, it’s the opposite. A full-throttle lifestyle hurts productivity and creativity.

Two weeks ago, I participated in the fabulous Retention Summit for Manufacturers. During the Q&A after my session, someone asked “Mj, how do you keep sales teams motivated as we head to the end of the year?” Before I could answer, the woman continued, “It’s been a hard year and not everyone will hit their quotas. What do you do about it? How do you keep them motivated? What do you say?”

During this month of thankfulness, we are extremely grateful for your support with Bounce-Up Chronicles. Thank you for your wonderful comments and topic suggestions. We genuinely appreciate you!

Have you read a social post that brought a smile because you knew somewhere along the way you had a part in making someone’s goal come true? Over the weekend, one of my former private clients, a young insurance agent, posted that he and his wife were expecting their second child. When we started working together, I asked, “What do you want to achieve by working with me that you can’t do on your own?”