Did You Get Someone Sick?

We give gifts and we give other things...like colds.

I don’t know who started the giving in our family this year, but they sure did give the gift that just kept on giving. Literally, every person in my family was sick in some way over the Holidays. Has this ever happened to you? Maybe this resembles your holiday this year too.

What’s interesting about this phenomenon is how it relates to other areas of our life.

For example, we have a big tree in our front yard and it dumps  a ton of leaves as the seasons change. Those leaves were sitting for almost a month before I raked them up this year. Most of my neighbors also have trees and subsequently, leaves in their yards that haven’t been raked. We were all quite happy living with piles of leaves on the ground until…

Yes, I had a moment of inspiration and started raking my leaves. I even got a bit of help from my 3 year old daughter. Then, the most amazing thing happened. My neighbor, whom I haven’t talked to in months, comes out the front door. I can tell she feels a little embarrassed, then she looks over at me smiles and says, “We’ll do our part.”

She was signifying that she was sorry she hadn’t raked her yard yet and was vowing to to get to it as soon as possible. To be honest, I hadn’t thought twice about it because I was guilty myself. However, this encounter got me thinking.

My simple act of raking leaves caused my neighbor to act in a manner she may not have otherwise.

This is a neighbor that I have almost zero relationship with. I don’t even remember her first name. This is a person that I should have no influence over and yet only two days after I raked my leaves, she and her husband were outside raking. How can I have so much influence over someone I barely know?

The answer: Action is contagious.

Too often we sit in our “cubicle” (this could be literal or figurative) and think we have no power to make change. We think our title or our experience doesn’t provide us the ability or right to step forward. That’s just not true.

Your action (or lack thereof) will affect other people, your business/work environment and even your future. I think one of the biggest differences between a leader and everyone else is willingness to take action. Do you want to be a leader? Then lead. People follow people of action.

So, what action should you take today? What is something you  have  put off because you didn’t feel “worthy.”

Do it and you’ll give a gift far more valuable and lasting than a cold!