Holding a grudge is letting someone live rent free in your head.
As anyone in real estate will tell you — buy low and sell high. Thankfully, people are often more than willing to give away you their mental property for next to nothing.
Mary J. responded to last night’s email saying that she smiled thinking “how good it feels when you have a positive interaction” and it brought up an interesting point.
Think about all the clothes in your closet. Think about your favorite shirt, pants, or shoes. Can you remember a time when someone complimented you while wearing them? Do you remember what was said? When it happened? How it felt?
Chances are, you remember these moments somewhat vividly.
For me, I remember the comments of the girl at the grocery store who was so far out of my league I’d have needed to book a flight to get in her zip code. She said, “that shirt cuts well on you, it’s cute.” Unbeknownst to her, it was the first shirt I owned that was “slim fit” — that was two years ago and everything I own is now slim fit.
Now just imagine… you have the power to make that deep of an impact every time you engage another human — online or in person. With a moment of thought and a well placed compliment, you can live rent free in someone’s mind for years.
Here are some ideas for you to use:
- compliment someone on their ability to ask an intelligent question
- reward someone for taking the time to present a unique perspective
- appreciate someone for sharing a personal story in a public forum
Even when dealing with aggressors or trolls, you can always find something to compliment and it’s the perfect place to start the conversation. Here’s an example of how this plays out in Facebook comments (and reduces PPC costs in the process).
As they say in real estate, “Location. Location. Location.”
If you’re investing in mental real estate, you might as well secure the best property.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to identify someone whom you greatly admire (an expert in your field, a mentor, etc.) and reach out to share your genuine appreciation in the most detailed and expressive manner possible.
Don’t set expectations, just focus on making them feel the love you feel for them.
Remember that every day, including today, you have the ability to refuse the sale of your mental real estate just as much as you have the ability to buy someone elses’.
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