Hello again, hope you're doing well out there...
During my first post I told you about what happened when I picked up my son from daycare after work. I saw his teachers struggling to get him ready to be picked up and taken home, because he wasn't paying them the least bit of attention. He, like many children at that age (three years old at the time), wasn't happily playing with toys, minding his own business, without a care in the world. (Makes you wonder why some so-called grown-ups can't learn to mind their own business, as the world would be a better place in my opinion, but I digress a bit...back to the story)
Anyway, when I arrived the teachers complained about how they couldn't get my son to follow directions. So what did I do? I called him over, whispered in his ear, and I'd barely gotten the words out when he made a beeline through the classroom door like he was shot out of a cannon, racing for the main entrance as fast as his little legs could carry him, screaming and squealing with delight, wide eyed, excited beyond reason with a big silly grin on his face.
Somewhat understandably his teachers were shocked into stunned silence, looking at me as if they were deer and I was a set of approaching headlights. I'd just accomplished with my son in five seconds something they weren't able to achieve in about an hour. Recovering from their collective speechlessness, one of them asked me with a look of shock and awe (at least I think so, anyway...I just had it like that at the time...LOL):
"What did you SAY to him...?"
Now I know this is the moment you've been waiting for, the spot where I left you hanging with my first post, so this has to be really good. This is big people, so in the classic words of Samuel L. Jackson's character in the movie Jurassic Park:
"Hold onto your butts..."
Drumroll, please....
I shrugged my shoulders and replied:
"I just asked him if he wanted to get a pizza..."
Okay, I know what you're thinking:
HUH...!!!??? THAT'S IT...??? THAT'S YOUR 'PEARL' OF WISDOM....???? YOU GOTTA BE KIDDIN' ME..!!! THAT CAN'T BE IT...!!!
Yes, that's it...
Yes, that's my "pearl" of wisdom...
And yes, that CAN be it...because that's all there was to it...
(I told you, these are SIMPLE solutions....remember...?)
All right, I see you're getting that look, too. Stop staring at me like that! You're not deer, and I look nothing like headlights. There's a very simple explanation, so stick with me. This is what I asked my son, word for word, so pay close attention. I'll even make the key words stand out so you'll understand why I was able to get my son's attention. I asked my son:
"DO YOU WANT to get a pizza...?"
Did you catch that? Did I make it plain enough for you?
I got my son's attention with the first three words. Zig Ziglar said, "You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help enough people get what they want." Well, all I did was focus on what I knew my son would want (pizza, pizza, and more pizza...he's still a "pizza-holic" to this day...what teenager isn't...?) because I knew I would get what I wanted (him in the car, and a ride home with a stop to get some pizza along the way). Yes, there was a price involved, but it was small compared to the potential frustration I could have endured, the same frustration my son's teachers were dealing with, if I had tried to reason with him the same way they did. I didn't talk at all about what I wanted; I let my son lead the way, thinking the whole time it was his idea when it was really mine. It was a true WIN-WIN scenario, and everyone was happy: my son got a pizza, his teachers got another step closer to leaving for the day, and yours truly got a very happy child and a trip home....
Cool Beans...!!!
Now I'm sure there are some people who believe this is wrong, that I somehow manipulated the situation to get my son to do what I wanted. You might accuse me of offering my son a bribe to get my way. If that's what you think, you're partially right. I did offer him a bribe...but I call it what it was, an incentive to get him to do what I wanted, while letting him think it was his idea all along. That was the best way for me to get his cooperation, and it worked out great for everyone. You can do the same thing in your relationships, whether in business, in romance, or life in general. Focus on the other person, let them know you are interested in them, and you'll be amazed at how much you can accomplish.
I'll be talking more about the importance of focusing on other people's interests in future posts, but I believe I've given you enough to chew on for now. Hope you enjoyed the story, and that you got something valuable out of it. Thanks for taking the time to read my blog, and until next time, remember:
Keep in simple...y' hear?
Later gators..!
Earl
PS There are two types of people in the world: those who are attractive, and those who are repellent. Find out the difference, and learn how you can become more attractive in every area of your life:
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