If you eat your favourite food, wear your favourite outfit and re-read your favourite book every single day it’s going to get a little boring. You’re going to stop tasting all the intricate delicious flavours, appreciating the colours and fabrics, and being delighted by the twists and turns of the story.
Well, it can be the same with I LOVE YOU.
Hearing I LOVE YOU can make us feel good but if it’s said all the time in the same way it can get a little flat. That’s why during The 30 Love Explosion you’re going to get really specific with what it is you love. Once you’ve chosen the person you’re going to Love Bomb every day for the month of June, you can start paying attention to what it is you love about them. The things you love can be simple, outrageous, things you never noticed before, things you’ve been taking for granted for years…
- I love your laugh. Your eyes light up when you do that. It makes me smile.
- I love that you always offer to do the dishes when you eat at my house.
- I love that you’ve been putting the toilet seat down for 25 years. I especially love it late at night when I would otherwise be falling into a bowl of cold water.
- I love the way you listen to me without interrupting. It helps me take the time to connect with my own thoughts.
- I love that you do the driving. I can just relax and enjoy the ride.
- I love that you take such good care of yourself. Your health inspires me.
- I love that you are passionate about your work. I enjoy seeing you happy.
We are often quick to criticize and it can be easy to get specific about what is bugging us. This is a chance to turn that habit on it’s head and be quick to appreciate.
Back when I use to manage lots of staff I felt the best way to support them was to catch em in the act of doing something great and give immediate feedback. I tried to always be specific.
If a new staff member was just learning the ropes and had a great exchange with a client I could just say “well done” or “good job” and they probably would have felt pretty good. Instead I would tell them the specific things they did well. “You asked great questions to find out more about her problem before offering a solution. And then when you offered solutions you did a wonderful job of tying it right back to the problems she stated. You did a great job!”
With that kind of feedback my staff knew that I cared enough to pay close attention and take the time to give detailed feedback. It was more work for me, but it was deeply satisfying. I felt that my job was to focus on my staff so that they could focus on the customer. And this immediate positive feedback ensured they knew they were appreciated.
The 30 Day Love Explosion invites you to do the same – pay close attention to one person, catch em in the act of doing something you love, and tell them.
This is SUCH a great idea!