We all know that smiling is easy and painless to do. Yet, many of us walk around all day looking like the world is about to end! 

Take this simple test. Take an hour, day or even a week and just randomly smile at people (say “Hi” for a bonus) and watch what happens. Remarkably they will smile back (albeit with a confused look of “who are you and why are you smiling at me”), but they will smile all the same. And somewhere, deep down in their brain, they will feel a little better about their day, about themselves and about you. It’s a win-win for everyone!

Think about this…people who are leaders and naturally attract others to them always have one thing in common. Can you guess what it is? Yep! They smile a lot. They just make you feel welcome even before a single word is spoken! Ask yourself, do I like to be around my happy friends or my sad ones?  The answer is obvious.

So go out and do the easiest thing in the world…SMILE. It’s easy, it’s free and the results are wonderful!

Most people WANT a great life, great relationships, a super job, wonderful vacations…the list could go on and on. The problem is it usually ends right there…wanting it but not actually living it.

There are two types of people who “want” things in life.

The first type of person sits back and “wishes” or “hopes” that great things will happen to them. It’s much like a person who takes their fishing boat out on the lake to catch fish but then they just sit there adrift. Although they want to catch some fish, they don’t have a single hook in the water, no bait, no nets…nothing.  Yet, they wish and hope with all their might that some fish will magically jump into their boat. Good luck with that!

The other type of person is the one who wants to achieve more and then goes out and takes action!  They grab the wheel of their life and point it where it needs to go!  This is the fisherman who is on the lake with every hook and net in the water working to catch anything that might come by their boat.  If there is any chance for something amazing to happen, they will be in position to reel it in!

Quit wasting time wishing and hoping. Instead, take action to make your life amazing! Start small with one objective and then work up from there. Find something you’ve been putting off and just go do it.  Get some momentum and you will catch more fish than you’ve ever dreamed possible!

So there I was, walking around the waterfront enjoying a perfect 72 degree day watching the boats go to and from the main channel. Families and their kids were all out doing fun activities and enjoying the people performing. It wasn’t until I was sitting in an outdoor restaurant that I realized something…I didn’t care. Not only that, I really wasn’t enjoying any part of the scenic day. Why? Because I was sitting there all by myself!  Just me, myself and I. 

I don’t care where you are. In the end, all that matters is who you’re with. Do you understand that? I hope so, because it’s critical in experiencing life at its deepest and most amazing level.

I’ve been blessed to visit some very impressive places, but whenever I’m there by myself I get that same feeling of “who cares”. I’m willing to bet you’ve experienced the same thing. The location isn’t really important…it’s the people you’re with.

Remember:  Make time to build relationships that last…and take them with you every chance you can.

About six miles into the ride, I came across a stretch of road that had five homes in a row that with front yards surrounded by a low, four foot chain link fence. Each of these homes had a dog that apparently thought I had fresh steaks trailing behind me because they all acted like they would love to take a nice big bite out of me. The only thing stopping them was the fence. Each time the dogs would run full tilt toward me only to suddenly pull up at the fence with all their teeth displayed. 

Every one of those dogs could have easily jumped the low fence…but none of them knew it. It wasn’t a lack of desire, it was a lack of knowledge! As I rode by it struck me that similar things happen with people. How many times do you stop short of attempting something because you don’t think you’re capable of achieving it? 

Trust me, you’re more capable than you think! If I spent thirty minutes with those dogs and showed them how to jump over a one foot fence, then two, then three; in no time at all they would easily be clearing that four foot fence and enjoying a nice juicy bite out of me…and every other bike rider that came by!

Think about this story the next time you doubt yourself. Start small and keep raising the bar. Before you know it you’ll be taking a bite out of life and doing things you never dreamed possible!

He took his family on a big trip to Hawaii and in the middle of it decided to treat himself to a game of golf. After he got paired up to play with three strangers, he made a conscious decision to just be curious and keep the conversation all about them. He said it took a few tries to get things going, but once he started asking the right questions (see page 12 of my book) things just took off! Not only did he become fast friends with the three guys, he learned that they were all multi-millionaires that had incredible connections all over the West Coast! The three guys had been friends for years yet had no idea that one of them had an amazingly rare car collection back home. They only found out because my buddy asked about the guys hobbies!! Do you get this? Pure curiosity creates amazing results! 

The story gets even better. Because these guys like my friend so much (seriously, who doesn’t appreciate someone being genuinely curious about them), the next day they invited him to a members only golf course where just the day before he would have only dreamed of playing there. 

My friend walked away a true believer in pure curiosity. He wasn’t after a job, an interview or anything else. He just asked for the sake of asking! The amazing thing is that he came away with three friends with an unbelievable network who will help him anytime he needs it. Not bad for a couple of days of golf!

How about you? If you paired up with some strangers, would you be the one asking questions with an eagerness to learn? Or would you sit there in your own little cocoon not engaging anyone and possibly let an amazing person or experience pass you by? Start asking questions and be curious…it’s fun and many times incredible what you discover!

Learn more about getting curious and engaging others when you join me for The E.A.G.L.E. System webinar series coming up in September (www.theamazingfactor.com).

We were vacationing at a wonderful mountain ski resort in British Columbia, Canada where the cool weather was a wonderful reprieve from the scorching temperatures we’ve been suffering through back home in South Carolina. One of the great parts of being at a mountain resort in the cool air is the ability to go hang out in the outdoor hot tub for a while. Most late afternoons my kids and I would race down to the pool for a dip and then a wonderful soak in the relaxing waters of the hot tub. 

Almost every day there were other people doing the same thing. Because I am a naturally curious and outgoing person, I would always begin interacting with the strangers sitting there with us. After the third visit to the hot tub my kids made a revealing observation about these strangers. They aren’t very curious! They quickly realized that although we were walking away with a complete understanding of where the other people were from, what their names were, how long they were there, what they did for a living, what their plans were, etc. they were lucky to even know where we lived. Not once did one of the other people even attempt to learn more about us…but they were thrilled to talk about their favorite subject…themselves!

My kids have read my book Who’s In Charge of You? and completely understand the subject of curiosity, but it was still enlightening for them to see it in action.

When you take the time to learn about people many times you will find a treasure trove of information. Everyone is connected to someone…and sometimes it will shock you who it is…if you just take the time to ask!

Take a look at The E.A.G.L.E. System  at www.theamazingfactor.com and see how it is changing people’s lives for the better!

In these first few minutes I can get a remarkably accurate read on how much the hotel cares about me as well as their property. I’m fairly confident that, with a little practice, any of you could visit twenty hotels, spend five minutes checking in and without ever seeing the room or any other part of the hotel, fill out a fairly accurate survey of how your stay would go. 

The attitude and caring that is (or isn’t) displayed by the front counter clerk tells the tale on virtually every aspect of the property. You will quickly get a read on whether housekeeping really cares that your room is spotless, if the hotel shuttle driver is ready and timely, and most of all, whether the management team really cares about its people and its guests.

Now, think about your company. Could I walk into your office, spend five minutes or less with the receptionist and be able to give a fairly comprehensive view on the attitude and caring of the rest of the staff? I bet the answer is yes!  What about you? Does your attitude lead someone to think higher or lower of your organization? 

When I’m showing audiences how to put my E.A.G.L.E. System to work in their lives, the one thing that ends up being most important of all is how their attitude reflects on themselves as well as their business. Keep this in mind the next time a stranger engages you with some conversation. Your attitude can, and most likely will, make all the difference!

Take a look at my website (www.theamazingfactor.com) and see how The E.A.G.L.E. System can change your life!

I am convinced that for someone to grow as an individual, they must associate with people who have a desire to grow and become a better person as well. Sounds obvious, right? It’s not, mainly because most people never take the time to stop and figure it out.

Take a minute and write down your top five friends. Now sit back and take a serious look at the list, not a cursory look, but a serious look. If it helps, write down the positive and negative traits each person has.

Now figure out which friends exhibit the traits that you hope to gain and grow from and which ones don’t? The friends on the “don’t” list are the people who are usually selfish and find great joy in sharing negative gossip about others. They will do everything in their power to make you feel that lack of success is just fine because that’s where they are, soaking in a life of mediocrity. In fact, that’s where most people are — sitting around complaining about their lack of good fortune and how nothing seems to go their way, yet doing nothing at all to change their situation. Sound like someone you know? Change it! Remove the negative influences and seek out new, more positive people.

If you hang around idiots, you become one — guaranteed! Fortunately, the opposite of this is also true. Hanging around with people who are better than you makes you better.

I don’t care where you are or who you’re with; everyone’s favorite subject is always the same — themselves. Most of us won’t admit it of course, because that would sound too self-serving or arrogant. But if you’re honest, you too will agree that nothing is more enjoyable to talk about than yourself.

Why is this important in the big scheme of things? Because you can use this one key factor to seriously expand your social and professional network.

Remember the old saying, “It’s not what you know but who you know?” I’ve taken it one step further. It’s not what you know. It’s not who you know. It’s what you know about who you know that is the key. In other words, everyone has a skill, passion or story; however, most people are never asked to talk about it. The result is a wasted opportunity to learn something you most likely never knew about someone.

When you’re talking about people’s favorite subject, they usually become instantly engaged in both you and the conversation. Many times I notice people smiling as they are telling me about themselves. However, asking questions just to “suck up” or schmooze doesn’t work at all. What does work is pure, unadulterated curiosity. If you are genuinely curious about the other person’s “life stories” then questions will come easily. It sounds simple but it isn’t for most people. There are many reasons for this, but the main one is that most people really don’t have a desire to be curious, nor do they have the ability to listen.

Once you realize there are many people who have some incredibly interesting stories to tell, your learning curve will immediately start going up and your network will begin expanding. I urge you to re-ignite your curiosity and start asking people questions about themselves. If nothing else, make it your own private game of how little you can talk about yourself and how much you can learn from others. I guarantee you’ll find that everyone has a story and most people are sincerely appreciative you asked about it.