Day 128 - Silence Is Golden.

Day 128 - Hey there. Ah. Saturday. It's a day for getting outside, hopefully connecting with the family or in my case catching up on everything that fell through the cracks this week. As I was cleaning off my desk, I was reminded of another part of a recent assignment from the altMBA. The assignment was about "closing the sale." For most of us, we don't think of selling much unless we are faced with buying something expensive and urgent. However, we sell to each other everyday. We sell ideas, emotions and actions. One key point in the learning was: to sell is to create stress. To be good at selling, we have to practice being very comfortable in a tense situation.

To practice, create stress today by using silence to create tension and then resolution. Stop yourself from rushing into speaking when the moment seems awkward or uncomfortable. Say nothing for 3, 5 or 12 seconds. Just experiment and see what the silence creates. Here is an example where I created tension:

It was interesting to watch my daughter struggle and for me to internally feel uncomfortable with the lack of action I was taking. It felt stressful and the feeling could be compared to a bottle of soda that has just gone through a washing machine. In all the stress, I ended up blurting out a compliment and her face lit up with joy. A few minutes later she ran up to me and thanked me for being a good mom. 

Try that golden silence today and let me if anything golden happens. Have a great Saturday and see you tomorrow!