We Can Change the Stories We Tell Ourselves.

Ever have one of those Experiences that was so awful you just had to dash off a complaint letter pointing out every single frustrating detail? One of our favorite posts from Seth Godin, “The self-healing letter of complaint,” explores how, instead of vitriol, we can switch to positivity, view an Experience in a new light, and actually write a letter that not only makes ourselves feel better but may also affect positive change. No matter how negative the Experience may be that we have with a brand or organization, when we change our lens and think of what went well and what could be better (instead of honing in on the negative), we show that we care. And, believe it or not, it actually improves our own mood writing about the good rather than the bad. Godin closes his post with a line that rings true in our lives, whether at home or at work: “we can change the stories we tell ourselves” to get more out of any Experience.

 

We all have Experiences at work that don't go exactly as we hoped they would. Whether it’s the failure of a system or process, a missed opportunity, or a poor review, it is easy to retreat to a state of frustration. Stop for a moment and change your perspective. What if we only focused on what worked well or went right? How might we build on what went right to remedy what was less than ideal? What might we or our team members do differently? And how would we express all of this in a way that shows we care?

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