Kind Words, Bees, Honey, and All That Stuff

“Wise sayings often fall on barren ground, but a kind word is never thrown away.” 

-Arthur Helps

As entrepreneurs know all too well, it’s easy to become isolated.  We can become isolated in our thoughts, our work, our actions, and certainly our words.  We sit in our offices some days and forget to drink water or eat healthily; we become so “head-down” on some days that no one sees anything of us except the top of our head; and sometimes we simply forget to be kind to those whose paths we cross. It's not personal, we are just stuck in our own head. Since we are so isolated, not only do we forget to speak kind words, we also don’t hear them either.

This plays havoc with your mind.  One day, you look up and say “This sort of sucks.”
I had this happen to me this weekend.  My CPA firm is, of course, heavily involved in completing tax returns (it’s 2/23/15 as I write this). It is the noisy, do-it-now, emergency that is our first quarter. Everyone needs something done at the exact same time. We are all on real and perceived deadlines; busily rushing to the next thing on our to-do list. I know that if I am feeling this way, then so is someone else. It's at this point I walk away from what I am doing and intentionally shift my focus.

Compliment a vendor/customer that you know is in the same boat as the rest of us.  
We work with many small companies, and I find that when I feel isolated, it’s best to reach out to one of those entrepreneurs and remind them that they are not being ignored.  A phone call, a thank-you note (yes, those are still around, and they don’t involve the hated e-mail), or even a visit in person would do great things for her and also for you.

Light up social media with something nice.  
We have a Facebook page and we also have a Twitter account.  Nothing makes me smile more than someone sharing a good experience they’ve had with us or just saying something complimentary on those social media sites. 

Send an inexpensive gift card, just to say hi and thank you. 
Little things matter.  Every now and then, we receive a gift card from someone to whom we have referred a prospect.  I can’t tell you how much joy I get when I use my $5 coffee shop gift card that was sent to me by a satisfied colleague.  I LOVE IT!  So, you can spend $5 and make someone’s day.  How much easier could it get?

We all need to hear compliments and positive commentary.  I don’t care who you are.  Entrepreneurs spend so much time thinking….our brains are always churning.  Many days we perform what feels like thankless work.  Trust me when I say you aren’t the only one feeling this way, so why not send out some good karma in the form of a compliment or a thoughtful, inexpensive thank-you?  Do it, right now.