While the interactions may “just happen,”
turning them into meaningful moments takes mindfulness.

This past week I had the opportunity to sit down with reporter Matt Soergel of The Florida Times Union to record an episode for the Growth and Resilience Network (GRN) podcast channel. Using his journalistic experience as our starting point, we examined the strategies that have kept him “stay fresh” for more than 30 years on the job.  How has he continually come up with a diversity of positive features for his readers?

Matt and Steve

While you will have to listen to the podcast (to be released on November 15) to hear his expert articulation based on his evaluated experiences, I wanted to share with you the most powerful takeaway (in my words) from my time with Matt:

Every interaction we have each day (on or off the job) has the potential to make a positive difference.  Think about that.  Each “hello,” nod of the head in the hallway, or encounter at the coffee shop holds the opportunity to leave a positive mark on someone.  And these human connections also have the potential to inspire us to new levels of growth and resilience.  Why wait for our boss or a job assignment to inspire us? We can do that for ourselves each day.

While the interactions may “just happen,” turning them into meaningful moments takes mindfulness. It requires curiosity—are we curious enough to open the lines of communication with someone we meet, even if for a brief moment to explore our commonalities and differences? Do we pay attention to the ideas and opportunities that surround us? Do we trust that there is potential for growth in each interaction?  And do we treat each opportunity with respect—do we treat the other people with integrity.

Think of your workspace. What did you do last week to make a positive difference? Where is your spot this week for making a difference in someone else’s life?

Video recommendation for the week:

Leo Buscaglia says it well.

Enter this week with your eyes wide open for the inspiration you may receive—and the inspiration you may present to someone else. Don’t wait. Act today.

[Video link: https://youtu.be/4Tth7BSQgt8]

Make it a wonderful week—H.T.R.B. as needed.

You can find my podcast series at Growth and Resilience (http://stevepiscitelli.com/video-media/podcasts). 

Check out my website  (http://www.stevepiscitelli.com/programs.html) for programming information as well as details about upcoming webinars (http://www.stevepiscitelli.com/webinars).

My books Choices for College Success (3^rd edition) and Study Skills: Do I Really Need This Stuff?  (3^rd edition) are published by Pearson Education.

(c) 2015. Steve Piscitelli. All rights reserved.