It appears that the trend toward minimizing expenses and setting up camp in a spare bedroom or on the corner of your dinning room table is still very much in vogue.
The mental picture that used to be referred to as “being a consultant between real jobs” is now known as “home-based entrepreneurship.” The difference today is that the “home-baser” can truly be considered a professional in every way. The travel industry is very supportive of this category … at least on paper. It is a growing segment that requires some focused attention and understanding.
Call it what you want to call it … refer to yourself as whatever floats your boat. One thing is perfectly clear … I know EXACTLY what I am talking about when it comes to working from home.
I talk to a lot of people over the course of a year. I also write a million emails, articles, blog posts and produce audio and video training modules. In short, I push out a lot of information. I am a maverick. I am a loner. I am a one-man band. And I love it.
Every once in a while, somebody out there in travel land takes the time to send me a communication indicating that a particular message was both timely and meaningful to their future well-being. I usually read these incoming messages more than once. More often than not, I share the sentiment with my wife.
I find myself at times even forwarding these nice notes to a few of my close business associates (friendly competitors). I read. I smile. I share.
And this behavior is not limited to me … or public speakers … or managers … or clients. This is a human trait. We all enjoy confirmation and validation. Correction: We all need confirmation and validation.
There is an old saying that reminds us that we can only control the things we can control. (Brilliant!)
You can’t control incoming applause, but you certainly can control your outgoing applause.
Applause works. Applause works wonders. So, let’s focus our attention for the next few weeks on spotting behaviors in others that warrant some applause. You will feel much better about yourself and who knows, you might even get a standing ovation yourself now and then.