There’s always something to howl about.

Do You Know How to Iron?

I attended a Christmas dinner party earlier this week.  It followed the script of most such dinner parties, which is to say: it was remarkable – the same way almost all social gatherings turn out to be remarkable.  They start slow: a few people in various corners of the living room, their conversations hushed and directed at the same person who accompanied them through the door not ten minutes earlier.  Then the wine is opened, some appetizers are laid out and enough people show up that a tipping point occurs.  As if by design the conversation hubs begin to move, some groups grow in size while others diminish, strangers are pulled in and couples become less dependent upon each other.  Eventually, the dinner is served and new friends engage in cross conversations around the table.  It is a predictable, if not awkward transformation leading to a unique treasure each and every time.

This party was no different.  I sat down on the couch and was soon engaged in a wonderful conversation.  Forced to guess her age I would say sixty, but she could have been seventy and she could have been fifty.  She was well traveled and she was observant.  It was easy to sense a certain wisdom in her person and I was fascinated.  She had recently returned from a trip to Europe and exuded a confident happiness that intrigued me.  “What’s the secret?” I asked.  She looked at me for a moment, trying to gauge whether I would understand her answer I supposed, then replied, “I iron my clothes now.”  She could see in my face that I was confused and I could see in hers that she had gauged correctly.  “Over in Europe, people still care,”  and she went on to explain how Europeans were more considered in the clothes they wore and how they looked.  This appealed to her in comparison with the casualness prevalent in America.  So… now she irons her clothes every morning.  It requires a little extra time and a little extra effort but it makes her day special.

I thought about that conversation all the way home.  She had chosen a small habit, applied it consistently, and changed her entire day.  The truth in that statement is universal.  We can effect tremendous changes by simply applying a new habit consistently.  What do you do for a living?  Would you like to be more successful doing it?  Choose one action – one simple activity  – and commit to doing it EVERY DAY.  That’s it really.  You do not need a complicated plan with multiple marketing objectives and the latest, most expensive, high-tech shiny object.  You only need to execute one well chosen action every day.  You could call ten people from your data base for referrals, you could add three new people to your contact list,  you could even leave the office and get belly to belly with at least one person; just make sure you are creating a habit that directly leads to business.

Aristotle said “We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”  My new friend from the party said “Iron your clothes every day.”  What do you say?