April showers bring May... bookings?

Let's say a customer calls and wants to book an appointment. You check and discover the first appointment available is in May. Do you say:

1. “Yikes, there is nothing until May, you should have called earlier!”

2. “I've checked and there is nothing until May.”

3. “Good news! I've got openings in May, do you prefer mornings or afternoons?”

Sometimes in our effort to be realistic, we come across as negative.  Aim for positive!

How? Do something to get in the right frame of mind before picking up the phone. Write a pump up post-it for yourself, have a picture of your dog on your desk, or just smile big. You got this!

The Platinum Rule

We’ve all heard of the Golden Rule: Treat others the way you would like to be treated.

But following the Bucket mindset, there is a new rule that’s even better for supporting others. Here’s the platinum rule:

Treat others the way they want to be treated.

Some prefer detailed feedback, a daily check in, or public recognition to feel respected and valued as a part of the team. Reframing this common mindset allows us to figure out our team’s preferences and flex for them.

Put the right drop in their bucket today!

Wait! There's One More Bucket

The last Bucket you need to keep full is Family. 

Maybe it’s…

• A call to your parents (Hey Hunter, call your mom!)

• Dinner with Dad

• Shopping with your sister

• Board games with Grammy

• Or like Angela, maybe it’s a Zoom virtual meeting every Sunday night with your family across the country

Filling your family, spiritual, health, and intellectual buckets feels good and will help you do good.

What is it for you?  Identify it and make it happen.  

Fill ‘em up!

Not Full Yet?

Another personal bucket that we need to fill is spiritual. What’s that for you? Is it…

• Attending Church?

• Reading or Listening to Gospel music?

• Walking in Nature?

• Meditation?

Whatever that is, identify it and make time to fill your bucket.

More Bucket Filling

Last week we introduced the idea of filling all of the buckets we all have through daily actions.

Let’s tackle your health bucket:

• Do some foods make you feel better? (Yes, Karen, eat your veggies!)

• For others, exercise is an important bucket to fill that helps them feel happy and healthy. Hello Soul Cycle, more dog walks, Zumba, and Karate! 

Identify those things that make you feel good and be sure to do them.

When we get busy is the time we need our bucket filling activities more than ever. 

Ex: If you normally work out, then don’t for a week because you don’t have time, be sure to make time soon to get back into the groove.   

At Team Ward Certified, we have a little healthy competition through our Fitbit app!

Smile, Breathe, and Rock On.

What Buckets do you have?

Last week we introduced the idea of filling the buckets we all have through daily actions. But did you know that we all carry around multiple buckets to begin with?

For some, the buckets are intellectual and are filled by stimulating conversations about a topic that’s important to them.

What do you do to fill your intellectual bucket?

• Read a book

• Learn a new language – Me encanta Duolingo

• Watch a documentary on a topic that interests you

• Listen to a podcast that keeps you guessing

• Try to help your kids with their Algebra

Pick one and try it this month.  See if filling your intellectual bucket has a ripple effect in the rest of your life.

What’s dipping into your Bucket?

While giving without expecting anything in return is the best way to fill someone’s bucket, there are also forces that can dip into that reservoir. Think about the last interaction you had with a coworker, friend, or manager.

Is there a chance that you:

• Responded sarcastically?

• Checked your phone while they shared a vulnerable story?

• Blamed someone else rather than taking ownership?

These are ways we dip into another’s bucket. 

If you find outside factors, like stress, impacting your attitude, check in with your own buckets.
What have you been neglecting that could use some balance?