Hi guys! Welcome to episode 233 of the wildly successful Lifestyle podcast!
Are you contagious? Haha! No, not like that. I’m not talking about germs. Maybe it’s too soon to make that joke? We are on the back end of Covid I know. But sometimes I can’t stop myself.
But seriously. Did you know your mood and your energy are easily read and can spread like wildfire.
You are contagious! What are you spreading? Is it positivity or is it negativity? Is it dedication or is it apathy? Are you being Extraordinary or spreading mediocrity?
All those things are contagious too.
So I’m not talking about a cold or a germ. I’m talking about your energy! your attitude, your zest for life, your passion for whatever you’re doing! That’s contagious to other people.
And it works both ways. Those around you regularly are contagious to you as well! Have you ever thought about it in that way?
You influence and you’re influenced.
Look around at your life. More than likely the people around you most probably have the similar standards, they dress similar, have similar finances, similar health goals, they probably eat similar foods. We are affecting each other more than we know. And that shows up in the quality of your life.
I was in Nashville visiting my baby sister this last week and we were having lunch in a restaurant on one of the busy streets with wonderful people watching. It has also become a big destination for bachelorette parties. So we are having lunch and people watching which is fascinating.
But what’s even more fascinating is how easy it was to identify which groups were together. They were usually dressed similarly with similar energy.
Some were easy to identify because they all had the same t-shirt on or the same black sequin cowboy hats on which they did to intentionally identify as a group. It’s awesome to watch. But then you’d see some that weren’t dressed in the same stuff but there was a definite energy to them that unmistakably showed they were together. A certain edginess or style. One group they were all super lively and outrageous so you knew they were a group. It really drove a point home for me…Who you hang with totally affects how you show up.
Tony Robbins says “you are the sum of the 5 people you spend the most time with”.
Who are the 5 people influencing you the most? Have you given thought to that?
My parents used to drill into my head “bad association spoils useful habits”. I didn’t give it much thought back then, I just thought they were too strict. And in a way they were limited in the way they thought because they limited my peer group to the religion we were in at the time. Thinking that those kids were much better than any outside the religion.
But that could not have been farther from the truth. Sometimes when we limit our peer group out of fear of branching out we limit our potential as well.
Now. Before I get in trouble. This doesn’t mean you have to dump your family or get all new friends. If that’s your first thought then we have some work to do. Because you can affect change in your group too.
I see this in my toastmasters group. Because it’s virtual we are usually sitting but when someone else makes the effort to stand, it makes us all consider standing. When someone shows up on fire it inspires us all to show up on fire. We unbelievably have a Rhodes College professor of public speaking as one of our regular members. He is AMAZING and when I say he raises our standards. I mean it. He calls us out when we’re not being our best as a group in a loving but direct manner. His speaking ability and drive to be better is contagious. And we are all better for it.
What would your peer group say about you? Are you raising the standard of the group or are you adding to the mediocrity of the group? Since you’re a loyal listener of the wildly successful lifestyle podcast…and if you’re new, I hope you hang out with us every week, but since you’re listening I’m assuming you have pretty high standards or you’re working on raising them. Awesome job.
So for me. I like to dress up when I go out. I like to feel fancy. I think I get that from my grandma who up until she died was concerned she was looking her best. When she was 92 and in a rehab center due to a problem she had, Eric and I were going to visit her so I called and said grandma do you need anything? And she said oh Heidi Dear if you’ll go into my bedroom at the house there is a basket by the bed that has my hand mirror and my lipstick in it, if you’ll bring me that it would be wonderful. My grandmother’s standards were high up to the day she died. I love that about her. She will forever have raised my standards.
There are three areas where we can really affect change not only for ourselves but for those around us.
Our relationships, our career path and our health.
Good habits are contagious. In your relationships if you show up loving unconditionally, looking for the best, being present. They probably will too. In your career if you show up being the best you can be every day, switching things up, dressing up, being positive, continually learning and growing, those around you will notice. That’s contagious! And your health is this one huge right now. What you feed your body mentally and physically shows up in every aspect of your life. If you change this one alone you can affect change in every aspect of your life.
I’m eating a huge salad every day and because of that my friends are too. My friend doesn’t drink alcohol during the week because of that I am doing that as well. My sister does level 14 on the stair master because of that I kNOW I can at least do level 9. I’ll work for 14 though you better believe it.
We’re all contagious and that can be really really good. Think about your strengths and what comes easily to you..how can you show up and be the standard bearer in that area and then look at the good things your friends are doing that you can catch on too.
We’ve all gotten pretty aware of not going out when we are sick, just think about how hypersensitive you are to coughing or sneezing in public. What if you were just as aware of the effect you have through your energy, your passion, your humor.
I posted a picture on Instagram of me laughing. I asked everyone for their initial thoughts and one person said “I love to see people laughing because it’s contagious”. And I think that may have been my favorite comment because that’s something I would love to spread. We all need to laugh a little more.
Are you putting yourself in the room with happy people?
Are you putting yourself in the room with healthy people?
Are you putting yourself in the room with people that are constantly raising their standard?
If you do that, you can’t help but be happier, healthier and your standards higher. Because that’s contagious.
How do you do that? If you want to be healthier don’t just join a gym, be an active member there. It matters.
Want to be around happy people? Find a group that’s learning , that’s setting goals and going after them. They are stepping out of their comfort zone constantly. Progress equals happiness and even if you’re not there yet if you’re on the road making forward movement making progress in something you’ll be happier. That’s a big one because singing is the way you automatically raise your standards.
Don’t settle for mediocrity in any area of your life. It might seem the easy route but eventually it will feel empty because you’re seeking comfort over progress and that’s contagious to every other area of your life. That’s right you’re contagious to yourself as well.
You control more than you think.
You control what you’re influenced by and who you’re influenced by. What you watch is contagious. Who you surround yourself with, what you do. These are all contagious in one way or another. The routines you start your day with are contagious to your mood and your momentum of the day. You’re also influencing those around you.
More than likely this has triggered thoughts about somewhere in your life where you can be better, do better, influence better. Maybe take a pulse of the 3 areas I talked about a minute ago: your relationships, your career, your health. What are you spreading?
Are you raising the standards because you’re in the room?
When you’re showing up like a rockstar…being contagious is a good thing!!
If you like this episode, share it with some friends, you can simply copy the episode and text it to, I don’t know 3 people? You can raise the standard in your group today While you’re at it, subscribe and give me a 5 star rating because that matters a whole lot.
I love you guys and I’ll talk to you in a few days.
