How You Do One Thing Is How You Do Everything – Lessons In How You Show Up

crying baby with food

How You Do One Thing Is How You Do Everything – Lessons In How You Show Up

As we close the book on 2017, I’ve been getting reflective on the year that was and the journey of life thus far. Upon this reflection, I have finally learnt the true meaning of something I’ve somewhat known for a long time.

When I started coaching, one of the foundation statements that was drummed into me, and my fellow coaches was:

How you do one thing is how you do everything.

It was a recent experience that finally cemented the importance of that statement and the impact living with this philosophy has had on where I am right now. It also wraps a nice little bow around the year, so hopefully you’ll allow me to indulge in my reflections.

Not too long ago, I attended a networking breakfast. The room was filled with a mix of business owners from a variety of backgrounds. As I sat down at my table, I introduced myself to the people sitting around me. I was about to introduce myself to an impressive looking man when the meeting started.

You may be thinking…. Impressive….? In what way? What makes someone impressive?

He was a tall man, dressed in a well-fitting three-piece suit. But it wasn’t his height, or suit that impressed me. He had a presence, an air about him that said, ‘I’ve got this’. My initial thought was that I needed to talk to this man and find out more about his business.

I say initial thoughts because they changed very dramatically not long after breakfast was served…

The man hadn’t complied with the café’s system, and as a result, the waiter was unsure she was delivering the correct breakfast. She asked to confirm his order.

His impatient reply?:

‘I don’t know… What did I order?’

This was a relatively silly question, given she didn’t take his order and the room was filled with about 50 people. After a confusing repertoire involving his disgust that salmon didn’t magically appear on his plate (without specifically ordering it), the waiter put the plate down in front of him.

The seat next to him and in front of me was spare, which was probably a good thing given he threw (there’s no exaggeration here people!) the plate, Frisbee-style into the middle of the table.

‘Okaaay,’ I thought with raised eyebrows. ‘Here we go…’

I thought his act of protest might have finished there, but no… This was the mere canapé to the degustation that followed.

A few minutes later, in an act of further defiance, he dramatically and quite violently stabbed the yokes of the eggs. Yoke went everywhere, including very close to me. Aside from the metaphorical egg on his face, I worriedly looked down on my crisp white shirt to ensure I didn’t have any egg on me. There was no acknowledgement from him of the near miss of yoke on my person.

You’d think that would be enough…

But no. He wasn’t finished.

He continued to huff and puff, going back to continue to stab at things and move bits of spinach around the plate, without any intention of eating.

As you can imagine, my initial thoughts about wanting to connect with this man disappeared very quickly. My next thought was, ‘this petulant child must act this way whenever he doesn’t get his own way’.

My following thought was even more important, and the deal clincher for me:

‘There’s no way in heaven or hell I’d introduce this person to any contact of mine, EVER. My reputation is far too important.’

More importantly, why did he not seem to care about his own reputation in front of a complete stranger? And that’s when it hit me. How you do one thing is how you do everything. I realised at that moment that this wasn’t an isolated incident of miscommunication, or a bad day. This is how this person deals with anything that doesn’t go his way.

Needless to say, I did not share my contact details at the end of the breakfast!

As we move into reflection and resolution mode, I’d love you to ask yourself some questions that will set a higher standard for yourselves in 2018.

What are the things you did or didn’t do that represent you and your business in a way that if someone was to write a blog about it, you’d be embarrassed? What are the key standards that need to shift so you’ll have the life, relationships, and business that inspires you, excites you, and gives you the courage to really take your life to the next level in 2018?

What needs to change NOW so you have the life you want?

Remember:

How you do one thing is how you do everything.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me personally and my business in 2017 and prior. The gratitude that I have towards the people who have touched my life fulfils me more than I can express and for that, I have immense gratitude and thanks, every day, but particularly at this time of year. 

 

What to do next:

I live and breathe helping business owners get the clarity needed to continue going forward, and this is without a doubt my deep passion and purpose; I absolutely love what I do. If you want to have a chat about how I help you achieve your goal, get in touch.

Read this next: Some Thoughts on Communication

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