Last Sunday I walked 35 kilometres in a charity fundraiser walk.

It was an interesting day.

I’m a fairly brisk walker at the best of times. On a weekday at home I’ll begin my day with a 10 kilometre walk each day just to get myself grounded and settled for the day.

When I walk at home I always listen to music for the ninety minutes or so, as opposed to listening to audio books or podcasts, simply because the cadence and rhythm of the music gives me a good tempo to walk to.

Now, because this fundraiser walk was a long walk, I thought I might break from tradition and listen to a book that I recently downloaded, but that did not work for me. I lasted one or two sentences before I switched back to listening to my music library.

The participants on this walk last Sunday were predominantly female for some reason. I’m not sure why that was, but I calculated that on this walk, and there were thousands, the women outnumbered the men by between ten and twenty to one.

The interesting thing about this walk was that during the five and three quarter hours that this walk took me, I only was passed by two runners during that time. [obviously I may have been passed by walkers while I was taking a necessary pit stop, but while I was in motion, no walker overtook me].

The reason I point this out is this:

Often during the walk when I passed by walkers in conversation I would switch off my music in case they wished, or I wished, to engage in a conversation.

Because of these “breaks of silence”, I was able to eavesdrop on a number of these walkers’ conversations, or monologs as I passed by.

Here’s what I overheard, predominantly:

Predominantly, the subjects of conversation were almost always about people with problems.

Most of the conversations seemed to be discussing a third party [not present] and that third party’s problems, and those problems revolved around health issues, workplace issues, and relationship breakdowns.

It seemed that every conversation I was privy to eavesdropping in on was about someone with a problem, and yet NEVER did I hear one person discussing a solution to those problems.

And never did I hear any person discussing someone’s good health, someone’s good job, or someone’s wonderful marriage or relationship.

Is that how the world really is? 

Is that how the world really is?

Or is nobody really interested in discussing happy stories?

Are happy stories worth talking about?

Are happy stories worth talking about?

We know that happy stories don’t sell gossip magazines….

Nobody wants to read about how wonderful the marriage of Frederick and Mary really is, when they can always read about how Harry and William aren’t speaking to each other?

Happy stories can be your point of difference

Many years ago when I was at University I used to work in a newsagency. There was a lady customer who used to come in regularly and was always such a “ball of  energy, happiness, and enthusiasm” each and every time that she visited, that it prompted the owner of the newsagency to say about her once, [and I think this pre-dated the movie WHEN HARRY MET SALLY]….

“Whatever she’s on, I’ll have some of that…”

This lady was always so upbeat that it became her “signature”, or her VISIBLE point of difference.

The thing is, that in this ever-increasing world of negativity out there, we each have the CHOICE  to be either negative, like everybody else, or be positive, and POSITIVELY DIFFERENT, to what everybody else is doing.

And when we make that choice, to behave like that lady customer at the newsagency, we have the immediate ability to be able to stand out from the crowd, because everybody else is just wallowing in that world of negativity.

The choice to be different is available.

Which choice are you going to choose to take for yourself?

Will you by blend in to that world of negativity?

Or will you by choice be a positive ray of hope to the people with whom you meet?

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Dr. David Moffet BDS FPFA CSP is a certified CX Experience coach. David works with his wife Jayne Bandy to help SME businesses improve their Customer Service Systems to create memorable World Class experiences for their valued clients and customers. Click here to find out how David and Jayne can help your business