Fishing Friends & Success

What does fishing, friends, and success (in both business and life) have to do with each other?

I’m so glad you asked!

I’m more of a fisherwoman than a catcherwoman, but once I invest in my fishing license I become determined to catch something! I prefer fishing with worms. I find they have the best results. I pinch them in half with my fingernails before I bait the hook. Yes, it's gross. Once my hook is baited, I toss out my line and then scrub my hands in the water. Why is worm juice so sticky and slimy? 

Recently I went on a catching spree! I held every rainbow, brown, and cut throat I caught! They were so beautiful!

HOWEVER….

I smelled like fish for the next three days. I used every kind of soap to get the stink out but it didn’t help. It took time and distance from my fishy friends before the smell started to wear off. 

Fishing is a lot like attitude. What you fish for you will eventually catch. What you catch tends to stick to you. Attitude is contagious.

There are so many studies that show YOU ARE WHO YOUR FRIENDS ARE and YOUR FRIENDS HAVE AN IMPACT ON YOUR SUCCESS. Not to mention your personal success has a direct reflection on your company’s success.

There was a scientific study that caught my attention and I use it when giving keynotes. The study was done by two professors (one from Yale University and the other from the University of California) and they explained that happiness and attitude are like a virus. They are contagious. *They go on to say “creating environments with people who are motivated and positive increases your own probability of success. We found that each additional happy friend increases a person's probability of being happy by about 9%. For comparison, having an extra $5,000 in income (in 1984 dollars) increased the probability of being happy by about 2%."

WHO you surround yourself with has a greater impact than your bank account when it comes to your happiness! AND your happiness has a correlation to your success!

In terms of business success check out what the Harvard Business Review has to say: **“People with positive work cultures have lower heart rates and blood pressure as well as a stronger immune system. A happy and caring culture at work not only improves employee well-being and productivity but also improves client health.

We also have the Bible that tells us the very same thing long before any studies were started!

Bad company corrupts good character (1 Corinthians 15:33)

And 

He who walks with the wise grow wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm. (Proverbs 13:20)

This is all great, Adrienne, but how do I handle a situation where I have to work with negative people? 

I’m so glad you asked! I’ve been there and done that… as both a colleague and employer. 

Let’s talk about colleagues first. Get your work done but no one said you have to hang out with your negative colleagues. You do not have to eat lunch together or get beverages after work. You also can look for a new job opportunity or have a “come to Jesus” with your boss. It is imperative you always bring YOUR best to the work place. You cannot control others but you can control yourself. As I teach so often… attitude is a MUSCLE. If you don’t set YOUR attitude for the day then your cranky colleague will. I believe two things can serve you: 1) determine your attitude while you’re brushing your teeth. Look yourself in the mirror and say, “I’m going to have a great day.” 2) On your commute, pick what you listen to with great care! Only listen to positivity! Avoid sarcasm! Steer clear of pessimistic podcasters and radio DJs! No politics! 

I listen to Christian music. Why? It's positive, uplifting, and encouraging. 

What about pessimistic employees? Get rid of them!  Are you nervous to do that? If you have a cancer diagnosis you start treatment immediately! Kill that cancer or it will kill you.  Get rid of the negative cancerous people or it will kill your company! BUT, if you have a big project at hand and you can’t afford to lose a leader (even if they are negative) then keep them through the project, but only through the project. Conduct morning positive pow-wows. YOU guide the pow-wow with positivity and enthusiasm.  If they catch on, keep them. If not…

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*Site: www.edge.org/conversation/nicholas_a_christakis-james_fowler-social-networks-and-happiness

**Site: https://hbr.org/2015/12/proof-that-positive-work-cultures-are-more-productive