ep.07 (Blog) Are you Contagious?

Are You Contagious?

How do you know if your attitude (energy) is benefitting you and your team? Are you the kind of person who gets people excited and focused? Are the people around you calm, centered, and headed in the right direction? Or are you unintentionally draining their energy?

Here’s the shortcut to knowing your energy: Simply pay attention to the people around you.

Attitudes spread quickly! When you spend time with people, you infect them with your energy – for better or for worse. So if everyone around you is in a bad mood, or if people duck for cover when you enter the room, you’re probably not spreading the kind of energy you want to share.

Case in point: A few weeks ago, I bumped into Stephen, my friend from the gym. This was my third time talking to him that week, and I found myself wanting to run. I knew about his girlfriend problems, business problems, and roommate problems. He even had issues with his roommate’s cat!

He’d also told me how lonely he was feeling, which made sense, given the dark cloud that seemed to follow him around.

As much as I like Stephen, I could see that he was stuck on a loop. So I decided it was time for coaching moment.

“Have you ever met someone who drains your energy every time you see them?” I asked Stephen. “You know, one of those people who’s having a ‘woe-is-me’ day almost all the time.”

“Yeah, I’ve met plenty,” he said.

“Do you go out of your way to hang out with them, or do you avoid them?”

“Avoid them.”

“Hmmm,” I said, giving him a kind, but clearly serious look. 

Clearly, he got my drift. A few days later, he sent me a note thanking me for the attitude adjustment, along with the most beautiful picture of him with his girlfriend, enjoying a night on the town. The next time I saw him in the gym, he was smiling from ear to ear.

A few days ago, he texted me to say: “I was just told, ‘You look good! You’re looking happy and full of life!’”

His next text brought a giant smile to my face: “I’m contagious, Misti. I’m contagious!”

Of course, Stephen was “contagious” before, but now his attitude is netting him time with the friends he was pushing away before.

 Sure, we all have bad days and need good friends who’ll listen when we occasionally need to vent or complain. But if every day with you is a pity party, people will eventually stop RSVPing.

Most of us want to hang out with positive, happy people who leave us feeling good about ourselves and life in general. Problem is, few of us begin by asking ourselves, “Is my attitude worth catching?”

How do know? Just look at your team. Do they show up ready to focus, work hard, and accomplish great results? Or do they spend the majority of their time complaining? Whatever the answer, it says just as much about your energy as it does about theirs.

Join the Conversation: What kind of energy are you spreading? How do you know?