‘Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud’ – Maya Angelou
I was having ‘a day’ earlier this week. I’ll be honest, I was in foul form. A couple of restless nights, busy days and a full schedule were taking it’s toll.
I was building up to an appraisal session with a client and really not looking forward to it – simply because of the space I was in.
Then someone somewhere on social media shared this quote from Maya Angelou
‘Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud’
It changed me immediately. It’s the kind of quote that shakes you out of a funk, and makes you really re-think the impact you want to have when you have conversations.
Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud. It takes so little to brighten someone else’s day. Or in this case, change their perspective on what they perceived as a daunting experience (performance appraisals).
And the knock on effect is that it makes you feel pretty good too.
Sadly, the opposite is true too. When we are in bad form, or complaining, or feeling negative, that is contagious. How different would my session with my client have been had I remained in that foul form. What would it have been like for my client… and for me?
Think about your interactions in work and in business. Think just how easy it is to influence others in our interactions and conversations. Before you engage, take a second to consider the impact you wish to have.
Would you rather be a rainbow or a clap of thunder in their cloud?