Susan C.Young Quotes

The days of the pushy salesmen and self-serving narcissists are over. That type of behavior quickly alienates and pushes people away because it offends and can’t be trusted.

Variety is the Spice of Life. Voices come in all shapes, tones, and sizes. Some are compelling and effective, while others are grating and agitating.

Be aware, putting on a poker face can backfire during your first impressions because it can make people uncomfortable and make you more difficult to read and harder to get to know.

Have you ever had a legitimate complaint as a customer which made you angry, upset, or frustrated? How was it “handled?" If you were dealing with an inept, uncaring, or untrained employee, they may have made matters even worse by being rude, defensive, or apathetic. Simple acknowledgment and validation of your complaint is sometimes all that is needed. Without it, you're left frustrated or upset.

Add a fresh twist of creativity to make a stellar impression which people won’t soon forget. Granted, your venue will determine how far you can stretch and how creative you can be. Making small tweaks to your conversation starters can make a memorable impact!

Employee Engagement“Employee Engagement” has become a very hot topic in recent years. The escalating statistics for disengagement are alarming. In 2015, the Gallup Polls’ “The State of the American Workforce” survey found that only 32.5 percent of the U.S. Workforce is engaged and committed where they work, and 54 percent say they would consider leaving their companies if they could receive a 20 percent raise elsewhere. Disengagement not only lowers performance, morale, and productivity, but it’s costing employers billions of dollars a year. It's a growing problem, which has many companies baffled.

Active listening is the ultimate "Golden Rule" for sensational customer service. Just as the important people in your life will feel more valued and appreciated when you actively listen, so will your customers.

To cultivate bravery and courage, change your attitude toward failure. Many successful people will tell you that if you aren’t failing, you aren’t trying—that failure is an essential precursor to achieving worthwhile endeavors. Failing (no matter how hard) is one of life’s best teachers for winning the next time.

You already know the difference between being a gracious person versus a rude one.

To help get your creative juices flowing, you might look online at lists of the "best taglines ever." Their branding ideas are genius and may be just the catalyst you need to activate your awesome!

Do you really want people to like you for something that you’re not? It takes a lot of energy to pretend to be someone else for the sake of pleasing others.

When you feel low self-confidence, it is usually the result of the negative thoughts your inner critic whispers in the darkness of your mind.

Passion is at the heart of your motivation. Let it fuel your spirit and feed your joy. It is your catalyst for courageous pursuits—and it will provide you the stamina to stick with it.

Put yourself in the driver seat by designing the best attitude possible to help you get where you need and want to go.

Do you ever feel like you have been stopped dead in your tracks? That you have fallen and can’t get up? Or like you are stuck in a rut or wading in muck? Paralysis, inertia, and being stuck, can be disempowering and disabling. What is it going to take for you to restart your engines and get moving again?

Your internal thoughts determine your outer world.

Sometimes it is better to refrain from engaging in conversation because making no impression is better than making a bad impression.

As a young girl, I allowed my self-esteem to be determined by others’ opinions, and I devoted incredible energy tuning into how everyone else felt.

Being 100 percent in the moment and focusing on the person you’re with is one of the finest compliments you can offer. One of the most respectful and considerate things you can do for another is to truly be with them in the here and now.

Access your joy within; feel and focus on it, allowing it to expand to fill your entire being.

The Art of Communication shares insights to help you communicate with a higher awareness and focused intention and meet people on their level to increase clarity and understanding.

Popularity does not equal respect. It is not only kids who will do what they think they must to fit in and be popular—adults do it too.

You know what it feels like when you are out of alignment ~ physically, spiritually, emotionally, or mentally. It wears you down, stresses you out, and negatively impacts your health and well-being. Life becomes more of a struggle, tasks seem harder to achieve, and relationships take more effort. Once you identify what may be causing misalignment, take deliberate steps to close the gaps, realign your attitude and actions to feel dynamic and balanced again.

Dignity is a gracious pride without narcissistic projection. It portrays a calm confidence and awareness regardless of the environment or circumstances.

How do you minimize the awkwardness in that moment? What are some of the conversations starters you've used to open, encourage, and support enjoyable and beneficial conversations?

UN-Impressive ‘Compliments’ . . .•tWhen compliments are used as a passive-aggressive way to manipulate others for personal gain.•tDelivering a back-handed compliment which makes others feel bad.•tDishonesty—you say it but really do not mean it.•tFalse bravado.•tManufacturing the moment for your ulterior motives.•tPandering to win affection, a vote, or approval.•tExaggerating and being over-zealous.•tBeing hypocritical.•tExpressing preferential treatment or making an unfair comparison.•tWhen it draws attention to a person’s weakness, disabilities, or shortcomings.•tWhen it is inappropriate and off-color.

How do you enter a room? How do you walk into a job interview? How do you approach a sales prospect for the first time? Accomplished leaders know that the way they make an entrance can project their confidence and set the tone for their interaction with others. Use your poise, postures, and gestures to make it grand.

Your manners are critical for both making a positive first impression and creating success in life, love, and business.

Without a second look, your habits and hygiene reflect a lot about you—your thoughts, values, beliefs, priorities, self-esteem, self-respect, confidence, and every other category covered in this book that influence how people perceive you.

To call certain people, such as your boss, teachers, professors, doctors, your parent’s friends, etc. by their first names might be considered disrespectful. It is best to err on the side of caution until you know what is appropriate.

Have you ever paid notice to the full sound range of your voice? If you have ever been in a chorus or a singing group, you already know that they will separate the group based on each singer’s pitch and assign their roles accordingly. While my speaking voice has a soprano pitch, my singing voice is a lower alto.

With an objective eye, take an inventory of your successes and enlist the honest feedback of a trusted and respected mentor or peer. Chances are they see you in a better light than you see yourself!

The consistency of their moods and emotions creates a predictable and consistent outcome that can be reassuring in our turbulent times. You know you can depend on approachable people to be well balanced, accepting, and empathetic to the needs and feelings of others.

People will form impressions, assumptions, opinions, and judgments all within a few short seconds. To make a favorable first impression and make these seconds count, enhance your image by choosing clean, crisp, appropriate attire that reflects confidence and professionalism.

Whether you are staying in someone’s home as a house guest, attending a dinner party, or visiting a sick friend, when you bring a “hostess gift” or a thoughtful token, you are providing a gesture of kindness which will extend far beyond your visit.

I remember hearing years ago about a centenarian being interviewed on her birthday. She was asked, “Throughout your life, you have witnessed amazing change and innovation. The past one-hundred years have brought the inventions of the car, television, air conditioning, and microwave ovens. What is the most extraordinary change you have seen in your lifetime?” Without missing a beat, she replied, “That a teenager can say “suck” in front of their parents and get away with it!” While cultural norms may have changed with the times, being considerate of fellow human beings is not an antiquated notion; its time hasn't ended. Quite the opposite is true. In our world today, kindness and politeness are needed more than ever.

We've all been in the middle of a conversation and the person with whom we are speaking breaks eye contact, appears distracted, glazes over, or looks elsewhere. Their simple eye movement can quickly break down communications by making us feel ignored, dismissed, or rejected. For some, it may be accidental and unintentional, while for others, avoiding eye contact is on purpose.

To Polish the Gold & Help Others Shine . . . Brag about their accomplishments in front of others:For years, I have shared that the definition of a good friend is someone who says nice things about you behind your back. And the definition of a GREAT friend is someone who says GREAT things to others in front of you. One of the kindest things a husband or wife can do for their relationships is to brag about their partner’s qualities to other people.

Be and Do what it takes to Have superb results. Nurture a mindset that works for you, rather than against you. Your inner thoughts determine your outer world.

Which outfits do you get the most compliments on when you are wearing them? What colors make you feel healthy, vibrant, and alive?

A Sign of Respect. As our world grows more casual, we observe a tendency for everyone to use first names rather than surnames. “It is a pleasure meeting you, Mrs. Young,” has a completely different connotation than “Nice to meet you, Susan.

ASK YOURSELF: How can you utilize active listening to provide sensational customer service? How will this help resolve complaints from unhappy customers?•tGive them your full attention and listen without interruption or defensiveness.•tThank them for bringing the issue to your attention.•tTake their concerns seriously and share their sense of urgency to resolve the problem quickly.•tAsk questions and focus on what they are really saying. •tListen to their words, tone of voice, body language, and most importantly, how they feel. •tBeware of making assumptions or rushing to conclusions before you hear their concern fully.•tExplain, guide, educate, assist, and do what’s necessary to help them reach the resolution.•tTreat them with respect and empathy.When you do an amazing job of resolving an unhappy customer’s problem, you may end up impressing them more than if the problem had never occurred. You may have just earned their loyalty . . . forever!

Take a moral inventory of ways you may be self-sabotaging and then take proactive steps to change them.

Why Does Mirroring Work? Scientific research suggests ‘mirroring’ techniques works because of the mirror-neurons which are fired in our brains when we both perceive and take action. When we observe someone doing something, we may feel as if we are having the same experience.

Manners Matter. Courteous behavior is the hallmark of healthy relations and human interaction. Manners ensure you will be more respected, admired, and appreciated. Thank you!

Just as your body has self-regulating mechanisms, like perspiring to cool you down and shivering to warm you up, you can regulate your emotions according to the circumstances. You can abstain from over-reacting, and you know how to set boundaries and how to say "no.

To Polish the Gold & Help Others Shine . . . Make a list of positives:Whether you would like to nurture a healthy relationship or improve a toxic one, make a list of positives which you admire about the other person. Begin by identifying, acknowledging, and focusing on their good qualities. Your perspective and how you feel about the person will begin to shift. You will find it much easier to polish the gold from a perspective of gratitude and appreciation.

The voice of the inner critic is mean, unforgiving, punishing, and downright hurtful. When you allow it to run roughshod over your happiness and emotional well-being, it can wreak havoc on your peace of mind and leave you feeling anxious, fearful, and depleted.

What are you projecting? How are you showing up? Are you aware of how your expressions are impacting your communication with others?

We tend to listen to the people who believe in their own words as opposed to those who don’t. When we feel their conviction, they earn our buy-in.

As with most things in life, a healthy balance will keep us on the right path. To avoid too much eye contact or too little, seek to create a comfortable mix. It is generally encouraged to use more eye contact when you are listening and less when you are speaking.

Your direct eye contact is one of the best compliments you can give another human being. You are subliminally telling them that you are listening, they matter, and that what they have to say is important.

Consider how others may feel about you before, during, and after talking. Are you projecting an attitude that results in others feeling accepted and welcome? Are you encouraging people to speak and engage with you through your approachability?

Your thoughts, beliefs, and interpretations filter how you see everything in your world—and here is the clincher—you get to choose!

It’s one thing to set a goal. It’s another, however, when you get so caught up in the details that you neglect to review your progress. Reevaluation enables you to improve your aim to ensure you hit your target.

Presenting “Mix, Mingle & Glow” in a social context is a lovely way to describe how you can make a great first impression by taking the initiative to help other people shine. Think of the times when you have attended an event where there were a lot of people.

The importance of reviewing is apparent and proven. However, the majority of people do not do it in their own lives. Do you want to live your best life now? Take deliberate action and begin to REVIEW where you have been, where you are now, and where you would like to be.

The way you walk, talk, stand, and carry yourself sends messages to others that can attract or repel, encourage or discourage, and impress or depress.

Since your habits and hygiene will all help you feel great, look great, and improve the quality of your life, isn’t it worth your effort to make them a part of your reality?

17 Ways to Just Be Nice“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” ―Aesop1.tBe sincere.2.tBe altruistic.3.tPractice patience.4.tInquire and engage.5.tKeep your promises.6.tOffer help to others.7.tAcknowledge others.8.tControl your behavior.9.tBe situationally aware.10.tBe polite and courteous.11.tUse considerate manners.12.tGreet people with a smile. 13.tPractice random acts of kindness.14.tShow respect for yourself and others.15.tBe complimentary and look for positives.16.tWalk in another’s shoes to understand their needs.17.tShare of yourself without expecting anything in return.