When we hear rap music on the radio or in a club, the deeper implications behind
the lyrics are usually the last things on our minds. As long as it has a nice beat,
powerful bass and a catchy hook, we’re good. And earlier this year, rapper Ace Hood
released an incredibly popular song with one of the simplest hooks of all time. I
woke up in a new Bugatti. Imagine if you didn’t actually have to buy one. You just
went to sleep one day and woke up in a $2 million vehicle. But for many of us, this
will always be something to daydream about. In fact, Ace Hood doesn’t actually
have a Bugatti of his own and says the lyric is meant to represent a feeling of
waking up and being successful – as though you’re worth a few million bucks. And
that’s something anyone can achieve by making some adjustments in their personal
lives, business relationships and attitude.
When it comes to your day-to-day dealings with people, being able to acknowledge
the way your actions affect others is the difference between having a best friend
and a bitter rival. Psychologist Jeanne Segal and researcher Melinda Smith suggest
that building a sense of interest and desire for connection with another person is
based, in part, on non-verbal cues. “In order to hold the attention of others and
build connection and trust, you need to be aware of, and in control of, this body
language. You also need to be able to accurately read and respond to the nonverbal
cues that other people send you.” So focus on the person you’re speaking with
instead of trying to come up with a clever quip. You never know what you’ll notice
when you pay attention.
In business, the payoff for having a high emotional intelligence can be staggering
despite relatively average technical prowess. How can you be chosen for new
projects over your peers? One tip from former U.S. ambassador, Carey Cavanaugh,
is to never discount the little guy. “Relationships that don’t seem important now will
come back to you later, though you won’t know when or how”, he says. If your boss
is polling employees about a new position and your name is always brought up in a
positive light, he or she will be hard-pressed to overlook you in spite of more
qualified prospects.
But the most important piece to this puzzle is you, plain and simple. The power of
positivity has been written about countless times, and for good reason. Dispositional
optimism, as it were, is very real and can improve your ability to deal with stressful
situations. So act positively – as though you really do have a new Bugatti waiting for
you back home. And don’t be afraid to spark up a conversation with a stranger.
There are thousands of people on campus, each with their own experiences and
perspectives that can expose you to a new way of thinking. At the end of the day,
what’s the worst that can happen?
