Eighth in a series. The opening keynote speaker at The PPAI Expo 2022, Simon T. Bailey will share his experienced approach to customer relations and personal growth with PPB all year.

I first met Patti Brownsord when we partnered on a diversity project. We hit it off right away, and I gave her a copy of my book, Release Your Brilliance.

At the time, Patti was a longtime employee of an advertising agency and attending graduate school. She feared she might be in a dead-end relationship. She blamed her dysfunctional relationship on her crazy schedule and stressful life.

Once Patti completed her master’s degree, she decided to make a career change and shifted into a different, yet related field. One chapter in my book had inspired her to take inventory of her life and relationship. The chapter explained the difference between meaningful, authentic relationships and performance-driven relationships.

Patti considered her current relationship, which had not improved despite her life being on the upswing in all other facets.

In authentic relationships, you don’t have to worry about what others think about you or where you stand. Your fulfillment comes from within as you add value to another person’s life. However, in performance-driven relationships, your fulfillment comes from external sources. You constantly feel the need to please others and want to know where you stand with them.

Patti re-examined her life through this new lens. She knew that she wasn’t really to blame for the bad relationship, so she closed out that chapter.

She started over with a newly streamlined life and began saying yes to everything, treating this change in perspective as a gift to her future self.

Once Patti got in tune with herself, she decided it was time to take yet another leap in her career, shifting away from corporate America once and for all. She had been feeling the pressure to change within her career. Given the rapid changes in her industry, she really didn’t know if her job would still exist in five years. Rather than let it negatively consume her, she decided to view it as an opportunity.

Deciding to strategically put herself in the best position to help herself and others, her company was born.

Changes and global shifts are taking place constantly, impacting cultures, products, systems and the way we make decisions on a daily basis. These shifts require us to change our mindsets in order to cope.

Your mindset is critical to your success. Today, I’m offering you three ways to find your “yes” in a “no” world.

See Differently

When you begin to see things differently, the opportunities before you change. To shift, you must examine everything you do and ask yourself if you are creating the tomorrow you want. Look for new perspectives to problems you’ve been grappling with for a long time. Is there another person you might talk to for their perspective?

Ignite A Fresh Vision

Shifting yourself and creating your future is a marathon, not a sprint. To ignite your vision, you must do the inner work to discover the source of the energy that motivates you. What do you really care about? This approach is all about getting to know yourself.

Become A Yes Person

To yourself, that is. You’ve heard no too many times. As a result, you tell yourself no even before you give others a chance to tell you yes!

This is about giving yourself permission to try new things even if you think you might fail. It doesn’t have to be as dramatic as ending a relationship or switching careers. Keep your promotional products business and experiment with selling product categories you’ve been hesitant to break into. Pitch larger clients that previously intimidated you.

If Patti could go back in time, she would tell herself this: Health and happiness are all you’ve got. If these two critical areas are negatively pressured by a job, situation or relationship, let them go.

Your life and career results will move in the direction of your most dominant dialogue, rising or falling based on your own words. If you say it, it becomes real, for better or for worse.

If you’re not living and working in alignment with what you truly desire, you must change the conversation.

Bailey has more than 30 years of experience in hospitality. The former sales director for Disney Institute, he is a prolific author and hall of fame keynote speaker. Learn more at SimonTBailey.com.