Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.

The word for today is add. What are you adding to your home, your workplace, or your friend groups? This feels like an aggressive question, but I think it’s one worth asking. In her article, “3 Key Mindset Shifts That Made Me a Significantly Happier Person,” Ria T calls out the contributor mindset as key to helping her understand how to excel at work. Instead of trying to “work the room,” she asks herself, “How can I add value here?” Without putting a name to the practice, I feel like I learned the same lesson at the boys’ home, where I worked after college. There were no bonuses to be earned or much praise to be had, but it was an opportunity to do some job crafting, as Amy Wrzesniewski calls the practice of adding enjoyable aspects to your current work. At some point in working with the guys, I realized that their computer in the corner of the rec room didn’t even fully boot. This made me wonder if my experience in computer use and repair could be useful, not only to my employer by fixing the rec room computer but also to the guys by teaching them a little bit about PCs. A fellow PC enthusiast helped me gather some fixer upper computer towers, and I started meeting with individual residents for some simple computer classes. My point is not to say how great I am, rather to illustrate how we can add value to our own lives and the lives of those around us by asking, “What am I good at, and how can I use it to add value where I am?” Last, I would be remiss if I fail to mention that you have intrinsic value. Just by being present, you are adding value to a room.

Today’s concrete challenge is to write down one tiny way you can actively add value to your home, work, or friend groups. It’ll help you craft a new reality for yourself and those around you.

If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will write down one thing I’m good at that I can add to my work, home, or friends.”

I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.

Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who adds value.”

Let me know if this made a difference in your day by leaving a comment in your podcast app or at concrete.win/today.

Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.

References:

3 Key Mindset Shifts That Made Me a Significantly Happier Person 

JOB CRAFTING AND CULTIVATING POSITIVE MEANING AND IDENTITY IN WORK

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