Let the magic begin!

Michelle Obama once said: “Success isn’t about how much money you make, it’s about the difference you make in people’s lives”. You may not be a wizard but you can definitely show your magic touch every time you meet a person. Harry Potter is fantasy but you can make real magic if you know how to!

You may ask, how? Spongify! Proteam Charm! No, it doesn’t work this way.

It’s real and it works wonders. Some years ago, I used to teach English in Uruguay. One of the students was a nice girl aged 10. She rode her bike to my classes and was always late and without her homework. There was always a different excuse. This was really annoying because I knew she could do better. I got to the point of giving up teaching her as had no clue what to do with her. She lived with her grandmother and great-grand mother. I once asked her grandmother if we could have a conversation. I explained what had been happening and I wanted to help but didn’t know how. Her grandmother started crying and told me the long  story of this young girl. I wanted to cry as well, rejected by her mother, living with great-grandmother with dementia, helping her grandmother by cleaning the stairs of the building to get some money was just a tiny bit of her story. I never told this girl I got to know her story but I changed by always welcoming her with a hug to the classes, reminded her how intelligent she was, thanked her for coming although she was late, mentioning how nice her writing was. There was such a change in her in a month’s time! She not only came on time but did all her homework and became a great student. I left my country more than 20 years ago but I am still in contact with this wonderful person who nowadays teaches English to her children. We can all do a little magic; the benefits are for all.

Little magic is the sum of little actions we can take to show others our interest in them. We must be genuine otherwise it doesn’t work. It is the same way for business. I used to receive calls from Spain while I’m based in the UK. I normally ask what city they are calling from and say something I like or remember from that city. After this comment, my sales call takes a positive turn. It sounds as if we are not strangers any longer, we have something in common and although we’re both interested in trading, that link makes the transaction smoother. For some reason the customer trusts me more and gets interested in keeping a relation where he can find the help he needs. This is very positive for me because I am more certain to make the sale. Nevertheless, I enjoy these conversations and have had many good feedback from customers during the years. Also, have had people come back to me after a year of their initial order. That’s the kind of magic I like!

No, no, no, stop thinking you cannot do any magic! You can! Just look at yourself in the mirrow, see your image, look at your eyes, smile and tell yourself how magical you are! Tell yourself how much you love the person reflected in the mirror. I promise magic will start there!

American poet, dancer, singer, activist, and scholar Maya Angelou wrote: “I’ve learnt that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did. People will never forget how you made them feel”. Anyone can reach success using this kind of magic!