The Law of Attraction

Last week I was in the barbershop getting my hair cut and listened to a great lesson being taught. Many conversations happen there about sports from boxing, football and to baseball and basketball, ya know….’Merica things. But somehow the “law of attraction” was brought last Friday. One of the barbers was sharing with me and others that he would be cutting hair there for the last time that day. He wasn’t getting a different career but putting his career on a different path, he’d be working with a new shop in a different location that created new freedoms for him and allow him to be on a path of someday opening up his new shop. He shared with me that he was a bit hesitant at first knowing that most of his clientele would not be able to make the “move” with him because the driving distance is a bit far and wouldn’t fit for most of them and their busy lifestyle. As you can imagine starting anything from scratch, especially something that you’ve gotten really good at over the years and developed steady income with, is a very scary task!

A quote was brought up from one of the clients in the shop as we all talked,"The law of attraction is this: You don't attract what you want. You attract what you are.” — Wayne Dyer. This quote ironically enough was also posted today in the morning chalk up, I guess it was meant to be, which is actually why I am sharing this story today. The older man who said the quote then went on to suggest a few things to the barber which I’ll share with you all.

  1. Work for free. Even though he is experienced and can truly cut hair with the best I’ve seen, this guy suggested while making the switch that he give some free cuts! What? Seems crazy, right? But is it? Then the man followed by explaining if you offer a service to people, take care of them and you are good at it, word will travel fast. Yes, it will cost money upfront for you, and lots of effort but think about the reputation you will build just over a week of a few free cuts a day? Serve the people around you.
  2. Think about what you say. At a barbershop men often speak pretty loosely. Some guys bring up their dating lives, their home lives, almost like gossip if you will. Some share things about other people and paint them in a poor light, some of this results in joking or slander…all of which seem harmless and funny, but to whom? The man made a point to bring this up to the barber because he’d be getting a fresh start. When in a room you can’t often control what is being said…but you can always control what YOU say. What he says as a barber in his new location will tell his clients and co workers a lot about who he is. He will have a chance in the next month or two to really set the standard for what he takes part in and the way he carries himself. He finished this by saying “I’m telling y'all loose lips sink ships.”
  3. The last point was for him to be the hardest worker in the room. When you cut hair, there seems to be a stigma around it, that you live how you want, “on time” is relative and usually the rest of your life reflects that. He went on to tell him that he ought to treat this job like it pays him six figures. Be early, have equipment set up before clients get there, clean towels out, clippers set up, payment options ready for anyone without cash, learn clients names (even those who don’t see him). A part of this point I’ll throw in as well is that he really emphasized taking the time to clean up his clients afterwards better than anyone else. He told him to make them walk out looking and feeling like they could go straight to a business meeting even if they walked in wearing flip flops and a tank top. He said that these kind of things would be a small reason why people would feel “taken care of” by him and really see the passion he has for people and his craft. Many barbers put lots of effort into the “cut” but not so much into the experience or details around it.

Now from all of this you can see and learn a few things…one of them is that I’m nosey. But yes, it has served me well, I listen to almost everything and somehow hear most things around me, my advantage is I learn from them all even the points not thrown at me. I shared this with you today for the same reason. I don’t expect that you are going to open your barbershop or switch where you are working but you could be. No matter what you do or where you are in life you can learn from this.

How this applies to you:

Serve those around you, be willing to work for free. This is something that can be as small as, not expecting anything in return. Do something around the house for your spouse not expecting them to do something back or the same for someone at work! This is truly a charity of sorts, give and it will be given to you in someway. I’ve seen it happen my entire life. Trust the process.

Mind what you say and how you say it! The words that come out of your mouth reflect who you are. We can’t spend enough time around each other to see the values and hard work or lack thereof that exist in our whole life. But in conversation we can draw many conclusions. Your word is often what makes you or breaks you. Think about what you say before you say it, and no, just because something crosses your mind doesn’t mean you have to say it. It doesn’t make you “fake” to put a governor on your thoughts or mouth, that is how you create change. How do you speak to and about those around you daily? What picture does this paint of your character?

Never be outworked. This goes for anything, anywhere. You will meet your match one day, someone who just has a deeper drive, more resources, more motivation but don’t let that be today. When you see someone doing small things right, copy them, then add to it. The small things are what add up to be very big things. This is a very different task for each of us but the victory is in the details of whatever you do. The small nuanced things that others don’t see or forget about are what will make you great at something. To spend time developing those are often a challenge because we can view them as a waste of time or “unnecessary” but I will argue that that thinking is only for “basic" or "average” people. I hope that if you get this email today, you are not and would never want to be one of those people.

What you are, how you act, what you say, how you “take” or how you “give” is what you will attract in this life. Look around you, what are you attracting? What surrounds you? How do people work? Act? Speak? This is all likely a reflection of you! No matter where you are, the goal is never be content. And even if it seems as though things are going relatively “well,” we all know there is no such thing as standing still. We are progressing forward or taking steps back, the bottom line is that it is an ongoing journey that needs to be reassessed all the time! Never forget the big picture goal…Rise Up!