I was out for a walk the other day, and I saw something that got me thinking…

There I was, walking along, AirPods in playing the latest episode of Goal Digger podcast, innocently sipping my iced latte, when a license plate attacked me out of nowhere.

It read “UGH PPL”. 

Okay, it didn’t attack me but it kinda felt like it! It also got me thinking. Here’s why…

That car (aka person) is driving around putting out negative vibes and repelling literally all people (or PPL). And for what? Humor? So people don’t tailgate them or cut them off in traffic? I don’t know. What I do know, is that they’re probably annoyed A LOT because there’s a psychological phenomenon called the Baader Meinhof phenomenon or the frequency illusion (what the heck is that?)

It’s a cognitive bias where once you notice something for the first time, there is a tendency to notice it more often, leading you to believe that it has an increased frequency of occurrence.

So according to that phenomenon, this person preemptively being annoyed by people makes them more likely to notice future potential annoyances. In turn, making them think it’s happening more often. AKA: bad vibes = more bad vibes. Not good!

I don’t know about you, but I don’t need more reasons to see potential annoyances (Clearly! I’m venting to you about a license plate).

But here’s my hot take (and silver lining lesson from this negative license plate):

What do you want to be putting out into the world? What do you want to make people think of more? What do you want people to think of when they think of you?

(Hopefully not, UGH PPL – that would not be good for business)! But you CAN leverage this same phenomenon by being INTENTIONAL about what you’re putting out there.

First, check yourself: Are you saying “UGH PPL” without actually saying it? Does your content speak more to other agents (ie: venting your client complaints, complaining about the market, jokingly mocking buyers who drive you crazy even if it’s all in good fun?)

Then, flip the script! Positivity is contagious. Negativity is NOT!

For the sake of spreading only good vibes – here are a few ways to shine your light on social media this week using our game plan + a splash of YOU:

Be supportive of your local community. Highlight a local biz, a local teacher, a lender, or someone else who deserves a shoutout. 

Build relationships with your sphere. Engage with stories, comment on posts, or re-share content to your stories.  

Be relatable (think of what you want to be putting out into the feed, what do you want people to think of more often and relate it back to you?) Add a splash of personality into your content. 

For more ways to spread good vibes on social media, follow us on Instagram! It’s where we share our favorite ideas and thought-provoking posts to keep you making strides on social.