Good morning!

Who else is watching (Legally Blonde) Elle and/or Ted Lasso?

I love these kinds of characters. They’re relentlessly optimistic without being oblivious. They see possibilities where other people see problems. They believe things can get better — and somehow, just being around them makes you believe it too.

Seriously, I’m pretty sure you could blindfold these people, tie one hand behind their backs, point them toward Mount Everest and they’d say:

“Great! What an adventure!” 

And here’s what got me thinking about this…

We have people like that in our STR community too.

I talked with several of them this week. You know who you are. 

They’re the people who call with an idea instead of a complaint. Who see a problem and immediately start thinking about solutions. Who volunteer. Who connect people. Who say, “How can I help?” They somehow leave you with more energy at the end of a conversation than you had at the beginning.

Those people are contagious.

Unfortunately, negativity is contagious too.

And right now, there are plenty of reasons in the STR world to become frustrated, cynical or downright cranky. Regulations. Fees. Difficult guests. Difficult neighbors. Difficult officials. Difficult owners! Pick your poison.

We can't control all of that.

But we CAN control what kind of energy we bring into the room.

So how can we be the Elle/Ted Lasso of our own businesses, HOAs, townships and STR community?

Here are a few thoughts:

1. Bring solutions, not just problems.
Anyone can point out what’s wrong. The positive force in the room says, “Okay… so what could we do about it?”

2. Assume positive intent.
The neighbor complaining about an STR may have a legitimate concern. The township supervisor proposing a regulation may genuinely believe it will help. The owner who screwed something up may simply not know better. Start with curiosity before jumping to combat.

3. Catch people doing something RIGHT.
We’re really good at noticing mistakes. What if we got equally good at noticing the good stuff? Thank the employee. Compliment the neighbor. Recognize the township official who listened. Tell another STR owner when they’re doing a great job.

4. Be the person who raises the energy in the room.
Every HOA meeting, township meeting, networking event and Facebook conversation has a temperature. We all contribute to it. Ask yourself: Did the room get better because I walked into it?

5. Believe things can get better — and then help make them better.
Positivity isn’t pretending problems don’t exist. It’s believing they can be solved. And then rolling up your sleeves and doing something about them.

That last one matters to me.

Because advocacy without optimism becomes nothing but anger.

Community without optimism becomes complaining.

And business without optimism? That sounds absolutely exhausting.

We’re going to face challenges. Some pretty big ones, actually.

But imagine what our STR community could accomplish if more of us walked into those challenges thinking:

We can figure this out.

We can make this better.

And I can be part of the reason why.

So this week, channel your inner Elle. Or Ted.

And to the wonderfully positive people who lifted me up this week…

Thank you. Keep doing it. It’s contagious.

Have a great week!

~ Rebecca

P.S. Who’s the “Ted Lasso” in your STR world? Tell them. Better yet, send them this email and let them know they’re making a difference.

P.P.S.  We hope all the Teds and Elles will register for our STR Advocacy Summit… your community needs you in the trenches with us!!