Be careful. People are watching you.

Two interesting things happened this week that inspired this video reminder to be careful about what you say and what you do because people are watching you.

The positive

Impressions are powerful and I unknowingly made a great impression on a mom this week. I met Mom #1 (@amandaindecatur)  for a play date at our local park. We had a great time running after our boys, talking about our businesses (she’s a wedding planner) and breastfeeding when your little one has a food allergy.

The next day Mom #2 (@momsana) saw me out and about and told me she saw me at the park with Mom #1 the day before. Mom #2 said she overheard what I was saying to Mom #1  about the balancing act of working and being home with A.J. It inspired her to take some time for herself and her business. How cool is that? As a result, Mom #2 and I had a little mini-networking session, talked about our businesses, our families and my e-book.

Imagine if I had been saying negative things about my life or my husband or something else? That would have been her impression of me. Instead, she heard something that she identified with and we connected as moms in business.

The negative

On the flip side, also I reached out to a mommy friend after her Facebook status showed she was “down in the dumps” and having a horrible day. I replied to her status update, left her a voicemail message and talked with her for about 30 minutes when she called me back. I tried to encourage her to surround herself with positive people, let the negative folks go and keep it moving! I would hate for someone to take advantage of her when she was already in such a vulnerable position.

So…what kind of mom or person do you want to be?

Do you pay attention to who’s around you and what you’re saying in public?

Don’t get me wrong, I have bad days too and my to-do list runneth over. But try to stay positive, especially when you don’t feel like it.  Grab a copy of O magazine or an inspirational book like the ones I posted below. Take a walk, pray or meditate. Say all the negative yucky stuff for when you’re alone or on a phone call to a trusted friend, because people are watching and listening to you in public. And public includes Facebook and Twitter.