Call to action

What could you do?

The acid test question to sort the complainers from the action takers.

Let me set the scene.

Someone has been complaining about their life.

Something isn’t going the way they planned.

They’re not happy with their lot and they are telling you about it in great detail how it’s not their fault and it’s ruining their lives.

So, to pull them out of victim hood, you hit them with a call to action.

So what are you gonna do? (A close relative to what could you do).

The complainer doesn’t want to take action. If they took action there would be nothing to complain about.

If the complainer is any good they will most likely dodge this question and launch into more complaining with renewed vigor.

The action taker on the other hand will appreciate the nudge and start to brainstorm options.

If they’re serious they’ve probably already have a few ideas at the ready or have stories of previous tactics tried. Maybe that was why they came to you to pick your brain for a few new attempts.