I taught a class to my MBA students this morning. As things sometimes happen here in Denver, we were having a weird weather day. The forecast called for rain with a mix of snow in the morning and clearing in the afternoon. I was up at 6:45 — no rain or snow. Abut 7:30 it began to drizzle. By 8:00 we had big snowflakes coming down hard and sticking to the trees and grass. The wind came up and at times it seemed to be snowing sideways. The sun was shining by 2:00. In some ways, not an unusual Spring day here in Colorado. It will be 60 and sunny tomorrow.
We have been having some great weather lately. For the past three weeks it’s been sunny and in the 70s. Not bad for early Spring. We had one day last week that was over 80 — a record.
I ran into three of my faculty colleagues this morning. All were really complaining about the snow and wind. I wasn’t crazy about it, but I tried to keep things in perspective. My answer was, “Yeah today isn’t real nice, but I’ll take a day like today if it comes after the three weeks of beautiful weather we’ve been having.” All I got back from all three folks was more grumbling.
This got me thinking about The Optimist Creed — especially the first point: Promise yourself to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. So had a nasty morning, not real bad as the snow wasn’t sticking to the roads. I wasn’t about to let a little snow and blowing wind throw me off of my game — especially when I had to teach. I chose to be in a positive state of mind.
The operative word in that last sentence is “chose.” I could have grumbled about the weather like my colleagues, but I chose not too. It really wasn’t that bad. Most of the snow was gone by 4:00. I decided take a little more advice from The Optimist Creed and “look at the sunny side of everything.” Denver has a semi arid climate. That means that we need all the moisture we can get. I was happy for the moisture we got this morning, thinking that it will make my lawn look good.
Why do I bring up the weather in this career success blog? Simple. You attitude has a lot to do with your life and career success. A positive attitude can really help you on your career journey. I consciously choose to stay positive — especially when things aren’t going well.
When I got back to my office after class I had an email with the subject line “3 Tips to Make You Feel Good NOW” from the folks at mind movies. Check out the first tip…
Tip 1- Say you’re great!
When people ask ‘How are you?’ What’s your usual answer?
Do you say, ‘I’m great’, ‘I’m okay’, or ‘I’m not too bad’?
Oftentimes, your response to this question may be one that you say on auto-pilot… and if you’re like many, it’s normally just ‘I’m okay’ rather than ‘I’m great!’
However, the more you say ‘I’m great’, the more you will believe it and the sooner you’ll start feeling great in every area of your life.
Several years ago I began answering the how are you question by saying “Great” — because I am. I have work that enjoy, a little money in the bank, a nice house, loving wife and good friends. Why wouldn’t I be great? There are days when I’m not as great as others, but I’m always great.
Even on those less great days, I say “I’m great” for two reasons. First of all, when you look at the reasons I just listed above I really am great. Second, I wan to brand myself as a positive person. I don’t know about you, but I would rather hang around with someone who says she’s great, rather than someone who says, “Not too bad” — or as one of my coaching clients used to say (before I broke her of the habit) “Just peachy.”
The point of all this is simple common sense. If you want to succeed in your life and career you need to be a positive person. Positive people look at the bright side of things. They focus on what’s good in their world — not what’s bad. They come across as someone who other people want to be around. Be positive — it’s one step toward success that you can take everyday.
Your career mentor,
Bud
PS: I write this blog to help people create the life and career success they want and deserve. Now I’m going one step further. I’ve created a membership site in which I’ve pulled together my best thoughts on success. And, as a reader of this blog, you can become a member for free. Just go to www.BudBilanich.com/join to claim your free membership. You’ll be joining a vibrant and growing community of success minded professionals. I hope to see you there.
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