Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive

I know, you will all be glad when this fair is over and I can get back to talking about everyday office drama. Lately my everyday is filled with the advertising, PR, sponsorships and marketing of the drama I call the Tennessee State Fair.  It starts in 5 days!  I’m doing the job of three people so to say the least, it’s been interesting.  I drive a hard bargain and run a tight ship.  Often times I feel for the people who work for me because I’m all business all of the time.  I do laugh and cut up and enjoy just about all of it, but I’m not one to chit chat and waste time.  I’m not a clock puncher…never have been, never will be…I’m a get ‘er done kinda gal!  However, it has it’s price!

The price will be my sanity if I’m not careful.  I’ve come to know and accept this as who I am and “how I roll.”  For me, there’s a balance and it may be unique, but I find something small to celebrate throughout each day to keep me from being so rigid. Intense may be a better word, either way, it’s a cycle of a series of highs and lows that makeup a “normal” day for me. Without taking the time to accentuate the positive, I would lose my sanity.

A while back I wrote that Laughter is Serious Business because it is.  I make laughter and hard work part of each day, but most importantly, a part of my day is spent finding an accomplishment or endeavor to celebrate.  It can be a simple thing like an assistant producing a perfect letter or an eblast that received positive feedback…there are too many negative things to dwell on to NOT make time to accentuate the positive.  Old Johnny Mercer was right on back in ’44 when he penned the song.  This wonderful little diddy explains that accentuating the positive is the key to happiness.  How do you find positive amidst the economic news, local tragedy or office blah’s?  The first steps are to avoid the negative around you.  Here’s some good advice from eHow:

1. The first thing to remember is only you have control over your feelings, not your boss, not your coworkers, and not your customers. If you allow your coworkers to tick you off, they will. Take the annoying things in stride by trying to remember that a year from now, it won’t matter.
2. It helps if you get along with your coworkers and your bosses. Even if you don’t like them, try to remain friendly and civil. Do not engage in rumors or backstabbing. If people see you as agreeable and friendly, they are less likely to try and bother you.
3. Place positive messages all over your work space and take a few minutes every now and then to read the messages and contemplate them. Add color.  Play soothing music if you can.
4. While you’re not at work, engage in activities that interest you or build your skills in some way. Learn about a skill set you’d like to improve during breaks at work. This serves to build confidence and remind you that you can work towards a better job and career in the future.
5. While working on a task, immerse yourself in that task and do the best you can. Challenge yourself and find better ways to do that task. Not only will it make the time go fast, the results of your work can make you stand out.

Finding the positive then comes natural when you avoid the negative. To help that, here are a few tips from Healthandgoodness.com for finding the positive around you:

1. Take passionate action towards living your life. Don’t just make it through the day, live it.  Passion and a positive attitude are contagious. You will find others attracted to you who are just as passionate about life and living.
2. Act instead of reacting. Don’t wait until something bad happens then try to deal with it. Be proactive and make something good happen. You are responsible for what you make of the life you have.
3. Learn to be grateful for what you have. It’s a well-known fact among successful people that having gratitude will get you more than never being satisfied. A positive attitude attracts positive actions. Gratitude attracts positive energy.
4. Seize every opportunity that you can instead of regretting it later. Now, whatever you do, don’t put yourself in the poorhouse or take food out of your children’s mouths, but don’t be afraid to take opportunities that feel right either. Successful people have taught themselves to have a sixth sense when it comes to taking advantage of new opportunities.
5. Always keep your sense of humor. People like to be around those who find humor in even the most awkward moments. Learn to laugh and you will be more positive, especially if you can learn to laugh at yourself. Humor is very attractive. A positive attitude can be born from a strong sense of humor.

I find that laughing at myself is one of THE best ways to break the ice.  Any time I have the opportunity to address a civic group or women’s luncheon I begin with a little self-deprecation to set the mood.  It just seems to put everyone at ease and make the room a softer place to land.  Sometimes it takes just enough of the edge off a situation to allow for people to see the positive in what you have to say or what they need to hear.

I believe that there’s a little bit of positive in just about everything, but sometimes you have to dig to find it; even “fake it ’til you make it,” meaning profess the positive until you’ve convinced yourself.  You don’t have to take it from me, take it from Bing Crosy who sang it best, “You’ve got to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, and latch on to the affirmative, don’t mess with Mister In-Between.”  I’m down with that, Bing!

Chrysty Beverley Fortner

Relationship Builder, Public Speaker, Business Developer, Team Motivator, Project Coordinator, Creative Writer, Event Planner, Marketing Strategist, Change Implementer, Experience Enhancer!

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