All you hear these days is news about the doom and gloom of the recession. You turn on the TV, you talk to colleagues, friends and family–it’s the topic on everyone’s mind. In some way, it’s like a disease and a self-fulfilling prophecy for depression.
Here are some ways to move beyond the doom and gloom! (see comment)
Stephen Bouikidis said,
January 27, 2009 at 3:36 pm
Much of this is a force driven by negative energy and news. The media tend to accentuate the bad news because it’s sensational and keeps people glued to the TV. If we all heard that we’d be OK in six months and not to worry, perhaps we’d pay less attention–and their ratings would fall. The strategy here is to guide your life and discussions around the positive. Below are some ideas for you to think about.:
Idea 1: Stop watching the news! You’ll be grateful in the long run. Most of it is not relevant to our every day lives–especially the local news!
Idea 2: In general conversation, try talking about something positive when talking to others. Note: you don’t want to ignore financial matters that require your attention–budgets, business planning, etc. If you recall our last president told us to ignore everything and go shopping…not advised. Talk about how you are going to make 2009 a great year!
Idea 3: Keep moving and working hard. It’s easy to get stifled or even paralyzed. Use this as an opportunity to rethink how you are working, try different things to re-energize your organization and colleagues. Get started with a positive attitude and by the end of the day, you’ll see you got a lot done!
Idea 4: SMILE. Smile every chance you get. You won’t believe how much this effects your outlook and everyone else around you. This is very easy to do. Try it out.
Please send along any thoughts or ideas on this post!
jbullock1 said,
January 28, 2009 at 11:26 am
Yes very helpful. We create our emotional ’states’ in our actions and how we talk / live day to day, moment to moment lives, and your suggestions here remind us of that. Also, we all know that attitudes and emotions are contagious – goodness knows we need more supportive positivity to spread through the world and our day to day worlds!
Holly said,
February 3, 2009 at 1:26 pm
All great ideas! A positive attitude is infectious and I hope to spread it around more and catch more of it at the same time.
Bill said,
February 5, 2009 at 5:29 pm
Oh, what’s the use. I’m going to go eat dirt!
Just kidding. They are all good ideas Steve. Thanks. Also, when things are in flux economically, usually there are some new and different opportunities that come out of it. It has been a few years (8 to be exact) with an over abundance of bad news, but things are changing. This doesn’t guarantee a quick success for anyone but it does give us a glimpse at possibilities… and possibilities are always exciting.
Cheers.
Eric H. Reisman said,
March 11, 2009 at 8:48 am
Great insight Stephen into seeing the “cheery side of life.” Keeping in tune to what is happening in the economy but not letting it dictate how we communicate with colleagues, customers and prospects helps to create a more positive environment for conducting business. And once the factory horn has announced the day is done, pursue something fun and keep conversations with friends focused on something other than the “E” word.