Positivity

Have you come across people in your office who have something negative to say all the time? Or, are complaining/whining or just being a plain old drag? I bet you have. And such a person could very well be a close friend, your parents, siblings, a relative or even a friend from many years ago you have just reconnected with on the wonderful Facebook. And I am not judging them, for who knows, the reason behind their demeanor could be deep-rooted, genuine anxiety about something in their personal lives or perhaps clinical depression starting from worries at home or at work. We all have such days when the positivity in us is simply beyond reach, despite all efforts. But let’s face it, we all know one or two individuals who moan without a cause; they complain because they can!

Perhaps the groaners and moaners were growing in number in our office lately, or perhaps we simply ran out of reasons to feel cheerful about—what with the economy, budget cuts and jobs being hacked. Whatever be it, our senior management decided that it was time for a “motivational speaker” to boost our morale and make us all feel geared up at the work front. This happened at our annual retreat recently. Following several nice speeches and a wonderful buffet lunch, we were subjected to nearly 30 minutes of motivational speech. It soon became the longest 30 minutes I have spent listening to someone delivering a speech. Her “let’s do it because you are special” spiel became insufferable and I felt like running out of the room!

However, I am determined to steer myself away from negativity, so I am going to concentrate on what I actually found nice in the talk. (And this may be something you have heard/read about somewhere – then please stop reading from this part onward!)

Can you classify yourself as one of the following? Are you a D’Grunt, a Gomo or a Smover? What are these, you say? I didn’t know, so I started following the speaker more carefully as she went on to describe the qualities of the D’Grunt (a disgruntled person), the Gomo (person going through the motions) and the Smover (a person who crosses the line and smiles and moves). So you can tell, those carriers of negativity can fall into the D’Grunt category and the “I don’t care but will go through the motions” are the bearers of the Gomo pall. I won’t go into the details, but Google Sam Parker and you can read more.

What I took away from it is what we can do to get out of this rut of negativity and lethargy that can drag us down in all walks of life – whether at home or at work. Here are a few things the speaker had listed – she admitted to have collected them from the motivational gurus out there (Seth Godin, Jon Gordon and Sam Parker, to name a few):
1. Don’t expect others to make you happy. You are the only one who can do that.
2. Focus on what you “get to do” instead of what you “have” to do.
3. Re-establish your passion and purpose.
4. Celebrate the great moments and the accomplishments.
5. Decide not to be a D’Grunt or a Gomo. Decide to be an asset.
6. Have an attitude of appreciation and say “thank you” often.

I will add to this that we should also try to celebrate the small moments and little accomplishments. What’s mine today, I ask? I managed to stay away from that giant burger at Ruggles Green Café. Should I also count my momentary happiness when I did give in to their chocolate crème brulee cheesecake? :-)

Ok, that’s it from me. I’ll leave you to ponder on these… while I go read up some more stuff written by these sage folks.