When the wheels were falling off our economy and our businesses were threatened we had to do whatever we could to keep going.
In my case for pure self preservation I needed to keep myself in a positive frame of mind, despite cancelled contracts, bad debts and other kicks in the backside that seemed to form a disorderly queue for a few scary years.
“There are unique opportunities in a recession” I read in a great book called ‘Storming the Recession‘. The main point made in this book was that recession is an unusual time and if you keep your eyes open during it you will find opportunities that would not arise at normal times.
I totally bought into this positive logic and celebrated and championed positivity wherever I saw it – some good news, a business opening, someone expanding, someone doing up their premises would end up in a tweet or a post by me with my often used hash tag, #Positivity.
I know many will roll their eyes when they see those #Positivity tweets, sometimes even including my own crew!
I was reading a great book that is part of a Smarter Egg programme I am doing with Aodan Enright called ‘To Sell is Human‘ by Daniel Pink.
I was relieved to see him talking about this ‘positivity‘ state , which he explains is somewhat necessary to help keep you buoyant (great word!) when you are in business.
He says that this positive mindset once applied in a balanced way can really work. In extensive research done by guys called Seligman and Schulman (I’m guessing they are not Irish!) they found that those who were more positively aligned sold more, were more determined and were less likely to give up on a task or quit their jobs.
Apparently there is a ‘sweet spot‘ ratio (referred to as the Losando ratio) of 3:1 between positive and negative emotions where you reap the most success. Higher than that you are getting into delusional territory and lower than that you are just less effective.
“Optimism, it turns out, isn’t a hollow sentiment. It’s a catalyst that can stir persistence, steady us during challenges, and stoke the confidence that we can influence our surroundings” quotes Mr Pink.
It turns out poor Greg isn’t that crazy after all ..
#PositivityWorks
Tags: Cork, Daniel Pink, Dublin, Fuzion PR, Greg Canty, Smarter Egg
Greg Canty Fuzion Blog 
June 25, 2014 at 10:57 am |
Hi Greg
For me the whole positive thinking thing is more about deciding what results you want to create and setting out your vision and also taking stock of where you are at. I think its about accepting and being honest about your current reality and then deciding “what results do I want to create regardless of the circumstances I am in.” So much of the positive thinking can be about making empty statements such as “I can do it” and then finding yourself back where you were. Its like the person who goes on a diet because they no longer want to be fat – they do great on the diet for a few months but then go back to where they were before they started. If this person decided what they wanted at the outset such as total health and well-being they would be more likely to achieve the result.
I think If we are always reacting or responding to circumstances then real lasting change cannot happen. Its just like people thinking “I will join weight watchers to loose weight and then a year or two down the road they start to gain weight again.” They were reacting to being overweight instead of choosing to be healthy with a well toned body.
I hope the above makes sense – its a very subtle but powerful difference. There is an amazing book I am reading at the moment by Robert Fritz called The Path of Least Resistance on this subject.
Best
Julianne .
June 30, 2014 at 8:43 am |
thanks Julianne …I must get my hands on that book. Check out the ‘Art of Possibility’ by Benjamin Zander
June 30, 2014 at 8:45 am |
Julianne ..I’ve just ordered that book!
June 30, 2014 at 9:05 am |
Hi Greg
I will check out Zanders book – thanks for that recommendation. Let me know what you think of the Fritz book.
June 30, 2014 at 9:07 am |
Hi Greg – thanks for recommendation on Zanders book. Let me know what you think of the Fritz book when you read it.
June 30, 2014 at 2:51 pm |
will do !
July 14, 2014 at 1:48 pm |
Hi Greg,
A timely post. I’m currently reading ‘Learned Optimism’ by Martin E.P. Seligman. He’s one of the fathers of Positive Psychology, which is about the practical application and benefits of adopting a positive approach in life. There’s no wishful thinking or ‘pink fluffy clouds’ involved. Recommended.
Keep the faith,
Joseph
July 15, 2014 at 7:42 am |
thanks Joeseph – I must get my hands on that book
July 19, 2014 at 1:11 pm |
Great to see you embracing the positivity, Greg. Dr. Martin Seligman is the founding father of ‘Positive Psychology’ however the ratio you refer to is called The Losanda line or Losanda ratio.
Thinking of doing a firewalk down Cork way, Greg. What do you think?
July 21, 2014 at 8:28 am |
Hi Howard …when are you thinking of doing the Firewalk?
July 19, 2014 at 1:14 pm |
The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor is also very good.
July 21, 2014 at 8:27 am |
thanks Howard for the book references ..even more to read!