Good News For Positive Thinkers
Think. Do. Be. A Positive Thinker!
This newsletter deals with how to avoid the 18 negatives so that you can stay Positive in this highly competitive world, Thanks to my Positive friend
Lynn Maxcy’s contribution.
But first a little humor as is our custom. Ok, perhaps a little long humor, thanks to my friend Josie,
from Orlando, Florida..Josie agrees with Dr. Michael Miller, who wrote in his journal that, “Laughter pumps up heart health.”
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A man walks into a restaurant with a full-grown ostrich behind him, and as he sits, the waitress comes over and
asks for their order. The man says, "I'll have a hamburger, fries and a coke," and turns to the ostrich. "What's
yours?"
"I'll have the same," says the ostrich. A short time later the waitress returns with the order. "That will be
$6.40 please," and the man reaches into his pocket and pulls out exact change for payment.
The next day, the man and the ostrich come again and the man says, "I'll have a hamburger, fries and a coke,"
and the ostrich says, "I'll have the same." Once again the man reaches into his pocket and pays with exact change.
This becomes a routine until late one evening, the two enter again. "The usual?" asks the waitress. "No, this
is Friday night, so I will have a steak, baked potato and salad," says the man. "Same for me," says the ostrich. A short
time later the waitress comes with the order and says, "That will be $12.62." Once again the man pulls exact change out of his
pocket and places it on the table. The waitress can't hold back her curiosity any longer. "Excuse me, sir. How do you manage to
always come up with the exact change out of your pocket every time?"
"Well," says the man, "several years ago I was cleaning the attic and I found an old lamp. When I rubbed it a
Genie appeared and offered me two wishes. My first wish was that if I ever had to pay for anything, just put my hand in my
pocket, and the right amount of money would always be there."
"That's brilliant!" says the waitress. "Most people would wish for a million dollars or something, but you'll
always be as rich as you want for as long as you live!"
"That's right! Whether it's a gallon of milk or a Rolls Royce, the exact money is always there," says the
man. The waitress asks, "One other thing, sir, what's with the ostrich?"
The man sighs and answers, "My second wish was for a tall chick with long legs who agrees with everything I
say!"
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Now let’s see how to turn 18 negatives into 18 Positives…..
"18 Self-Defeating Business Behaviors"
Procrastination
If you are always late when completing things, people stop relying on you and soon they start resenting you.
Then, they turn to others because you don't come through.
If this is you, take a minute and understand why you aren't doing something you said you would. Chances are, you
don't want or like doing it. Stop telling people you will do things you dislike. Then, if you do find yourself in this situation, find someone
to hold you accountable until you get it done.
Involved with the wrong people
There are bad people in the world. They might work with you,
or for you, or you may work for them. If you keep giving them the benefit of the doubt, you will be the one who has to clean up the mess. That
is because you are trustworthy, loyal, and possess all the other characteristics of a real Boy Scout.
Perhaps you need to rely on your gut instinct when you meet new people. Make sure that all of your radar beams are
on, so that you are looking at people with open eyes. One rule I always use is if something happens once that I don't feel comfortable with, I
become aware. If it happens again, then it is worth going to red alert. A third time and I'm gone. End of involvement.
Saying yes when you want to say no
This results in burnout, loss of credibility, and loss of respect from others and you. The problem is that you don't want to disappoint anyone,
but you end up disappointing everyone.
How does someone learn how to say no? Start by listing what you value the most. If time isn't on the top of the
list, put it there. When someone asks you to do something, all you need to do is subtract whoever long the assignment will take from 168
hours. When you start cutting into your sleep time, chances are you'll learn to start saying no.
Assuming others don't want anything in return
It is human nature to usually want something in
return, even when people say they don't. If you think ahead about what that might be can save you problems when others try to collect. Take
time to answer the question "What is in it for them?"
Playing it safe
The world is in a rapid state of change. Doing the same old thing repeatedly
and expecting it to be good enough may turn out not to be so safe. I know one person who used to go to his boss and demand a raise or he would
quit. One day his boss took him up on it. He is unemployed.
Always having to be right
Know-it-alls who don't know what they're talking about are jerks,
whereas know-it-alls who do know what they're talking about are merely acting like asses. Always having to be right can create so much
resentment that you'd better always be right, because you're building a constituency of people who can't wait to see you fall on your
face.
Focusing on what others are doing wrong
This is a highly demotivating habit. Focusing on what
the other person (a coworker, a supervisor) is not doing makes it difficult for you to keep trying hard.
Not learning from your mistakes
Successful people do not make fewer mistakes than unsuccessful people. They repeat fewer mistakes. Most business decisions turn out to be about
70% wrong. Successful people learn.
Talking when nobody's listening
This leads you to think that what you have said is going to
be done, when in fact it is not. To make matters worse, you have to repeat the entire process. And this time you're going to be angry about
it. Before you speak, make sure you have everyone's attention. If you don't, simply stop talking until you do.
Taking things too personally
When people take criticism too personally, instead of seeing that it is about fixing a problem, the problem becomes larger and takes longer to
fix. No one likes to be criticized. But if comes your way, simply take a step back and try to look at it objectively, after some time has
passed.
Having unrealistic expectations
When you confuse what is reasonable with what is realistic
(it's reasonable to want to re-engineer your business; it's not realistic to do it all at once), you set yourself up to fail. One brick at a
time built the Great Wall.
Trying to take care of everybody
You can't take care of everybody and do a decent job. In
attempting to take care of everyone, nobody, including you, will be satisfied. Take care of yourself, first.
Refusing to "play games"
Politics, schmoozing, and small talk are necessary evils in order to succeed. Putting them down because you do them poorly is costly. Learn how
these things are done. If you do them long enough and often enough, you will be proficient.
Being envious of others
Teamwork is ruined when team members envy each other to the extent that they root against each other. Make sure that you have common goals. Then,
set the stage for working together so that everyone wins.
Quitting too soon
You have more control over trying or quitting than over success or failure. If you always quit, you'll never succeed; if you always try, you'll
eventually succeed. Remember all of the setbacks in the life of Abraham Lincoln or Winston Churchill.
Letting fear run your life
You were bad at science and math. The Internet is here, whether you like it or not. If you let fear run your life, it just might run you out of a
job. Just ask anyone who used to make buggy whips what they thought when they saw the first automobile drive by.
Not moving on after a loss
When you spend more time not cutting your losses than you do moving ahead, you can't move ahead. Successful business people know when to cut
their losses and then they move on.
Not asking for what you need
What is important to you is not necessarily important to others.
If you don't ask for what you need-whether it is for something to help you do your job, or for a promotion-you're leaving it up to other
people's imaginations. If you think your well-being is a high priority to them, you have a good imagination.
Well there you have it newsletter readers. As the last self-defeating behavior uses the word,
“Imagination” “Knowledge is power but imagination is the switch.” Or as George Scialabba wrote, “Perhaps imagination
is only intelligence having fun.” Mark Twain also talked about imagination when he stated. “You can not depend on your eyes when
your imagination is out of focus.”
It is our hope to be of Positive help in your daily lives. Please let us hear from you. You can write to me, Ken, at ken@positivethinkersclub.com .
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Have a great and positive day!
Positive regards,
Mr. Positive, aka Ken Bossone
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