Forget Positivity!
I delivered a talk for a team at Imperial College last week which was titled; “Forget Positivity: Stop chasing positivity and avoiding negativity and step in to the curious world of the Possiblist”.
I can’t share the whole thing, but I do want to pass on the opening sentiment, because it’s critical to challenge some of the current sentiment around toxic positivity, especially in regards to resilience and productivity at work (and life in general!) at this strange point in life….
There are two key camps that seem to have emerged over the last year.
You probably have some colleagues or family members, or maybe you are of the view that: “It’s going to be just fine”. “Everything is AOK”. “Let’s just do it”. “Stay positive and we’ll get through all this”. “You’ll get over it. Just smile”. “Nothing is impossible”.
Now, of course, I’m going to say nothing’s impossible. I am a Possiblist after all, but it’s not coming from that place of toxic positivity, where everything must be the best imagined, positive experience.
The other camp is that of the ‘realist’, many of you may describe yourself that way (my husband does!): The realist is someone that says, let’s look at the probable outcome based on previous evidence, and then we’ll make a decision from there.
Both of these views have merit – but if you forsake your real feelings for the sake of positivity, or you forsake the options which could be available to you for the sake of realism then you are missing out! And what are you missing out on I hear you as ask?
Well….
Take a guess…
You might have already thought it…
If you know me, you probably already know…
You are missing out on the wonderful world of POSSIBILITY!
To make sure you don’t miss out, I am asking you a coaching question this week that will help your brain to come back to a curious place where you can delve in to the possibilities!
It’s an oldey but a goody, you can use it for anything; big or small, a meeting, a new boss, a client relationship, an email, a phone call, a whole performance year!
What is my BEST possible outcome? Ask yourself; what is the BEST thing that could happen?
As Edison once said; “When you have exhausted all possiblities remember this… you haven’t!”
If you want to talk about any of the above (and find out why my little finger is up in the air!) let’s have a virtual coffee.
If no-one else tells you today, let me be the one to tell you – I’m grateful for you. Thank you for being part of my world of possibility!
