I really like this quote. 

It says to me we have choices in life. We can call a cup  half full or half empty. We experience a rainy day and feel down that its wet or uplifted at the thought of being snug and cosy inside. We can see a person’s bad points or their good ones . . .

Positivity is a choice we all have. And we have the power to make that choice many times each day.

There have been countless studies on the health effects of positive thinking. Basically, if you are an optimistic person, you are more likely to have greater resistance to things like the common cold, reduced risk of death from heart attack, better ability to deal with stress and depression and . . . . YOU ARE LIKELY TO LIVE LONGER!!  How cool is that?

I deal with change management in my job. And if there is anything more likely to cause stress in the workplace than change, then I would like to know what it is. 

My simple objective when coming into a new change process is to think and act positively. 

It will work. 
Things will improve. 
This is going to be fantastic. 
Its going to be great . . .

A recent experience in one company I helped involved some fairly unhappy and fed up people. They felt alienated from the change process and I suspect were secretly looking forward to the day when the whole initiative failed. So my tactic from day one was to talk about how things would be better. About the benefits of what was coming. How the industry they worked in would be safer. And most importantly that the change WOULD work and it would work well. 

It was wonderful to see the whole place become more positive over the next few months. People who had been detractors became fierce champions. There was an increased sense of ownership by the business. And ultimately – the change did take place – and it all worked – really well.

So today, when you are faced with some thorns – turn those around into roses, and see how you feel as a result . . .