I have been wondering recently why I frequently catch myself anticipating the worst case scenario in a given situation, especially in business. In the past, I’ve found that the better things are going in my business, the easier it is for me to expect good things to happen. The reverse has been true as well. But recently, I’ve been struggling to expect good things even though business has started to pick up again.
Why am I feeling this way? I suspect it’s mostly because of the carryover from the Great Recession. That was such a tough time in my business and in many other businesses as well, and I think I spent so much time focused on the negatives during that bad period that it’s hard for me to expect good things going forward.
After a lot of thought, I realized my feelings will be positive more often if I stop focusing so much on my current results and allow myself the freedom to imagine that positive things could occur in the future.
A client of mine shared a story with me recently that really drove this lesson home. He is a high-powered executive with more daily stress than most people have in a lifetime. One recent morning he got up, showered and got dressed, preparing himself for another stressful day at work. Nearly out the door, he heard his 9-year-old daughter call to him to wait for her because she wanted to give him a hug. After a few minutes she ran to him and jumped into his arms. He felt a surge of positive emotions. He looked out the window at the gray and rainy day and asked his daughter, “What do you expect this day to bring?” She looked up at him and said, “Maybe a rainbow!”
How much better off would we all be if we could follow the example of this little girl and see the possibility of a rainbow in the future even if all that’s out there right now are dark rain clouds?
Have a great weekend,
Ro
Special thanks to Bill Carbaugh for sharing his daughter Charlotte’s wisdom with me this week.