Keeping it Positive

30 Jul Keeping it Positive

We recently had the good fortune to attend a scholarship luncheon where we met scholarship recipients and their parents. It was interesting to hear the stories of how parents raised these achievers, and what the students’ future plans were.  We made some striking observations.

The students were all unique individuals and it was clear by meeting all of them that you really can’t judge books by their covers.  You might see them around town but you might never guess that one is going to an Ivy League university, or that one comes from a single-parent home, or that one has never traveled away from Hawai`i.  All the same, these kids were ambitious and focused.  Their parents were all very supportive of their children and had obviously provided them with guidance over the years. The thing that struck us though was that the students and parents alike had an unfailing positive attitude.  They had big, clear dreams, they felt great about the future, they believed that what was ahead would be fun and good, and though many of them had struggled one way or another in the past, they learned from those challenges and used the lessons to fortify themselves.  None of them were daunted in any way.  And none of them had anything that you and I don’t have, except maybe the right attitude.

In these times, when we’re facing economic challenges, environmental disasters, war, and day-to-day personal trials, the positive attitude displayed by the scholarship recipients and their families is something that can only help matters. Likewise, when you consider your business dealings and how you think and speak about your business, do so in a way that displays your optimism. That kind of positive energy is very attractive to consumers and the public in general. It’s also contagious, and we could all use a shot of optimism now. So dissipate any negative thoughts of fear and loathing and replace them with the bright side.  You will become a business magnet. Or magnate as the case may be.