Staying Positive
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About 6 months ago, I tweeted that I want to be known for being positive.
I want to be known for going out of my way to be positive. Hold me to that.
— @soffes on 2018-07-17
I think the value positivity is underrated. When you go out of your way to be positive, it really changes your outlook on life. The idea of being known for always being positive is really interesting to me.
The thought was I want to be so consistently positive that when people think of me they think “Sam? Ya, he's generally positive,” instead of some other trait. Maybe that’s silly, but that’s what I was thinking when I tweeted that.
Choosing Positivity
This came out of realization that, you can reframe most things in a positive light. No matter the circumstance, I could choose to be positive. Previously, I only thought of positivity as a consequence of my situation—not a choice.
When I first started doing this, I’d open up my Twitter client to complain about something often. Then I would pause and either just close the app or reframe the tweet in a positive way.
For example, I remember starting to compose a tweet complaining about an Xcode bug, but instead I decided thank the team for their hard work and point out a way to improve something they made that people generally like. There was still a bug that was frustrating, but you can pick the attitude and tone used to communicate about it.
Passwords
After accidentally posting my password in Slack awhile back, I decided to tweet it.
My password (only used at work and now changed) was “staypositive”. Kind of a nice reminder every time I typed it.
— @soffes on 2018-10-12
Using staypositive as a password was inspired by this post I read awhile ago. The author used passwords that motivated him to do things, and it worked for him. Since this, I’ve tried a few other ones. I think it’s really nice to have to type the theme of your day every time you unlock your computer
Before Positivity
When I first started my current job, I had trouble adjusting from freelancing. If you go back and listen to my podcasts from then, I definitely didn’t have the best attitude. I was frustrated at the pace things moved and the amount of friction to make big changes. (I have very different feelings now. I should write a post about adjusting to a big company.)
During this time, I started listening to the Moana soundtrack at work a lot. It’s hard to be angry listening to the Moana soundtrack. I knew I wanted to be positive, but didn’t know how. It took me a few months to realize it was a problem with me and not the company or my coworkers. I could choose to be upset about something that happened or instead see it as a challenge that I could solve.
Now whenever I’m feeling down or extra frustrated, I’ll listen to the Moana soundtrack and try to figure out how to see the positive side of things. Recommend.