doug smith training

Ever have any days of low self-esteem? Times when your opinion of yourself was less than positive? I sure have. I don't mean a healthy amount of skeptical inquiry or proof seeking thoughts -- I mean low self-esteem that can ruin a day. Let's get out of that business! Instead, let's lift our days forward with optimism. We can be positive without being Pollyanna.  You matter! You belong! You rock! You wouldn't be you without you. Do you see how important you are? -- doug smith  

It is a question of baseline or the place that you begin. From your baseline you can decide and even balance what you think next which leads to what you do next. We all begin with some baseline. Where is your baseline? Do you begin by thinking positive, negative, or neutral when you encounter something or someone new? When the choice of interpretation is up to me, I pick positive. It's a personally positive prerogative, and enhances my chances of enjoying the ride. It's up to you? Where do you want to go? -- doug smith  

Have you ever worked for a cranky leader? Someone who can't be happy no matter what? Grumble, grumble, grumble! It's easy to fall into a habit of frowning, scowling, and growling. Easy, but silly -- because it does not good, I've tried being cranky and it just makes things worse. Stay positive, be positive, create positive change. Your mood is SO contagious, why not spread a positive mood? -- doug smith  

  What if your goals are only as good as your character? When you set positive goals with the intention of doing good, with no harm to anyone, that's a reflection of your character. If you set goals with no thought of how they might affect other people, that is also a reflection of your character. Working on your goals starts with determining your character. When your values matter, so do you. -- doug smith

Would you like more power? Is gathering influence something that you value? You can gain that in many ways. Certainly, one way is to get promoted to a higher level job title. That does bring increased power. But, not enough, does it? You still want more. We all want more. We want as much agency and autonomy and independence as we can get.  Here's something you have absolute power over. You control this completely, and when you control it effectively it dramatically increases your power: Your attitude. How you look at the world. How you feel about your self. How you apply positive principles to persistent problems.  Your attitude is more powerful than your job title. You attitude is more powerful than any problem. Your attitude is a great source of power for you -- when you keep it compassionate, clear, courageous, and creative. Tap into THAT power -- it is inexhaustible. -- doug smith

Stay positive, not because it's easy but because it opens many more possibilities. -- doug smith

Have you ever worked with a negative leader? Someone who leads by arguing, yelling, insulting, and pushing people around is a negative leader. Also, a leader who says mostly negative things like "what's wrong with you?" or "how many times do I have to tell you?" or "just do what I say because you can't figure it out otherwise" is negative. Oddly, sometimes a negative leader will get the immediate reaction desired. People might jump into place. Employees might try harder. But that's a temporary result. Negative leaders drive people away. The trouble with skepticism is its power to increase certainty without increasing accuracy and then allowing a negative notion to create a negative outcome. It can be more work to stay positive. It takes practice. It takes the ability to pause when someone on your team says something unbelievably incorrect. But do make that effort. Should a leader be positive or negative? Given the choice of which kind of leader...