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 . . .

Years ago, when I was at university, I had a holiday job on a farm in Otago. One of my enduring memories was a fridge magnet which said "Life is Not a Rehearsal for Living". Its funny how something which resonates with you comes back again and again.

OK so I haven't read the Power of Now but I have heard of Eckhart Tolle and like what he has to say. The concept of living in the moment, is on the face of it, complete common sense. Being present and savouring what you are doing and feeling right now is surely a good thing? But if you are anything like me you just can't help thinking about something else. Distractions are usually what gets me . . . something on the radio in the background, a ding on my mobile, a thought about what I have to do that afternoon - or tomorrow - or anytime.

Letting go of worries about the future is one of the things I always need to be mindful of. I am a bread winner in my family and I think of myself as a supporter for others. I draw a certain strength from the fact that I care for and look after people - my family, My friends, people at work. And so I feel responsible and therefore look to the future all the time to think about what's coming up . . . what do I need to accomplish . . . ? 

Meditation has been great for me. I did a course on meditation some time ago and loved it. I feel calm, relaxed and centred when I meditate. Meditation is all about letting your thoughts go and just being. You acknowledge your thoughts (ignoring them just doesn't work) and let them go like clouds drifting off into the sky . . . or like eddies in a stream. You focus on your breath and after a while you fall into this deep sense of relaxation. Its powerful.

Living a busy life and being in the now is always going to be a challenge for me. My eldest daughter, one of my mentors in life, is particularly good at being present. So I am going to take steps to be more present, more centred and more in the now. 

Not so long ago I took a contract assignment helping a company move from one system to another. It was quite a change. The current system wasn't working terribly well. A series of work arounds had been developed, which inevitably relied on a few highly technical and capable people knowing from experience what to do.

OK so you think a new system would have been welcomed right? Well not really. Not when you dived deep into the workings of the business and talked to people on the ground. Those who had to interact and deal with real customers either face-to-face or by phone were disengaged with the upcoming new system. They felt left out of the process and, in some cases, were outright negative. Perversely some I suspect were hoping it all turned to custard.

Looking back on it I think one of the most important roles I made for myself was to just be positive. I said over and over again "it will work and it will be great". And I didn't just say it, I truely believed that was the case. Helped by a video I had seen called "The Secret" (maybe a future blog on this) I thought of nothing else but the new system working and working well. 

And so things changed. Not overnight but slowly and surely. Negativity became less common place. The buzz of activity, discussion and planning increased as staff turned from being largely disinterested to getting actively involved. And you know what . . . ? It was a whole lot of fun. And yes the system worked.

I actively seek to make the first thing I think or say something nice. Its so much more fun and rewarding - and it makes whoever you are talking to feel good about themselves. Some may say that you risk being overly positive which in turn may exacerbate problems that otherwise could be dealt with straight away. I just don't buy that argument. We have choices - we can fix (or eliminate) what's wrong or we can encourage (or grow) what's right. And the latter surely is a happier place for us all to end up . . .

I invite you to stop and think before you open your mouth to anyone today - and come out with something nice as the first thing you say.