Sometime last year I came to recognize that happiness is a
choice. Today, with the help of Cornell Dillard of the Missouri Department of
Labor, I learned that negativity is also a choice. Negativity is a chosen
emotional response to change.
Today was Oktoberfest for the entire Rainbow Options/Rainbow
Center crew. There was German food, a root beer garden, and a guest speaker.
Although the daily grind of work at Rainbow can be, at times, tedious, the days
of getting everyone together are very welcomed. It is a nice to see the faces
of those not seen every day, refreshing to hear roars and snorts of laughter,
and insightful to gain knowledge of how to work better as a team.
Through a very animated and interactive presentation Cornell
explained that negativity has a multitude of identifying personalities and that
it is generally creepy to be negative. A story to explain- if you smile at a
baby then the baby will smile back. If you frown at a baby the baby will cry
and the baby’s mama will ask, “Why yo bein’ creepy with ma baby?” Being
negative, creepy, has consequences.
My past work experience taught me a very specific technique
in being positive. I need to do more than just remind myself of those techniques
and take it a step further by utilizing them, at work and elsewhere.
