Be optimistic … You can live 99 years + like Mary Alice …

For myself I am an optimist - it does not seem to be much use to be anything else.”  - ― Winston Churchill
 
My 99 years, 6 months and three day old Aunt May Alice Kennedy passed away this week. She lived a wonderful, but hard life, like many from that generation. We miss her, but she knew it was her time and was ready.

Many have commented, “how does one make it to 99 years old?”. It is truly a wonder for sure. In my Aunt’s case, there were two powers that she embraced:


The power of optimism and being positive. 

She lived her life with optimism always and with a positive attitude no matter what the situation was. And this rubbed off on those around her. She always focused on what was good in one’s life. Her advice was sage. She embraced her family and was so fortunate to have her wonderful and caring daughter Pat Aram (my cousin) and her husband Bill Aram by her side.

Medicine has been telling us that living a life being happy and positive extends life and is more powerful than any medication. In my practice, I see those who are achieving in their career and work life, and those who could. Those achieving have embraced the power of positive thinking and being optimistic. They dust off their boots with a smile and move forward when they are knocked down, experience  loss or a setback. They learn from the experience and go on to the next chapter.  They see opportunity in every situation versus a struggle.

Those who are struggling in career and work life see life as that – a struggle – and this permanents every thought and action. They do not see opportunity in a challenge – they see a roadblock and this holds them back.

As a country, we have been through a horrible time during the recession and for many, even now although we are being told that the recession ended in 2009. Tell someone still unemployed that! Our economy is no way better, but you and I cannot change that – we need to look for and embrace opportunity in these difficult times.

And I have seen it …

• My client and trusted friend Mark Borst who, in the depths of the recession came to me with a goal – to quit his job by a certain date  and launch full-time into his business (web development and marketing). He was positive and optimistic – he never looked back and he achieved. Rampant Imaginations continues to grow and excel:  www.rampantimaginations.com

• I will call her Pat for confidentiality --- who ended her relationship with her company after 27 years where she made gobs of money and had all types of responsibility, but she was not fulfilled any longer and knew there was something else out there for her – and there was – and she went after opportunity with gusto and optimism.

• My friend and client Paul Jesup who, with prodding and coaching, published a book which I encourage all to read as I am now Lost Sense of Self & the Ethics Crisis (http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Sense-Ethics-Crisis-ebook/dp/B0096C46X0/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1346937053&sr=1-1&keywords=Jesep) as it is excellent and thought provoking. He wrote this while in the midst of reinventing himself. In my discussions with him, the power of being positive kept him moving forward to this achievement and redefinition of himself.

Each could have just gone on and survived, by they didn’t;  they were determined to excel.

Not here and wish you could be?
Some ideas to consider to shake yourself up:

• Talk to yourself – rid your mind of negative noise. It is zapping of time and energy and usually full of assumptions – and you know what that means (assume: make an a - - of you and me). Negative mind noise clouds forward thinking.
• Chose to be with those of like mind – positive and forward focused – My wife of 40-years and I made a pledge to each and the other: we will associate and be with people only of like mind – positive and focused-forward, and it works and always has. Negativity brings one down and inhibits growth and achievement and damn it, just isn’t fun to be around. We profess this to others – including our family; they “got it”.
• Keep an open mind and don’t think you have all the answers – Learn from others and listen to others. You will feel part of the “team” and feel more positive. You don’t have all the answers but you can glean ideas from numerous discussions. That is how Next-Act was reborn several years back – I listened to others, didn’t always agree, but I listened and took pearls of wisdom from those discussions to formulate my rebirth.
• Remove yourself from negative office or job situation – the gossip, the drama - You will go nowhere if connected to this. Get above the gossip and drama – look at your job as an opportunity and let the drama stay below you. You will feel better; you will be more productions; and you will be noticed.
• Select what you listen to and what you read – Read positive things and stories and learn from them. Listen to positive media (okay it can be hard!), zone out on music with positive message. I listen to WMHT 89.1 on my office radio all day. It is soothing and to me, positive.

Mary Alice is an example of the wisdom of the elders. Take this example and determine to live your live – optimistic and positive. You will excel in your career, and you will be happy and that is huge.

And thank you for reading this. - Dan

Dan Moran
President & Founder
Next-Act:
Career Management & Transition Specialists
Corporate Management Services
Celebrating 24 years providing career& corporate management services in 2012!
125 Wolf Road, Suite #128
Albany, NY 12205
Phone: 518-641-8968
eFax: 586-279-4212
dmoran@next-act.com
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