Is it okay to be "negative?"

The guru's always preaching "be positive, be positive, be positive!" They insist that being positive is the only way to achieve true success.

But is it?

Surely, a positive person is more pleasant to be around than a negative person. Surely a positive person with an "I can" attitude is probably willing to try more things because they believe that they can accomplish more. (Note the word "probably." I know plenty of SOB's who have very successful businesses.)

On the other hand, the person who is always positive and lives in pollyannaville, no matter what the circumstances are or the reality of the situation, is going to struggle to be successful. Hell, I would love to be the starting goaltender for the Atlanta Thrashers but no amount of positive thinking is going to make that happen. There IS reality.

Even more dangerous is the person who surrounds themselves with "yes men." This person wants everyone around them to say "Your idea is GREAT!", "Wow, that is going to work!" "Yes, you can accomplish anything, boss!" Former boxer Mike Tyson paid someone to follow him around and say "You da man, Mike!" Mike Tyson is broke now because no one ever told him "no."

The person who is going to be the most successful is the pragmatist. The pragmatist is positive but does not ignore the negative or the reality of the situation. If he is going in the wrong direction, he recognizes it and makes changes. If he receives a piece of advice that is contrary to his thinking, he considers it and does not dismiss it because it's not "positive." The pragmatist believe that the best result will happen but plans for the worst.

Here is the key distinction: The pragmatist presents suggestions that could be perceived as being negative in a neutral light. For example, the boss wants to place a full page ad in the New York Times with a big picture of himself and his company's logo. The marketing director could say, "That is a horrible, horrible idea, boss!"

This is obviously going to meet with a negative reaction." The pragmatist would say, "Every single study down over the past 100 years shows that type of ad is not going to produce the results you want. I suggest we at least look at a different approach." Same suggestion but presented in a neutral way.

One of Napoleon Hill's keys to success was "accurate thinking." Most people who read "Think And Grow Rich" ignore this and instead only focus in on "if i believe it, I can thinking." The pragmatist is positive but also looks at the reality of the situation and makes his decisions based on that.

Kick butt, make mucho dee-nero!

~Dave Dee

PS: Discover how a struggling mother of two made a fortune while never leaving the house. Go to http://www.davedee.com/fortune.html