Am I a Positive Person?

I was listening to Sarah and No Name in the morning on my way to work, like I do everyday. And on the show they were interviewing John Lassiter. For those who don't know, he is the guy behind all the Pixar movies. And I mean all of them. He actually put Sarah and No Name in the movie Cars. I digress.

So they were all talking about him after the interview about what a positive person he was and what a joy he is to be around. How he always brings positivity into the room. Then I started to think about myself which is what I normally do. Am I a positive person? And the answer is assuredly NO! Am I a fun person to be around? Do I bring positivity to a room? Those are arguable, but I would say it is hit or miss. Most people either love me or hate me.

My sister told me once that when I enter a room you can tell right away, but it was not a positive energy. And I tend to agree with her. I kind of have that menacing look. Kind of like a villain in a movie. When he enters the bar, you know trouble is brewing. Many of friends have validated this. My old roommate once told me that every time I came home from work he was afraid to talk to me because he thought I looked pissed.

My childhood wasn't so great, always having to move around from family to family. And I started to take on a defeatist attitude. Psychologists call the ability to bounce back from a setback or trauma, resiliency. Some children start to shutdown or turn off when life keeps throwing them curve balls. Because they realize no matter how much they try, life just keeps beating them down. I think that I kind of started to take on a negative outlook on life early on. It even changed my appearance. Pictures of me when I was younger were so cheerful and bright. Then you see later pictures and they all look like mug shots. I remember when people started to talk about how I always walked around with a mean scowl on my face. Older kids thought I was always stepping up to them.

It's a curse I have to live with I guess. I was thinking of wearing glasses to soften my image or maybe tweezing my eyebrows so it doesn't look so devilish. I remember wanting to get sang kal pul, the double eyelid surgery so my eyes would be bigger and friendlier (only for a split second). But I've come to the conclusion that I’m not gay (no offense George) and that I can only do so much. I do try to make more of a conscious effort to be positive. And fun sometimes comes naturally depending on who I'm hanging around. I tend to run off other people's energy. If someone is a downer, I tend to be a downer, and vice versa. It's kind of hard to generate my own energy. And fun does eventually come as more liquor is poured. =)

Studies show that you will advance faster in the workplace if you promote positivity at work. For instance at a meeting instead of focusing on the negative, always focus on the positives. Say what is working, not what isn't working. I tried doing this in our ST meetings for awhile but it's really hard. It's so much easier to focus on the negative.

Are you a positive person? Do people like hanging around you? When you enter a room or situation do you add or take away? Why or why not?