This weekend I saw The Barber of Seville at the Met. It was fantastic! I loved it! And as I was reading about Rossini’s operas, I also realized that I love comic operas, not tragedies. In the Barber of Seville, there is a moment where Rosina doubts the intention of her beloved, Count Almaviva, and almost marries the old Dr. Bartolo. Luckily the moment passes.
It drives me crazy in tragedies when everyone dies or ends up miserable over one tiny mis-step. It is always that one tiny moment where a character loses faith, or lets their negative voices take over that starts the downward spiral. And I hate that.
In coaching we talk a lot about negative voices. They are also referred to as gremlins or saboteurs. I’m sure you know it. It’s when you have an idea about something you want to do, or someone you see yourself being, and then once vacation ends, or the lunch with your mentor is over, or you get laid off, the gremlins take over.
This is at the heart of positive thinking and visioning. What we don’t realize is that the action we take from a given place actually furthers that reality. Think about it. Ever felt like you’d never get a job, and waste the day surfing the web instead of reaching out to one more potential employer? On the flip side have you, believing that you’d done what was required for a promotion or raise, put together an argument, practiced the right conversation, and gone it to ask for it? Successfully?
The trick is to maintain that positive thinking over an extended period. Change takes time. Staying positive takes work. If you can’t do it alone, ask a friend or colleague to hold you accountable and remind you of your dream, or find a coach or counselor to help. Here’s another hint…a period of frustration is often a good sign that a change to positive thinking is in order. Good luck!