Altering the Positivity Ratio

I often work on my own positivity ratio. When I have a negative feeling or thought, I consciously choose to replace it with a positive thought. I sometimes try to hold my mind in a positive place by repeating a long quotation that inspires me. Most of the time I use the following four questions:

• What result do I want to create?
• Am I internally directed?
• Am I other-focused?
• Am I externally open?

While waiting to present at the business school retreat, I used all these techniques to prepare myself. As I sat in the audience, I also listened to the early presentations. One was given by a woman named Kathy, who described herself as “just a staff person.” Kathy was responsible for a small department in the business school. Such people are often treated as if they are invisible.