Cathy's blog

I used to have a manager who acted as if the world would come to an end whenever I used the word *NO*.

And when I was around her, I used that - a lot.

So I triggered her Polyanna-side, a lot.

I'm allergic to happy-flappy. To people who float slightly above the ground, flaunting their rose-colored spectacles.

I quickly spot things that are not right, like a spelling mistake (except my own, I leave that up to you guys), a missing step in a process, colors that don't match, or something that visually just doesn't work. On top of that: I want things to be "just so."  (I know, I know...)

It can be incredibly helpful to spot mistakes quickly, correct them, and move on.

But if I spend too much focus on it, I can get caught in a negative spiral.

So it's healthy for me to zoom out and see the full picture again regularly. 

And to remind myself that even the most expensive car brands ensure that their designs are just a bit off - apparently, people prefer that :-)

You cannot control what happens to you (so please stop trying!)

But you can control how you handle what happens to you.

So instead of focusing on what would be ideal (in other words: perfect), focus on what's possible.

The simple question: "what's possible here?" will trigger your creativity and might just result in something even better.

In a world where the blame game is the standard: focus on possibility.

You don't have to ignore that there are bad things in your life. 

You don't have to pretend that you're happy all the time (please don't - it will make you unhappy). 

Find out what's wrong. Then focus on what's possible.

What can you do, right here, right now, to make things better?

If only 1%...

If it can't be solved - how can it be improved?

If it's not perfect yet - how has it evolved already?

What's the progress? What's the next possible step? 

If you can't get the tool you believe would solve all your problems with reporting, what's the next best solution?

If you can't choose your own colleagues - what can you do to improve your relationship with the ones you have?

If you didn't get that promotion - what can you do to increase your chances of getting it next time?

There is a beautiful book written on this: The Art of Possibility.

If you tend to get stuck in what's wrong, go check it out: it will spark ideas on all the things that are possible. (spoiler alert: much more than you think right now)

You got this!