There are people who seem to be generally optimistic. They usually wear a smile and appear happy. Then there are those who are generally pessimistic, who frown most of the time and appear unhappy.
There was this person I knew when I worked in Canada whose name was Jacque. He always looked on the negative side of things. I was with a few friends having a drink when Jacque joined us at the table. As a joke I said, “you know there are Optimist Clubs, why don’t we start a Pessimist Club? Jacque replied immediately, “It will never work!”
When one considers the background of people who head commercial companies, they seldom include lawyers since most are trained to think negatively. Their outlook is concerned with what can go wrong and are often too cautious and not willing to take risks. People with sales and entreprenurial backgrounds lead many successful companies. These are people who are optimistic in thinking, have the ability to communicate and interact with other people and are willing to take calculated risks.
The most positive place I ever lived was in Lebanon. Everything was possible – at least that was the attitude. It didn’t matter if there was a regulation against it, if one had the will there was always a way. When I sought someone for a new enterprise and asked the question, “Would you be interested in…” The immediate answer was, “Yes, yes, what is it?” In other places I lived and worked it was the exact opposite with an immediate negative response.
If you are cautious, at least be cautiously optimistic.
