I caught myself feeling pretty down lately. Sometimes it seems like there's nothing but bad news. I can't even check my email without being bombarded with headlines about it (thanks Yahoo!). I know I'm not alone in feeling like this. It's hard not to get discouraged. So I just had a little talk with myself that I'd like to share with you, if you're interested. It went a little something like this:
Don't be discouraged, Tom. If for no other reason than the fact that it doesn't help. Being discouraged doesn't resolve or improve anything. In fact, it actually makes the situation worse. It clouds clear thinking and good judgment, it impedes action, it robs you of your energy and enthusiasm, and interferes with your ability to find solutions.
I know it's very easy to say "don't worry, don't get discouraged," but feeling it and believing it is a totally different story, especially in the face of bad news and negativity. Just realize that giving in to those negative thoughts and feelings does NOT help make things any better, and that it's actually making things worse.
One thing that may help is to try thinking of all the things that are going right. Even better, why don't you make a list. Let's try it: 1) I have an awesome business where I get to do stuff that I enjoy, 2) Lydia is getting better at her job, 3) we got the Baldwin Harpsichord working, 4) Mike T has been a HUGE help with getting the keyboard studio up and running, 5) oh yeah, Hugo arranged a whopping huge line of credit to help us launch our new pedal project. 6) And after a cold, hard winter marked by gloomy economic forecasting, Spring is finally here...
There, that's better. Feel free to leave a comment with your own good news. The more, the merrier (literally!).
