My first corporate job was as an internal auditor at a Fortune 500 company that had an excellent culture of developing people. This seven-year experience prepared me well for the rest of my auditing career and anything else I want to accomplish.

The only downside was a general feeling of negativity, with too many people feeling that they were not being treated fairly. At one point, the negative energy got so bad that I coined the phrase, “the undertow of negativity.”

If you have spent time playing in waves, you know what I mean. You go in the water and you get the feeling that the ocean wants to suck you in. Negative people can be like this; one person complaining inspires another to complain and pretty soon the undertow of negativity develops. The more people that join in, the stronger it gets.

It is best to be aware of the undertow and get out before it pulls you in too deep. There is a better way. If you want to achieve something, skip the negativity and focus on the action that will move you towards your goal.

A recent FB post had a great list of things to do that included “Don’t stress about things you cannot control.” It sounds ok, but should I stress about the things I can control? Instead, maybe “Be OK with the things you cannot control.” Even better, “Embrace what you can learn from the things you cannot control.”

Over the years, my default language became positive and I think it is one of the things that helps me stay chill most of the time. Like anyone, I sometimes react negatively to things, but I quickly bounce back to my normal state of positivity.

Is your default positive? If not, how is that working for you?