Michelle Provencher

If I had to boil my personality down to one word it would be positivity.

While it may not seem like the most impressive or distinguished descriptor to assign yourself, I have found positivity to be like a stealthy superpower that grants me the ability to uplift not just my own attitude, but that of the people around me as well. It can be as simple as starting a new project by saying, “I’m excited to be working on this!” Or, “I’m so glad we’re tackling this together!” (Positivity comes with the bonus of copious exclamation points, which I employ with reckless abandon in my informal messages).

Taking a moment to kick things off with an upbeat statement often sets the tone for the rest of the meeting and even beyond. I believe the folks I partner with appreciate knowing I’m happy to be there, with them, working on this task. If this is my first interaction with a new member of the team, it makes a stellar first impression that tees us up for a congenial working relationship.

We are people, not robots — a sentiment that bears repeating in a world where business is evermore taking place virtually. Conducting yourself with emotionless professionalism does nothing to bridge the gap, but rather can contribute to feeling like you’re working in isolation. Despite working remotely the past several years, I haven’t lost that human connection to my coworkers because I take every opportunity to reach out and shed some positive light. This may come in the form of gratitude (“Thanks for your help today!”), kudos (“Great job on the redesign! The new version looks so sleek and clean.”), or making conversation (“Have you watched White Lotus this season? It’s incredible!”). It’s all about taking the initiative to get to know my team and reinforce that I value them.

Because we have learned to believe negativity is more realistic, it appears more real than any positive voice. Once we begin to replace negative thinking with positive thinking, it becomes utterly clear that, far from being realistic, negative thinking is absolutely disenabling. When we are positive we not only accept and affirm ourselves, we are able to affirm and accept others. – bell hooks

Of course, it isn’t all in the spirit of altruism. Being outwardly positive helps me adjust my inner mindset to be more positive, too. Like most people, I don’t love every assignment and occasionally make mistakes, but looking through the lens of positivity helps me see the bright side. Maybe a less desirable assignment is an opportunity to learn something new about an area I don’t often get to explore. Maybe a fixing a mistake is a chance to challenge my creativity and come up with a really unique solution. Fighting the urge to wallow in negative thoughts and seeing the bright side helps me feel less anxious, giving my mental health a boost.

Being positive isn’t necessarily something that comes naturally at first. It’s much easier to be cynical or indifferent, both at work and in life. However, I’d like to tell you making the effort to be positive is worth it. Beyond improving your own outlook and relationships, positivity inspires the people around you to see the good. Like all life changes it might take some effort to get started, but then become second nature. Try saying something nice in your next meeting or pinging someone a kind word today!