4.15 Jon Gordon: Be Positive

“Being positive won’t guarantee you’ll succeed, but being negative will guarantee you won’t.” - Jon Gordon

Does negative energy ever slow you down or stop you from doing what you know you can?

When a Division 1 coach was asked what he looked for in potential recruits, he said things like energy, demeanor, and the ability to do the little things are what stand out most, and he won’t recruit players who are too cool and don’t have the right mindset and attitude, no matter how talented they might be.

He didn’t say anything about how many points they score, but how they play and how they impact their teammates and winning.

Having positive energy is a difference maker.

Author and speaker Jon Gordon talks to teams, coaches, and athletes about the power of positivity. He says, “Being positive won’t guarantee you’ll succeed, but being negative will guarantee you won’t, and being optimistic and positive as a team gives you the best chance to succeed.”

Leading and responding with positivity can be a difference-maker, but it isn’t always easy. Because of the negativity bias we have that forces most of us to see, experience, and feel negativity stronger than positivity, we have to fight against our natural urges to find the good and stay positive.

There are and will forever be many reasons to be negative. Playing time, missed shots and opportunities, bad calls, angry coaches, teammates, parents, and more can make being negative easy, but you have to fight to remain positive because research says positive, optimistic people work harder, get paid more, and win more.

Living and responding with positivity can be a true superpower.

Question of the Day: How can you live and respond with positivity through the good and bad?