Life is all about attitude. The friends we have, the quality of our relationships, our personal and career successes–all stem from a simple (yet apparently fragile) source: the mind.
Anyone who has spent time among people is familiar with the power of attitude. Individuals who are motivated and optimistic tend to be better company than the chronically pessimistic or lazy. It’s not difficult to imagine why we naturally prefer the former: each of us has our own list of things we’d like to accomplish in life. We tend to appreciate the folks that can help us out.
That’s not selfish or disingenuous; it just is. We’re goal-oriented creatures–that’s why people without goals tend to be depressed or unfulfilled. And what’s stranger still is the fact that optimism and motivation seem to be entirely under our control: at the end of the day, we either do things or don’t do things. Those “things” determine the whole of our existence, so it’s worth thinking about–especially if you’re not entirely pleased with your results so far.
The same is true with presentations. Some folks have to be the bad guy from time to time: every now and then, persuasion requires a thorough analysis of the negatives. But even presenting negatives can be done with a good attitude and intent to be helpful and solve a problem. Those are very optimistic, motivating qualities and people like that (at least, the people whose approval matters most will like that).
Start framing every presentation in a positive light. You don’t have to be bubbly or dishonest; you just have to be excited about the future and display the energy and commitment necessary to make that future a better one.
