Archive - May 2023

Presence and positivity

Positivity of thinking, behaviour, communication, leadership, and the way we relate to each other as human beings brings benefits.  And yet, positivity without a foundation of reality and connection with one’s audience isn’t useful at all, and can indeed be damaging.  If I share a dilemma or a problem with another person, I feel unacknowledged, unheard and let down if their response is simply to invite me to look on the bright side, to look for the pluses, or to look for the solution – or even to give me what they think is the solution. Any positivity I might experience is then short-lived and insubstantial.  I need the other person’s presence.  I need to be seen, and then I can feel a connection.  Without that connection the other person’s positivity is too superficial to make any kind of difference for me – and at worst can actually betray my trust.  I also need the other person to be attuned with me – to be paying attention to my inner experience.