I've been asked how I stay positive.

The answer is simple... It's a choice.

Things have been hard not just for me, but for so many of us.

Jobs we thought were solid, gone. Cut by companies without much thought about the impact, not just to our livelihoods, but to our mental health.

Prospects are more difficult to find (even on ZenSearch). There are just fewer openings with more people vying to fill them.

I expected to work in a traditional job as a product designer until I decided it was time to retire. But in the current job market, after interviewing for over a year, that seemed unlikely. I was sad, frustrated, beaten down. So I made a choice.

To pivot. Not just my career, but more importantly, my thinking.

I chose to take control, to own my path. To be positive.

Positive in how I approach each day and the many challenges I will inevitably encounter. Positive in how I speak with people, and I hope, in how I present to them. Positive in how I talk to myself, focusing on what I'm doing well, and emotionally letting go of the rest.

It's simple... But not easy.

I've always struggled with appreciating the good stuff and celebrating the wins. My attitude was "Yeah, whatever. On to the next." There was always another problem waiting to be solved, and I quickly jumped in without even acknowledging my previous success.

Now, I'm working hard on being positive. It's not perfect. It's easy get sucked into the gloom, to let the negatives overshadow, especially when things are tough. I see improvement in my attitude. It's slow, but growing. Building.

Still, every day, several times, if I'm being honest, I need to remind myself to enjoy my successes. To revel in my accomplishments. I choose again and again to be positive.

You can make that choice too.

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