What is a negative?

“We need to make the positives so loud that the negatives become impossible to hear.” George Couros

Here’s the thing. George Couros changed the course of my career. Innovator’s Mindset changed the course of my career. His words have changed my thinking.

And lately, this quote from George, “We need to make the positives so loud that the negatives become impossible to hear,” has really been on my mind. I even called my buddy Mark Beddes to ask him to help me think it through. Take a close look at Mark’s profile pic to see what kind of a George Couros fan he is.

What I’m getting stuck on, after clearly loving this quote, to the point of buying a t-shirt with the quote on it, is the idea of….

What is a negative?

That which worries me is the possibility that while my positives are being so loud, I might be missing out on a ‘negative’ that I really need to hear. I completely understand that George is not saying to ignore challenging statements. Being open to challenge, being willing to examine and reexamine thinking are critical steps to keep growing and learning.

What I’m going to try to do is keep real loud with my positives, but dial them down for a second to make sure that a ‘negative’ is a ‘negative’ and not a very important message I really need to hear. And continue to challenge myself as to what constitutes a negative.

See? George Couros continues to challenge me. How great is that?