Optimism in 2012
February 22, 2012Today, my first article for the Huffington Post was published among the online journal’s recent blog entries. The focus was optimism. Yes, you read that correctly. Optimism for 2012 – it may make for a very compelling campaign slogan, don’t you think?
The piece centered on a recent study by the Kauffman Foundation, in conjunction with LegalZoom, called the Startup Confidence Index. The results indicate that entrepreneurs today are surprisingly optimistic about 2012. In fact, more than 25 percent of them plan to expand their staffs in the next several months, and twice as many of them – 68 percent – expect the economy to improve or stay the same during the year.
Though I wrote the post with entrepreneurs in mind, the sentiment transcends vocational and avocational lines. It turns out that people like to be around others who are enthusiastic, exude high energy and display great esprit for whatever it is that they are engaged in. As you seek out others in a networking capacity remember to bring your most positive self to the table. A glass-half-full attitude will win you more influence and keep you at top of mind much more readily than a ho-hum, glass-half-empty sort of approach. I’m not suggesting that you gloss over areas of concern or act in an inauthentic manner. Rather, I’m suggesting that your positive outlook will bring an aura of hope, happiness, excitement that will leave your networking contacts wanting more interaction with you.
So, join me! I anticipate a positive outlook. Let’s begin our campaign of Optimism for 2012 and beyond.