Accentuating the Positive - The Pollyanna Objective

Finding the silver lining in situations that seem anything but good experiences, help maintain a decision of attitude.

Emotions are what make us the interesting creatures we are. They don't take a break between 9am and 5pm when we work, and neither should they. All are valid and valuable. But sometimes, emotions such as frustration, impatience and anger can work to the detriment of our production and relationships within the work environment. Emotions tend to be infectious too, and can impact the general attitude of a team relatively quickly.

I've decided my attitude is a decision I make each day, as much as choosing which shoes to wear in the morning. Wearing a positive attitude and finding the opportunity for improvement in situations helps reduce the amount of stress I carry in my neck, the tone of voice and my ability to work well in a team.

I came into this organisation with this viewpoint forming in the back of my mind. It has taken interaction with members of my Content Delivery team and other members of Learning Services and Broadband to polish and focus my thoughts. Now I've adopted these ideas into my personal philosophy.

Rob � attitude is a decision

Todd � knowledge sharing, generosity

Andrew � confidence and intelligence as a learning stategy

Peter � trust and belief

Bruce � passion and drive

James � accessibility and care

Sarah � loyalty and friendship

Mike � inclusion and humour

Anna � intelligence in learning design

Stacey � energy and positivity

EDS � commonality

Learning isn't something we just do in a class room or online course. It's everywhere we look, every moment of the day. It's a matter of constant feedback with information coming through our senses, being evaluated and processed, matched against current knowledge and truths and tagged for inclusion, or exclusion and then absorbed into the philosophy that is our psyche.

This isn't meant to read like an Academy Award acceptance speech. It's meant as recognition of the value I find in my interactions every day. How people I work with and have connections with, impact my thoughts and make me assess the way I interface with the world. In short, the realisation of the importance people have in my life has meant the attitude I have today is joy.

Although I am lucky enough to have personal contact with these people, all communication is not via a shared physical space. Online communication is a valid and wonderful way of touching people who are located in other geographical situations.

The Exchange holds a wealth of information, but more than that, it holds a diversity of personalities in the sites it hosts.