When it comes to attitude, people fall into one of two camps – they are either a Positive Pete or a Negative Nelly.
Where Negative Nellies see life giving them lemons, Positive Pete’s get on with making lemonade. Where Nelly is worrying about her glass being half empty, Pete is thoroughly enjoying his half glass of his favourite tipple. Where Nelly has a problem, Pete is working through a solution. Negative Nelly blames everyone but herself, Positive Pete owns his success.
There’s no prizes for guessing which camp most Fresh members are in – one of our core values is positivity and we certainly aim to attract people who think like Pete.
But in tough times, it can be hard to stay positive and even the most ‘Petey’ people can find themselves slipping into ‘Nelliness’. So how do you identify whether you’re a potential negative Nelly, and how can your networking activity and your fellow Freshies help to turn you back into a positive Pete.
How to identify if you’re a Negative Nelly or a Positive Pete
| Nelly says/thinks | Pete says/thinks |
| Yeah, but… | Great, and… |
| Oh no, I’ve got to go to Fresh today | Can’t wait for the opportunities at my next meeting |
| I don’t have any Feel Good moment | Which Feel Good story shall I tell? |
| The pandemic has ruined my business | Corona has opened new opportunities |
| I haven’t got any activity to report | I’ve got loads of Fresh activity |
| I’m never going to be able to sort this | Who do I know who can help me? |
| Woe is me | I wonder how everyone else is doing |
| No-one’s going to buy in a pandemic | I really help people; how do I adapt my offering? |
If you do think you’re slipping into negative thinking, or you see what looks like an insurmountable problem, your fellow Freshies can be a great source of encouragement and positivity.
Lee-Anne Hunt of our Ringwood hub did just that. She was feeling a bit overwhelmed and down when she attended a combined hub meeting and connected with Nicole Thomas from Essendon. Nicole introduced Lee-Anne to a business owner who was stressed about having to restructure her business. Lee-Anne was able to help the client, solve her problem and reduce her stress. She felt relieved and grateful and Lee-Anne was reminded of the pride she has in her service and the way she can really help to make a difference. Her natural positivity was restored.
Freshies tend to be solutions focussed – when they see a problem, they start working out a solution. They may be like a swan, paddling furiously under the surface, but they project an image of professionalism and control.
So if you find your positivity waning, call on your network. Your fellow Freshies are not just there for referrals, they are your ‘colleagues’, ready to work alongside you to find a solution.
Just like you-know-what, positivity is highly contagious. So at Fresh, we’re all about surrounding ourselves with Positive Petes and driving away any tendencies to being a Negative Nelly.