When someone is said to be ‘living in a bubble’, it’s a phrase that’s invariably used with some disdain but, sometimes, living in a bubble can be pretty useful – as I found out on the ocean waves!Recently I had the good fortune to take a cruise across the Mediterranean and, as many will appreciate, you board a huge floating hotel and partake in a very different life for a number of days, dipping into a host of countries, cultures and languages. Then there are the fascinations and stories surrounding ‘crew’, the ‘entertainers’, and the ‘passengers’, as well as numerous other individuals who oil the wheels (paddles?) that enable these huge floating ‘hotels’ to snake their way across the ocean.
One day the Cruise Director commented to me that working on a passenger ship was like living in a bubble. There was a small community that, in practical terms, was cut off from the rigours of daily life, despite on board TV and a news bulletin printed every day. What interests me is the impact of that situation.People are in the holiday mode, spirits are high, everything possible is done to entertain the passengers and that, in turn, creates an overriding feeling of optimism, happiness and ‘can do’ attitudes. The result is that you eventually disembark in a state of high positivity, because you have been surrounded by such a ‘can do’ mentality for so long. And so it is in life. If you surround yourself with positive people and positive experiences, you will achieve so much more. Negative situations and people drag you down so avoid them. Anthony Robbins, the great American motivator, has often said the same.It was only when I landed back in the UK that I sensed the overriding feeling of pessimism that is currently sweeping the country. How do you avoid it? Well, for starters, keep your language upbeat and avoid too much negativity. Turn off the news, don’t listen to the doom and gloom, create your own optimism and, remember, YOU decide how you are going to start your day, YOU decide whether you are going to be positive or not, and only YOU decide how to interpret events happening all around you. Be positive, think positive and look for the positive in all situations even if, at first reading, they appear negative!