Optimist/Pessimist

I would not describe myself as a wild eyed optimist.  Some might think of me as more of as a bit of a pessimist.  At least that is what my kids and some of my more entrepreneurial employers have told me.  I like to consider myself more of a realist.  I like to know all the possible outcomes and understand all of my options.  I like to have backup plans in place.  I like to understand the downside risk in situations.  Maybe those things do make me pessimistic, I don’t know.  I do know that the ability to see opportunities in the face of challenges is a virtue.  In times like these it is a virtue we should all strive to possess.  While realism is a good thing in troubling times, it takes optimism and hope to get through such times.  There are opportunities out there, even in these difficult times!  

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity;

an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty

--Sir Winston Churchill

Lists

I enjoy a lot of the content found on Entrepreneur.com.  Generally, it provides quick and easy reads that contain useful and insightful information for business owners and entrepreneurs.  However, a recent article caught my attention under the heading of Productivity entitled “101 Time Management Tips to Boost Productivity Every Day”.  The title is somewhat of a mouthful, but 101 tips?  Seriously?  Some John Maxwell lists, like the 21 Laws, are borderline too long for me. 

I like lists; bullet points make sense to me.  You have frequently seen me use lists in the MMM.  But 101 tips goes way beyond being a digestible list.  I read it anyway!  There were a few valuable suggestions.  Many items really did not seem to belong there.  Several items were very similar or almost duplicated.  It felt like the author had to work hard to come up with 101 items. Anything needing 101 different items does not need to be in list format and certainly does not belong under the productivity subject heading.  I think I could have been more productive with my time by not reading that article.