A new year begins and it's time for some serious positivity

Well nobody can argue that 2010 was not an eventful year, especially anyone reading this in Europe. In Ireland we have had our fair share of bad news stories, shameful levels of international attention, and the kind of year that in truth most people just wished would end so we could move on.

I'm a bit like that myself. It's been that kind of year where I got very low about things. I think I let all the negative media stories get to me. And then when I would meet people all that would be discussed was how screwed we are as a country.

Then I decided to do something about my worsening mood and my feeling down about things. I went back to the books because in the past that's what I always did and it always worked for me.

Thinking about it way back when I was in college and wondering what the hell I was doing studying to be an electronics engineer I went through a phase of visiting second-hand bookstores. Every so often I'd visit and pick up something that caught my attention and I would read voraciously, allowing the stories to take me away and re-engage me in thinking about positives in another place. I remember going through a few by John Steinbeck, a whole raft of Graham Greene titles, and then kind of having a Russian phase with Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy. It did the trick. I managed to park all the crap that was a struggle and escape when needed to divert the brain to a more positive state. I ended up passing all my finals.

A few years later when working for IBM I went through a kind of dip and started to find my interest in work waning. I took to the books and again they did the trick. Lots of business titles and a special focus on stuff that really resonated with me. Patrick Lencioni's books are great for engaging you in a great story with a powerful message.

And so I am back into the books again. I went looking for something to lift me and in that serendipitous way a friend in facebook made a reference to a book she had read recently and that turned out to be exactly what I needed.

I'm determined to choose my own disposition in 2010 and to be as positive and enthusiastic as I can because nobody else can make me so. It's in my power to enjoy each day and I intend to do just that.

I've kept my mood up over the Christmas and new year's holidays and have had a really great break with my family. The bad weather didn't set us back and we've had a great time relaxing and sleeping loads and doing whatever we feel like.

I'm back to work in the morning and I'll be bringing the same sentiment with me :-)

Wishing you a fantastic year and looking forward to sharing whetever great news and positivity comes my way.