Keeping a Positive Frame of Mind

I have been very fortunate at key points in my life to hear words of wisdom from some interesting people from all walks of life. At times, the impact of the words immediately register with me and the moment becomes unforgettable, and then there are times when it’s only upon reflection that the implications become apparent and then the message itself is what becomes unforgettable.

One such unforgettable message came from quite an unexpected person, especially considering how diametrically opposed my view of the world is from this individual. Newt Gingrich was the keynote speaker two years ago for a national healthcare & life sciences Executive Conference that my work group at SAS organizes annually. Since leaving the House of Representatives as Speaker, Mr. Gingrich has founded the Center for Health Transformation, an organziation dedicated to creating a 21st Century Intelligent Health System that saves lives and saves money for all Americans. Along the way, he has earned the respect and recognition of people on “both sides of the aisle” for his thoughtful positions on heatlh care reform and related topics.

It was on the question of healthcare reform needed in our country that Mr. Gingrich provided one of those “delayed reaction” words of wisdom that my teammates and I picked up on as we reviewed the conference a week later to plan for the following year’s conference. Since then, I have applied the idea at work and it has become one of the tenets that help guide me through almost any decision-making process.

He said that providing universal health insurance coverage is not at all impossible, and that one of the biggest obstacles is simply the approach to the problem. Here is the golden nugget: he further added that if force yourself to begin any answer to any problem with the words “Yes, if…” and suppress the urge to say “No, because…” it focuses the framing of the problem (and therefore the solution) on a positive outcome. Please think about that for a second.

Of course, his response was much more complex than what I paraphrased, and it was followed by about 15 minutes of examples to illustrate the point. But the core idea was that so much more can be accomplished by envisioning a positive outcome and consistently working towards that goal, than spending any time focusing on reasons why not to do it.

From what I’ve seen, the administration at Endeavor has gotten this school to where it is with “Yes, if…” answers. And for that I am truly grateful. It’s amazing what you can accomplish simply by keeping a positive frame of mind.

All the best,
John