My team has had the experience of working on two creative ventures recently.

One was a new website. We followed the recommendations of several colleagues and hired Phil Reinhardt. He was incredibly creative, easy to collaborate with, and an absolute professional through every step of the process.

For the other project, we also followed recommendations, but the process has not been smooth or positive.

As both projects were in front of us at the same time, it was so very challenging not to get weighed down with the one that was drowning us. It was like a great gravitational pull that kept grabbing us and tugging.

Yet, the power was in the successful project: the website. We could actually move forward and create a positive change.

If you find yourself faced with both a positive situation and a negative one, where does your head go? What are most of your thoughts about?

If you find yourself mired down in the negative, don’t be surprised! There’s a genetic reason for this since we evolved as nomads and cave dwellers. We could get eaten by wild animals or be hunted by other tribes. There was an evolutionary need to pay attention to danger. It served its purpose and kept our species alive over many generations.

Unfortunately, the physical need to recognize danger does not translate to our emotional response to danger. In the case of the Concordia team, a failed project, while upsetting and annoying, will not render any of us maimed or dead.

Through our positive website project we developed a mantra, “Focus on what’s working.” When any of us mentioned the other project, we redirected ourselves.

What words or terms does your team use to redirect and focus on what will serve you best?