Negativity Is Easy

Hopefully I come across as a positive person, but just like everyone my inner monologue is a battle between positive and negative thought.

And when negative thought arises I make every effort to not express it in my words or actions.

But recently I’ve noticed what an impact this has on my mindset.

Lately I’ve gotten really in to podcasts. Spending a lot of my life travelling in the car to film shoots, they’ve become a really useful tool to help use this time more productively.

My two favourites are “The Gary Vee Audio Experience” where Gary Vaynerchuk* shares his business advice and experience and then the new “Couples Therapy” podcast by filmmaker Casey Neistat and his wife, businesswoman Candice Pool.

I can’t remember exactly what the wording was, but in the last episode of “Couples Therapy” Candice said a sentence so poignant it clarified the recent thoughts I’d been having about negative thought…

“Getting down and being negative is the easy option”

Now this quote above is most definitely paraphrased from Candice’s original statement but that was the sentiment.

And it got me thinking.

In an area so subjective as filmmaking and content creation, it’s so easy to get down and disheartened.

Not having the perfect equipment, enough time to get the shot or a brief that allows you to fulfil the creative vision you had for the project are just a few regular occurrences that can send you down a negative path.

And I’m sure in many aspects of your work, whatever that may be, there’s ample opportunity to negatively react to the situation in front of you.

But’s now thanks to Candice, I know that’s the easy option.

Sure it’s easy to get negative that today I’m not using the really expensive camera I want to be, but the harder option is to figure out how I’m going to do everything in my power to make the camera I am using, look the absolute best it can.

Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t mastered this mindset yet but my intuition says it’s going to be incredibly important in order to achieve success in the future.

Of all the negative thoughts, the one that resurfaces in my head most often is of that of being frustrated of not achieving the results intended. What’s more this thought so easily leads you down the road of thinking “well maybe I should just give up”.

Although fictional, the character of Dr. Kelso is the sitcom “Scrubs” shared pearls of wisdom from time to time. The one I most vividly remember was…

“Nothing worth having in life comes easy”

Watching this as a teenager growing up I’m not sure I really understood it then. But now it couldn’t understand it more clearly.

So remember negativity is easy and I wish you every success.

Jack

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PODCAST LINKS

*I know I reference Gary Vaynerchuk a lot. This guy’s going to be the most important person in the world, check him out now. Spend your time reading his content not mine, it will help you way more.