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Half Full or Half Empty

Sometimes in our professional lives something hits us out of the blue. An idea or comment from someone that we did not expect but somehow rings a bell with us. That happened to me this year and I thought I would pass it along.

During the Chamber’s Annual Meeting held this past January I have the proud task of addressing our members at our largest event. My comments included several subjects and touched on our local economy. After my remarks, one of our long time members pulled me aside and offered great advice. During my comments I had described the recent recession by saying something like “businesses continue to struggle during these tough economic times,” or something to that effect. This business leader suggested that Chamber leaders need to stop repeating a “doom and gloom” message. His point was that the only way we will fully recover is to be more positive about the local economy. Is the glass half empty or Half Full?

That message has stuck with me and I have tried hard in the past few months to be more upbeat with Chamber members, volunteers and business owners about what I see in the future. If we believe that the glass is half empty, that is the message that will be sent. However, those who see the glass half FULL, send a positive message of hope, optimism and courage. Since that event in January I have thanked that business leader for his advice.

I attended a recent statewide conference of Chambers from across the Commonwealth and discovered this theme is everywhere. It was a bit surprising when I found many of my colleagues (Chamber CEO’s) doing the same thing; preaching the “doom and gloom/sky is falling message.” Some Chambers have even dropped their membership rates to encourage more businesses to join and to stay members. Enough already! The Chamber of Commerce should be a place where business owners can get an uplifting, positive, optimistic message; even in the face of adversity.

So I challenge our members, business owners, elected officials and citizens. Let’s send the message that the glass is indeed half full. The Northern Shenandoah Valley is a great place to live and to work. We are seeing positive indicators in our local economy and that the “ship is beginning to turn” in a positive direction. Our business community has weathered many storms over many decades and we have always survived, better than we were before. This time will be no different. For me, the glass is half full.