The Positive Achiever Approach

There are many ways to live life. Some people follow the path taken by positive achievers. They have a positive attitude, set positive goals and do their best to achieve positive results.  

Different people follow this approach in different ways. Let’s explore how some people take this path.

They Have A
Positive Attitude

Such people have a positive attitude. They often have a sense of gratitude and want to do their best in life. They aim to build on what the can control and translate this attitude into action.

Deborah James, who wrote a blog called Bowelbabe, was somebody who took this approach. Here is an excerpt from a piece that Rachel Aroesti wrote in the Guardian about a TV programme that showed Debbie’s approach.

James did all this with equal parts glamour and candour – no easy task when you have “the poo cancer,” as she christened it on the podcast.

“There’s nothing pink about my cancer,” she continued wryly. “It’s just brown.”

Though clearly distraught, she signs off with her final broadcast with here humour undimmed. “Come on, I can’t leave on any other word apart from: check your poo.”

They Set Positive Goals

Bengt Elmén is somebody who has taken this approach. Building on his experience of cerebral palsy, he got into the habit of setting positive goals early in life.

He began by aiming to do some of the basic things. He later went on to write books and also build a pioneering organisation that helped people who faced difficult challenges in life.

Bengt has written books on the theme of taking responsibility and doing your best. Here is what he wrote in an article called Decide Your Destiny.

My first book in Swedish called Your Responsibility and Mine provoked quite a response. Why? Because I was urging people to do what they could do, rather than complain about what they couldn’t do.

My own experiences with difficulty began early on – as early as birth, in fact. I had a rough delivery, during which I suffered lack of oxygen that resulted in a type of brain damage known as CP, or Cerebral Palsy.

As far as I’m concerned, though, CP actually stands for:

Cool and Powerful.

The brain damage diminished my ability to walk, talk and use my hands. Early on I had to learn to think of creative solutions to daily situations. I could sit for days, for example, using my mouth and nose to piece together a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle.

This taught me that it’s always worth the effort to face your difficulties rather than trying to run away from them. Such lessons have been invaluable to me as an adult.

People who invite me to speak begin to see things in perspective. I use humour to show how I coped with my ‘tragic fate’, explaining that it is possible to see hardships from two perspectives: positive or negative.

People often leave the session finding it harder to complain about trivialities, such as the food being too cold when they go home at night. The sessions show it is possible to overcome great difficulties, rather than drown in depression.

This is a message of hope and joy. People are forced to re-examine challenging situations and take responsibility for what they can do in life. 

Deborah and Bengt have embodied the qualities demonstrated by many positive achievers. Such people also often focus on the following theme.

They Do Their Best To
Achieve Positive Results

Chris Hoy, the Olympic cyclist, has taken this approach in his life and sport. The following section looks at how he has done this – first in his sport and then after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.

He began by setting big goals – such as aiming to achieve an Olympic Goal. Breaking this down into smaller targets, he focused on the step-by-step process of working to achieve this aim. This included visualising and riding the perfect race.

Chris gave an interview to Michael Johnson, who himself won four Olympic gold medals, for the video series Chasing Perfection.

In it he explained what he learned from working with Steve Peters, the psychiatrist who helps people to perform at their best. Here is a precis of what Chris said.

I sought Steve’s help because I wanted to improve. One trigger was what happened at the World Championships in 2003. Then I changed my strategy based on watching a rival’s race and them doing an incredibly fast time.

Instead of thinking that he was quick because of the track conditions – and therefore maybe we would all be quick – I changed the gears on my bike. I also attacked too hard at the start. This led to me dying off at the end and giving a really poor performance.

This would be particularly relevant in front of Olympic crowds where there might also be many distractions. For me it would be about focusing on my performance. Anything that was irrelevant and out of my control, forget it.

The key would be hone in on the process that I knew worked rather than worry about the outcome. If you perform at your best and focus on the process, the result will take care of itself.

He describes how Steve prepared him to deal with potential challenges. Before one competition, for example, Steve asked him what he would do if one of his rivals went just before him and set a new world record.

Chris said that he did not want to think about such an issue. Steve explained that it was important to clarify how to respond to such challenges rather than ignore them.

Otherwise it is like somebody saying: “Don’t think of a pink elephant.” You immediately think of a pink elephant.

Steve urged him to practice how to take positive steps to deal with such potential issues. Chris explained this in the following way.

Steve said that, from now on whenever you get a negative thought between now and the Games – there are only two weeks to go – I want you to visualise your race.

It is only a minute long. Do it in real time, from the moment you are at the start gate. The countdown, the deep breaths, the snap out of the gate, the first half lap. Visualise the whole race.

I got to the race on the night itself and it seemed like Steve had some sort of crystal ball. I was to ride last. With four riders to go, including myself, the guy broke the world record.

Three riders to go another guy broke the world record. The guy before me broke the world record again. Instead of panicking and changing my strategy, I was so focused on myself and getting my ride out.

He went on to ride his perfect race. He focused on the process, performed at his personal best and won the prize. This was a process he followed when winning further Olympic medals.

Chris followed similar principles after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. Here is a summary of what he said when releasing a video about his approach.

You may have heard by now that I’m ready to share that my cancer is stage four. I will be living with it for the rest of my life. Now it’s not the news anyone imagines hearing and it obviously came as a huge shock.

We have taken time to process it as a family and I now have a deep resolve to turn this incredibly difficult diagnosis into something more positive, that can help not just me, but anyone anywhere living with stage four.

I’ve made the decision to write about it all in a book. You might wonder why I take on writing a book during such a challenging time.

It’s been cathartic and it’s a very important part of how I’ve been able to process this news with my family and for myself over the past few months. I wanted to share this in the hope that it might help others in challenging situations too. 

I hope it can provide not only an insight into how a family deals with a diagnosis like mine, but also remind us that all we have is now. Not the past, not the future, but where we are in this moment. 

It’s about hope, how I lost it after the diagnosis and how I found it again.

Positive achievers are often positive realists. They have a positive attitude but are good at reading reality. Bearing in mind what they can control, they set positive goals and then do their best to achieve positive results.

Let’s return to your own life and work. Can you think of specific activity where you may want to follow elements of the positive achiever approach? How can you do this in your own way?

If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.