{"id":15675,"date":"2018-07-03T10:00:32","date_gmt":"2018-07-03T08:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hatrabbits.com\/?p=15675"},"modified":"2018-07-04T14:24:20","modified_gmt":"2018-07-04T12:24:20","slug":"positive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hatrabbits.com\/en\/positive\/","title":{"rendered":"Focus on the positive"},"content":{"rendered":"

When trying to solve a problem, we tend to focus on the negative. But sometimes focussing on the positive is much more productive.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s obviously important to understand the problem<\/em> you\u2019re trying to solve. What are stakeholders struggling with? What\u2019s going wrong? And what\u2019s causing<\/a><\/span> it?<\/p>\n

Only by thoroughly understanding the problem, you can make sure you ask the right questions<\/u><\/a> and prevent battling symptoms. Once you know what\u2019s wrong, you know what to do to solve it.<\/p>\n

Analysing<\/u><\/a> the problem is important, but it\u2019s often not enough. No matter how large the challenge, there often are many things that are already going great. It\u2019s incredibly useful to study these positive examples. Highlighting promising examples brings energy to the process. More importantly, you can use what\u2019s right to fix what\u2019s wrong. Sometimes even without fully understanding what\u2019s causing your trouble.<\/p>\n

There are several different (yet very similar) methods to help you focus on the positive. I\u2019ll mention three: Positive Deviance, Solutions Focused Thinking and Appreciative Inquiry.<\/p>\n

Positive Deviance<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Often, parts of the solution already exist in the current situation. By looking for positive exceptions<\/em><\/a><\/span> you can use what\u2019s already there to change your situation for the better.
\nJust ask yourself: When and where is your problem not<\/em> occurring? And why is that?<\/p>\n

Solutions Focused Thinking<\/strong><\/h4>\n

When trying to solve a problem, it\u2019s logical to focus on what\u2019s wrong. But focussing on the problem is not the only way. You can also focus on the solution<\/em><\/a>. When applying Solutions Focused Thinking, you focus on solutions (instead of problems), on strengths (rather than weaknesses) and on what\u2019s going well (instead of what\u2019s going wrong).<\/p>\n

Appreciative Inquiry<\/strong><\/h4>\n

We tend to investigate what\u2019s going wrong. But often there are also many things that go really well. Focus on these bright spots instead. What do you want to see more of? What do you appreciate? Draw attention to what goes well<\/em>, rather than to what goes wrong.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Obviously, these methods are all very similar. The main idea is: focus on the positive instead of the negative<\/strong>. It will bring positive energy to the process and often leads to surprising insights and clever solutions.<\/p>\n

Next time you\u2019re struggling with a problem, ask yourself: can I focus on the positive instead?<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When trying to solve a problem, we tend to focus on the negative. But sometimes focussing on the positive is much more productive.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15666,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"mc4wp_mailchimp_campaign":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[236,315],"tags":[1249,1248,908,1251,1250],"class_list":["post-15675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-focus","category-problem-solving","tag-appreciative-inquiry","tag-positive","tag-positive-deviance","tag-positive-focus","tag-solutions-focused-thinking"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFocus on the positive - HatRabbits<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When trying to solve a problem, we tend to focus on the negative. 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