I woke up thinking about penguins, so there must be something more I need to say.  Here goes.

Some of us are naturally negative in our outlooks.  I believe we’re just wired that way.  I have told people, in years past, that I have a superpower – the ability to see why a project is going to fail.  It’s a gift, like a sixth sense.

Some of the very best technicians I know are like this – they can take in all the intricacies of a complicated, risky plan in a heartbeat and then tell you why you’re doomed.  It’s like something out of Blink.

That can be a helpful skill to have.  People start coming to you to let you “look over” things and to get your feedback.  When it comes to “adding value,” there’s nothing quite as spectacular as helping the team dodge a bullet.

But if all I ever did was go around telling people why things were going to fail, I wouldn’t be a very fun guy to be around.  Agreed?  I’d be like a bomb-sniffing dog who never turns it off to go play frisbee.

So, some of us are just that way – our mind is just always tuned into “what’s wrong” mode.  Your brain gets stuck in this loop:

1. That’s not true.
2. That’s not right.
3. I disagree.
4. This is a waste.

And you know what?  You might even be right about everything.  Seriously.  But you will never be able to access the creative, innovative part of your brain if your stuck in “what’s wrong” mode.

So, when you read my (silly) penguin problem, did you immediately go into “what’s wrong” mode?  If so, do you want to learn how to get out of it?  We’ll consider this problem in a future post.

Now, go play frisbee.

Don Appleby has served since 2004 as an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham where he teaches in the Information Engineering and Management Program.  He has over three decades of professional experience in the information technology industry.  Prof. Appleby is retired from IBM.Thanks to ProfAppleby.com for this article.