Some years back I worked in Sales Management in the Construction Industry as part of a National Sales Team. Some of the sales people were very successful, some just made steady progress, and others struggled. Now there was one Area Sales Manager, I'll call him Bob (although that's not his real name), who was one of the steady ones. He ran a well-established territory with a good, solid customer base and his sales figures were usually about on target. He was never going to pull up any trees but he was doing OK.

But he could have done so much more. He was intelligent, he got on well with people and his product knowledge was second to none. But he fell into the trap of negativity. You see whenever he had to talk about the business in his territory, whether face-to-face or in a sales meeting he became known for one thing. He probably didn't realize he was doing it, but every time he spoke on the topic, he began with the phrase, "the problem with my area is..."

Immediately he had put himself into negative mode and he had those who were listening to him on a downer too. In fact do you think that after hearing that introduction anyone was really going to listen? Not likely! There was so much positive to say but he chose to focus on what he perceived to be a problem.

Do you know anyone like Bob?

The chances are that you do. And there's also a danger that you could be projecting that image yourself. You see Bob probably didn't know that he used that phrase so much, he certainly wasn't aware that it was known as his catchphrase amongst his colleagues, and he didn't realize the negative image he projected of himself. But also importantly he probably wasn't aware that each time he said "the problem with my area is..." that he was conditioning his mind to be negative.

So how can you avoid falling into that trap? Well the simple answer is to ensure that you are always positive. Now it may not always be easy, we all have problems and challenges in our lives, but taking positive steps each day will always be the way forward.

Here are a few pointers to the sort of actions you can take:

- Smile! As silly as it sounds, simply smiling at yourself in the mirror at the start of each day really can be a boost. Smile at the people you meet, and even try smiling when you are on the phone - just try it and you'll see how much more positive you feel even on the most difficult of phone calls.

- Challenge yourself. Each day set yourself something you must achieve. It needn't be a massive task or project. It could simply be something like clearing out the spare room or writing that thank you note to your aunt for the birthday present she sent you. You decide, but each day have a challenge and see how satisfied you feel when it's done.

- Do something new each day. It's easy to get stuck in the same old routine, so each day do something new. Once again it can be a simple thing, like reading a magazine article about a topic you wouldn't normally be interested in or even taking lunch in a new restaurant or coffee shop. Having new experiences will help to open up your mind to lots of new opportunities.

- Give. Find some way to give something to someone. It doesn't have to be a material item; simply giving help in some way will boost your positive energy.

- Be grateful. Saying thank you and meaning it for anything you receive or for something someone does for you will make you feel good about yourself. Think about what you have in life too - good health, great friends and a loving family, and all the skills you have, and be truly grateful for them. Think positive and you will feel positive.

Make sure that you develop these actions into habits. Creating good habits is a surefire way to ensure that you take positive steps in life and avoid those negative thoughts.

Oh! and back to Bob. Well sadly the time came when the company had to make cuts because of a slowdown in business. Some people lost their jobs and guess who was one of the first to go?

That's right, good old Bob. So don't let negativity dictate to you. Just be positive!