What do you do all day long?

Recently, a colleague asked me a very simple question.  He said, "So, What do you do all day long?"  At first, I thought "How Rude." I work in a manufacturing plant and this colleague use to as well.  How could he not know what I do all day long.

Then after what felt like justifying my existence, I started to think.  What is a typical day for me.  What do I do?  In a futile exercise, I jotted down "the list."  Then I looked and said, this isn't what I want to do all day long.  My day revolves around firefighting.  For anyone who has ever worked in manufacturing, you know what I mean. 

How do successful HR folks NOT concentrate on the firefighting.  How do we find the time to make a difference?  We intentionally take time out of our day to find the good in situations.  We brainstorm about solutions to reduce the fires.  We focus on the positives not the negatives. 

So - how do you find time to make that difference?  Have you been struggling lately?  I have.  As Simon T Bailey reminds us, we need to reach out to our personal board of directors for a lift.  A gentle reminder that we are marvelous. 

As my conversation with my colleague closed, he reminded me of a Nora Ephron quote, "Be a Heroine, not a Victim."  Thanks, Jim for the gentle reminder.

Let's share today.  Tell me, how are you able to focus on the positives in the midst of the negatives?  You just might make a difference in the life of someone you have never met.