The Productive Pessimist

  Calm down. We haven't decided for a total 360 on our brand - we're still The Productive Pessimist, still a bit more "storms, spite, sarcasm" than "live, laugh, love"  - it's just that it seems like a good time to remind people that pessimism doesn't mean doom and gloom and moaning about everything - it's simply assuming that things may not go the way you'd like them to, and planning on that assumption, so that, if they don't, you can dust yourself off and carry on anyway.  After all, if they do  go they way you want...there's nothing stopping your onward progress, is there?! You hit a milestone - press on towards the goal! 2025 In a recent meeting, a retiring colleague from the property sector was asked what he imagined he'd see if he had a crystal ball for 2025; his response was "a steady recovery for the commercial sector."   The commercial sector doesn't just mean commercial property rentals, although that is my...

Hi - my name's Ash, and I'm the co-founder, Director, and lead consultant for The Productive Pessimist. (And, as you can probably tell from my 'Resting-What-Fresh-Hell-Is-This?-Face, the reason why the company is called The Productive Pessimist  in the first place!) Apologies for the face, by the way - I'm not that good-looking at the best of times, and I hate doing selfies! I also don't take very good selfies anyway, owing to significant visual impairment. (I'm registered blind, and losing what sight I have - left eye only, currently around 45% - a bit more rapidly than I'd like.) However, the terrible selfie that starts this blog post sets us up nicely for a segue into the main topic; How the heck do these rules work, anyway?! The 'rules' for succeeding at interviews, in work, when you launch a company, in the first three years of running a company, are basically the equivalent of riding a bike. Except the bike is missing three gears. And the chain...

Are you a pessimist wondering whether life coaching would actually support you?  A question many people ask us is: "Does life coaching work for people who are pessimistic?"   Many people will tell you it doesn't, that pessimists don't have the open-mindedness required to engage effectively with life coaching. At The Productive Pessimist, we firstly don't just  work with other pessimists - we actually like to work with people who have a different outlook to us, although, obviously, we have a natural connection with our fellow pessimists who are looking to become more productive. If you're wondering whether life coaching from The Productive Pessimist is for you, the following extract from our book "People Have a Problem With Your Attitude", which is available to order for just £4.99, or is sent free when you book a life coaching, business coaching, or business consultancy session with us (email us at theproductivepessimist@yahoo.com to order your copy,...