Dear Reader,
Thank you for being here. I want to take this opportunity to introduce myself, explain the why behind this blog, and give you a preview of what you can expect to see from me in the future.
Who am I?
I’m a 30-year-old woman working in the big tech industry – and I struggle with seeing things as they are. By default, I reach for a pessimistic lens that casts everything in a negative light. I have many theories as to why this is – perfectionism that gives way to fear of failure, in true millennial fashion – and maybe we’ll explore that together in future posts. But the fact remains: I have well-established thinking patterns that bring out the Negative Nancy in me. Thankfully, the first step in resolving a problem is awareness, which brings me to the why.
The why.
It’s no fun being a Negative Nancy. Oftentimes, a negative mindset guarantees an unfavorable outcome. For example, have you ever refrained from applying for a job or promotion, or negotiating your salary, because you feared you wouldn’t get it? I’ve been there. And I’m tired of taking myself out of the equation before I’ve even had a chance to truly try.
My goal for this blog is to:
a) share my experiences – especially the embarrassing ones – when I let my inner Negative Nancy sit in the driver’s seat, and
b) reflect on them with self-compassion, drawing lessons and strategies for the future.
What you can expect from me:
- Transparency – I won’t spare any of the embarrassing details. I also won’t embellish facts just to make a more interesting story.
- Integrity – I’ll mostly deal in opinions, but if I make a claim, I’ll back it up with sources.
- Honesty – I won’t write something I don’t believe myself. Not everything can be reframed – you won’t get any fake positivity from me.
Most of all, if you struggle with pessimism like I do, I hope you feel that you are not alone – and that we can examine our experiences in a spirit of solidarity and light-heartedness.
– Recovering Negative Nancy
I hope this is a short blog (for the sake of your recovery) haha. I cringe easy, so I hope your stories aren’t so embarrassing.
Joy is found, not manufactured! Joy gives you confidence and peace – the cure to pessimism.
Thanks for reading! I’m not planning for this blog to be short-lived – it’s a long-term project for me. Not every post will be about embarrassing stories, though I do have a few worth sharing.
I don’t quite see joy the same way, but I’m glad you’ve found what works for you.