Sarah,

Thanks for your post highlighting the importance of staying focused on the future with positivity. That seems to be something God is highlighting to me in many different areas of my life as I go through a big season of transition. I am taking a sabbatical from full time ministry in order to pursue education full time. I have been in full time ministry for six years and so this is quite a big transition with it. Being in full time ministry has not been simply a job for me, but rather has been filled with friends and deep community as well. As I transition into this sabbatical I am excited for what is ahead, but there is also a sense of loss for what I am leaving behind. This particular line really resonated with me: “While we can reflect on and appreciate our past, it is most beneficial to focus on the future with joy and excitement” (Jasmins, 2018).

I know that looking to the future with a positive attitude is something I have to intentionally remember. I also think this is key to leadership. I think the only way to inspire followers towards a shared vision (Smith, Montagno, Kuzmenko, 2004) is to “visualize positive outcomes in the future and communicate them to others” (Northouse, 2016, p. 174). Positivity, as defined by containing four components, “hope, resiliency, optimism and efficacy” (Norman, Avolio & Luthans, 2010, p. 351) has been found to positively impact trust and perceived effectiveness of leaders (Norman, Avolio & Luthans, 2010, p. 351), thus highlighting how important having a positive outlook is.

References

Jasmins, S. (2018, November 25). Light from many lamps [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://create.twu.ca/sjasmins/2018/11/25/light-from-many-lamps-4/

Norman, S. M., Avolio, B. J., & Luthans, F. (2010). The impact of positivity and transparency on trust in leaders and their perceived effectiveness. Leadership Quarterly, 21(3), 350–364. https://ezproxy.student.twu.ca:2420/10.1016/j.leaqua.2010.03.002

Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice, Seventh Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Smith, B. N., Montagno, R. V., & Kuzmenko, T. N. (2004). Transformational and Servant Leadership: Content and Contextual Comparisons. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 10(4), 80–91. https://doi.org/10.1177/107179190401000406