One of life's great annoyances is the tendency of folks to ask you to perform an impossible task, list the issues they foresee and the problems that have plagued previous attempts -- and then admonish you to "think positive."

Wow! Does that mean you are so good that you can achieve what no one else has? Or are you being set up to fail?

Because I am an eternal optimist, I prefer to believe the first premise. Positive thinking is more than just a tagline. It changes the way we behave. And I firmly believe that when I am positive, it not only makes me better, but it also makes those around me better. I think that good attitudes are contagious. I want to start an epidemic!

A friend who also prefers to look for the silver lining suggested I Google "The Positive Pledge" by author and inspirational speaker Jon Gordon. Several promises stand out among the 15 in the pledge, including:

-- I pledge to be a positive person and positive influence on my family, friends, co-workers and community.

-- I vow to stay positive in the face of negativity.

-- When I want to be bitter, I will choose to get better.

-- When I meet failure, I will fail forward, toward future success.

-- I believe my best days are ahead of me, not behind me.

The full pledge is a terrific framework for a positive attitude because we know that positive thinking isn't always easy. Negative thoughts can creep into our minds -- and jump out our mouths -- when we least expect them. The trick isn't to fight them, but to manage them so they don't paralyze us.

Identify the triggers. When you have a negative thought ("This will never work ... I can't do this"), stop and ask yourself what's bringing it on. You may be tired or stressed out, or you may be affected by someone else's perspective. If you can locate the cause, the thought itself won't have as much power over you.

Focus on the now. Worrying about the past or the future isn't productive. When you start chastising yourself for past mistakes, or seeing disaster around every corner, stop and take a breath and ask yourself what you can do right now to succeed. Find something to distract you from destructive thoughts and reset your attitude.

Replace the negative. If you find yourself plagued by a recurrent worry, train yourself to think of something else. Memorize a short poem, phrase or meditation, and when you catch yourself in a negative thought, replace the negative with the positive. Your conscious mind can concentrate on only one thought at a time, and driving the negativity away will free you up to move forward again.

Years ago, I came across an essay that really solidified my commitment to positive thinking. It has been credited to several people, most often Robert J. Burdette or the ubiquitous "unknown." Regardless of who authored it, here is the message for you to contemplate:

"There are two days in every week about which we should not worry, two days which should be kept from fear and apprehension.

"One of these days is Yesterday with its mistakes and cares, its faults and blunders, its aches and pains. Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control. All the money in the world cannot bring back Yesterday. We cannot erase a single word we said. Yesterday is gone.

"The other day we should not worry about is Tomorrow with its possible adversities, its burdens, its large promise and poor performance. Tomorrow is also beyond our immediate control. Tomorrow's sun will rise. Until it does, we have no stake in Tomorrow, for it is yet unborn.

"This leaves only one day -- Today. Anyone can fight the battles of just one day. It is only when you and I add the burdens of those two awful eternities -- Yesterday and Tomorrow -- that we break down.

"It is not the experience of Today that drives men mad. It is remorse or bitterness for something that happened Yesterday and the dread of what will happen Tomorrow."

That's a difficult formula to improve upon, and perhaps even more challenging to practice. But I promise you, I'm positive you will be better off for trying!

Mackay's Moral: A positive attitude lightens your load and expands your reach.

I have felt all my life that good judgment is a critically important skill for any person to have, but especially so for those in leadership positions. Good judgment is such an important attribute that it is often listed first by employers as required qualities of job applicants.

We can easily name examples of bad judgment: drug use, lax financial management, questionable choice of friends and so on. And bad judgment usually leads to bad outcomes.

In business, the success or failure of the organization hinges on judgments made at all levels. Poor judgment has led to some epic failures over the years. For instance, how about these memorable judgment calls:

"Everything that can be invented has been invented," said Charles H. Duell, commissioner of the U.S. Patent Office, in 1899.

"Stocks have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau," said Irving Fisher, professor of economics at Yale University, in 1929.

"I'm just glad it'll be Clark Gable who's falling on his face and not Gary Cooper," said Cooper on his decision not to take the leading role in "Gone With the Wind."

"We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out," said an executive at Decca Recording Co. in rejecting The Beatles in 1962.

So what is good judgment?

That's a tough question. Good judgment is the ability to make the best decision possible based on the information you have, without being swayed by others or by predetermined ideas.

A newsletter from PineCone Research offers a roadmap for improving decision-making skills:

What kind of a decision-maker are you? If you don't know, you should take a few minutes to contemplate the question because once you become aware of how you make (or don't make) decisions, you will be more apt to make wiser choices in the future.

Most people have their own way of handling decision-making. Here are a few of the more common approaches:

-- Snap decision-makers. Often people rely on gut instincts when they make quick decisions. While this can work well for some people, it's not always the best way for others. This is because some snap decision-makers make choices based on fear or discomfort with the decision-making process. They just want to get the whole thing over with, so they choose quickly without weighing options and without relying on trusted instincts. Attention should be focused on whether you are making your decisions quickly for good or bad reasons.

-- Serious option-weigher. While people who make decisions this way are often admired for the careful attention they give to the process, beware of those who practice serious option-weighing to a debilitating extreme. These decision-makers put so much time into weighing every detail of every option that they often get lost along the way, and find it difficult to ever come up with a decision they are happy with. Serious consideration is a good thing in most cases, but be careful not to waste time and energy on unnecessary details.

-- The flip-flopper. This might seem like the person has weighed each option and made a firm decision, but often, after a few minutes, days or even weeks, the person shifts his or her thinking entirely on the matter. These decision-makers usually have a problem with committing themselves to the possible outcomes of their decisions, so fear drives them to make changes in quick succession.

In a piece called "Decision Making for Giants and Elves" on the Practical Success Solutions website, Malcolm Harvey recommends a four-step process in order to avoid making poorly thought out or ego-based decisions. Here they are:

1. Make a decision. You have to face that in decision-making there are consequences -- and then make the decision to face those consequences.

2. Make your own decisions. Don't go to others to make your decisions for you. Take responsibility for what you decide.

3. Work toward fruition. Once you've made your decision, then work tirelessly toward the end you would like to see. Focus on detail and practice patience.

4. Stick with it. Don't let your doubts torment you. You've made your decision; you've taken action and responsibility. You will likely make mistakes along the way. When you do, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and reassess the situation.

Mackay's Moral: Mark Twain said, "Good judgment comes from experience and experience comes from bad judgment."

An elderly man was harassed every afternoon by a group of kids on their way home from school. They'd ring his doorbell and run, or taunt him while he was working in his garden, or throw things at his house. He shouted at them, and thought about calling the police or talking to their parents, but then he had a better idea.

On a Monday afternoon, when the kids ran by at the usual time, he called them together. "I'm an old man, and I don't get much company," he told them. "I want to show you my appreciation for paying some attention to me, so each time you kids come by, I'll give each of you a dollar." That sounded good to the kids, and they each collected a dollar bill from the man. Happy, they ran off and left him alone.

On Wednesday, the man told them, "I'm a little short today, so instead of a dollar, I can only give you a quarter." That was still better than nothing, so the children took their quarters and ran home.

The following Monday the man came out of his house and told the kids, "I'm afraid I don't have much money left, so all I can give each of you for visiting me is a penny."

"Forget it!" the kids shouted, and they left. And they never came back to bother the old man again.

How's that for creativity in solving a problem?

Creativity and imagination are vital for business and personal success. January is International Creativity Month, so capitalize on your creative powers by devoting the month to exploring new ideas and strategies to make you more creative.

New evidence suggests that you can boost your imagination by just getting outside and spending some time in nature. Researchers from the University of Kansas gave a standard creativity test -- called the Remote Associates Test -- to four groups of backpackers as they were about to set off on a series of lengthy hikes. They also administered the test to a second group of hikers who were already four days into their nature excursion. This second group scored almost 50 percent higher in creativity than their counterparts.

Ruth Ann Atchley, department chair and associate professor of cognitive/clinical psychology at the University of Kansas, describes the findings this way: "Nature is a place where our mind can rest, relax and let down those threat responses. Therefore, we have resources left over -- to be creative, to be imaginative, to problem-solve -- that allow us to be better, happier people who engage in a more productive way with others."

Similarly, some of us feel more creative wearing our favorite green T-shirt or checkered cap. Research suggests that the colors around us actually influence how well we do certain tasks.

For whatever reason, some days ideas pop into your head without any effort at all. Other days you probably feel like you're digging for them at the bottom of a very deep ditch. Try these tips for generating fresh concepts:

-- Gather information. Research whatever you're trying to develop ideas for. Don't think about solutions initially; just immerse yourself in the subject. You may uncover a single fact that can spark a dozen ideas.

-- Mix everything together. Take a bird's-eye view of what you've collected. Look for underlying assumptions, common concepts and roads not taken. Make notes of anything that stands out.

-- Let it simmer. Concentrate on something else for a while. Listen to music, take a walk, sleep on it -- and let your subconscious sort through what you've learned.

-- Brainstorm. Invest some time in generating more ideas from the information you've processed. Your third or fourth attempt may prove more useful than your first and most obvious solution.

-- Share your idea. Run it past someone you trust for feedback. An outside perspective can help you shape and mold your idea into something you can put into action.

-- Accept mistakes. Give yourself permission to try things even if you're not sure they'll succeed. Often you'll stumble across a different strategy or a better path along the way.

-- Copy other ideas. Don't directly steal anyone else's work, but look at what's been done with an eye toward doing it differently. Even the most familiar landscape can come to life in interesting ways depending on the colors you use to paint it, or the point of view from which you show it.

Mackay's Moral: Creativity, not necessity, is the true mother of invention.