You may have noticed (or not, that’s okay too) that I’m not writing much up here at the moment. Rest assured I’m not on hiatus or anything so organised as that. I’m not ‘too busy to write’, though, either. I’m not especially busy, and writing is how I make my living, after all. I’ve just found myself in the position of not really wanting to talk about politics much. Apart from anything else, it’s too easy to get angry about it.

Instead. I’m declaring 2009, for me at least, to be the year of positivity1.

Reading the rather excellent book Yes Man, by Danny Wallace, (Now A Major Motion Picture – although the book benefits greatly from being a true story, where the film is based on Danny Wallace’s experience while still being almost entirely fictional) over Christmas has also had a rather large effect on my outlook. Despite the humour in saying ‘yes’ to absolutely everything, the book does demonstrate the value of positivity and the thrill of spontaneity. It’s made me notice the times when I have an idea and lose it, for the sake of not having written it down. Helped me notice the missed opportunities from my past which I can try and grab with both hands in the future.

I was pleased to discover last week, amid my [cref 1880 post-Christmas catch-up reading], that I’m not alone in realising that Positivity is a state of mind, and indeed that being positive will lead to more positive things happening in your future. Not to be excessively twee, if you start your day with a smile, barring any tragic occurances, you’ll end it with a smile.

As well as being positive and not talking about politics so much (the two go hand in hand, of course) I’m planning on writing about more about topics other than just pure politics. I’ve got some ideas for articles more related to my real fields of expertise: web design and programming. What I’ll try and do is talk about some stuff that anyone can take away and use on their own blogs and websites – like, for instance, my clever ‘Contact Me’ form, how it works and what has gone into it. I think I have something to bring to the party there. I won’t say much more, because in my experience the likelihood of an idea coming to fruition is inversely proportional to the number of people you tell about it. Squared.

What’s more, I’m finally moving down the road of convincing my wife that really she wants to be a web designer. It’s a struggle, but I think I’ve got her to start being enthusiastic about some ideas we’ve been having. Look for more on this front as well.

I think what I’m really trying to do is capture some of the creative impulses that I sometimes have. I’m always envious of really creative people who can make ideas that are new and fresh and turn them into interesting and entertaining projects. I’m wondering if I can force my naturally less creative (and less organised) mind into doing some things that I can be proud of in the future. We’ll see.

So, that’s what’s new for 2009 on Sharpe’s Opinion. I’m hoping it’ll be a great year.

  1. Which also allows me to roll out one of my favourite physics-based jokes: One hydrogen atom turns toward another and says “Oh no! I think I’ve just lost an electron!” The other says “are you sure?” to which first answers “Yes! I’m Positive!” [↩]