Speaking Bipolar's Positivity Club

Speaking Bipolar's Positivity Club

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Speaking Bipolar's Positivity Club
Speaking Bipolar's Positivity Club
How Optimism Makes You Powerful for Fighting Mental Illness

How Optimism Makes You Powerful for Fighting Mental Illness

When my business came to a sudden end, I looked for open doors.

Sep 04, 2023
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Speaking Bipolar's Positivity Club
Speaking Bipolar's Positivity Club
How Optimism Makes You Powerful for Fighting Mental Illness
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A man on the phone hearing bad news. | Graphic made by author with Canva.

Hi there!

“We’re shutting down the project,” Scotty, the director of collector operations, told me. I almost dropped my white cordless phone as I pictured him in his dark, wood-paneled office, the top of his head sweating through his greased-down comb-over.

“I’m sorry, what?” I asked.

It was 1994. I owned a small credit research business where I collected information from local courthouses and sent the data to companies that sold the information to credit bureaus.

Scotty represented the only company I had left as two others had already closed their doors. Scotty’s company had been around for decades and all of us who worked with them expected it to continue for many more years.

“We’re shutting it down,” Scotty said again. “This internet thing is making us obsolete.”

“How soon?” I asked him, trying to figure out how I was going to explain this massive blow to my four employees.

“Today,” he said, then paused for a moment so I could absorb the full impact. “I’m sorry,” he continued, “but I have to call a lot more collectors.”

With a click, Scotty and my business were gone.


“If you believe it will work out, you’ll see opportunities. If you believe it won’t, you will see obstacles.”

- Wayne Dyer


Scott Ninneman publishes two newsletters each week. The Sunday All Things Bipolar Newsletter (off Substack) features the newest content about bipolar life. The Speaking Bipolar Positivity Club Newsletter shares inspirational stories three times a week to help you maintain a positive mindset.


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