Several folks, knowing of my interest in history, have suggested that I watch the Tom Hanks shows about World War II on the History Channel. I suspect that I will after porch-sitting season, when I read and listen to music outside. My father fought in World War II as a military policeman and was in both the First and Third (Patton’s) Army, so this is a real part of history for me.

One of our favorite movies is Kelly’s Heroes, set in World War II with an all-star cast including Clint Eastwood. Donald Sutherland (most recently a star in the Hunger Games Movies) stars as Oddball, a hippie & new-age-like character sort of dropped into a World War II movie. His tank mate is Moriarty, played by Gavin MacLeod (of Love Boat fame), who always sees the negative in things. During the movie, Oddball is often chastising Moriarty about his “negative waves”.

My wife and I will occasionally remind one another when things get frustrating, challenging, or tough by saying  “No Negative Waves, Moriarty.” All of us can get into negative attitudes sometimes. You see, negativity can be a very powerful current. It grabs us and pushes us further into more negativity, like a kayaker carried in ever-growing rapids on a river. The attitude of negativity can cause us to look for faults and issues and make mountains out of molehills. These feelings can be normal. The question we should ask at these times is: are we going to let situations control us, or do we take control of the situation? Another aspect of negativity is not only how it impacts us but those around us. Negativity grows and feeds on itself.

While others can challenge our attitudes (like Oddball), in the end it is up to us (Morarity) to realize that we are the ones who feed the negativity monster and need to change our attitude. A wonderful thing is that we create a positive attitude at PVB where folks can (and should) question things, make recommendations, and be heard. We reinforce this positive atmosphere by realizing the uniqueness of a community bank that is progressive and caring.

Nothing cures the darkness like the light. You are the light.

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“Letters From Leton” is a blog series comprised of the weekly updates that Leton Harding – President, Chairman, and CEO of Powell Valley National Bank, shares with the Bank’s team members. These newsletters are full of uplifting anecdotes and intriguing insights that are applicable beyond the Bank, so we want to share them with you.