Anupama Nair
When it comes to your workplace, your mental attitude plays a role not only just in how others observe you, but also your job satisfaction and performance. It is important considering that many of us spend around forty hours a week working, you can see the value of fostering a positive mindset in your job.
These are some tips to always maintain a positive attitude that work:
Surround yourself with positive people:
If you analyze, the old idiom “birds of a feather flock together” it can be considered in two ways. People who are similar in nature and beliefs, automatically find each other, or people who are in a group acquire the same nature over a period of time. If you’re always with negative people who are a ‘complaint box’, you’ll become one too, and see the world as negatively as they do. It is not possible at all, if you think you can stay positive and change them, but that’s not going to be the case. Always try to connect with people who have a positive attitude in life and love their job, have new ideas, and are interested in lots of alternate things besides work. It’ll make your whole outlook on life better.
It is true, you can’t always pick your co-workers, but you can be cautious about who you became friends with, how much time you spend with them, and in what setting. If you’re stuck with a negative bunch of people, be careful not to imbibe negativity. Take breaks and go for a walk rather than immerse yourself in negative breakroom drama and gossip.
Mind your language:
No, this isn’t about the ‘language police’, or people trying to swear less, it is about being conscious of the words you use while speaking and thinking. The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis suggested that the structure of language affects a person’s view of the world, and the way they think. Taken to the furthest extent, your language actually limits how you are able to perceive the world. However, it’s a hypothesis.
But on a smaller level, the language you use every day, both in thought and spoken word, has a cumulative effect on how you think about yourself, your work, and the co-workers around you. This may seem like a silly example, but it might be the difference between seeing your day as filled with tasks, or filled with opportunities. The former is tiring and arduous, making you feel trapped in a daily grind. The latter is exciting with potential. Be aware of how you choose to think and speak at work. Find a positive way to view everything and everyone.
Create a routine for the day:
It’s easier to think that if you have a strict routine at work, you’re stuck in a rut or you’re not ‘flexible’ enough. The truth is, though, routines give you good fallback structure, a morning routine is especially good, since for many people, the morning is the time we’re most alert and awake, yet sometimes not able to buckle down and get started as you might be feeling lazy. Always try to create a routine that helps you get the most important work done, take breaks at the right time, and leaves the last hour or so of the work day for less difficult work and preparation for the next day. Most of us get tired by the end of the day, so never leave the toughest work for then. It’s important to end each day by getting prepared for the next day
Be nice to other people:
It is said, being kind to other people makes you very happy. A research done by the Journal of Social Psychology found that doing something kind for people has the same effect as trying new and exciting things when happiness is the goal. There is something even better! A study conducted by the Journal of Happiness Studies discovered that the memory of doing something kind for someone inspires us to want to do it again. If you make being nice to other people a regular thing, it’ll become a cycle of generosity and happiness that makes you feel good and causes those around you to feel happy as well. Think of the worst negative work environment possible. Negativity feeds on more negativity until it seems overwhelming. Be nice to other people and watch them forward the attitude to their peers. If your work is difficult and you can’t get away from that, and finding a positive attitude about the work itself is a challenge, be kind to the people around you and let that be an effective substitute .Appreciating and recognizing coworkers can go a long way in making your day better.
Don’t rely on an outside source of positivity:
Always carry a positive attitude with you. Think of a positive attitude like a survival kit and carry it with you at all times for emergencies. Always rely on a phrase that you repeat over and over when times are stressful or do you have some other trick to help resurrect and keep a positive attitude, be sure to come up with a mechanism that doesn’t rely on someone else or a specific situation.
Assume responsibility, and choose your response:
If you refuse to take responsibility for your actions and your situation, or not taking control of how you respond, is enough to destroy your positive attitude immediately.
If something wrong happens and you’re at fault or responsible, refusing to acknowledge you are responsible means that you can’t correct the behavior and it will happen again and again, and you also set yourself up for a ‘victim’ hood in which things happen to you.
You should be more positive seeing life as something you have some control over rather than at the mercy of fate. Think of it as an equation — E + R = O (event + response = outcome). How you respond has an effect on the outcome, even when events are out of your control.
Decide your reaction to known problems ahead of time:
Whether it is clients or co-workers or regular projects, there are some things at work that you are always going to fear dealing with. You know they will upset you, so all you need to do is decide beforehand that they will not. If a client asks you to make changes, expect it. Choose to be calm about it, and not let it bother you. Try to look at the client or co-worker that’s ‘driving you nuts’ in a different way. Maybe they are having a bad time at home, or they are stressed themselves.
Breathe deeply:
Breathing deeply helps your body by calming down. Calm people always have positive attitudes. If you find yourself getting a ‘bad attitude’ about something, find a place where you can be alone, and do some deep breathing exercises. Not only does it reduce stress, but also it helps you clear your mind and see the situation in a different way.
Make a mission statement:
Do you have a mission statement that is unique to you? It is quite possible that your company probably has a mission statement, but you should have one yourself. A personal mission statement will help you define your purpose at work, what your life is about, and what motivates your behavior. It’s a good thing to fall back on when work gets crazy and you’re confused about what it is you’re doing. “When you feel like you have purpose, you can be positive. When you feel like you don’t have a purpose or you don’t know what you’re doing at work, it does not help.
Have personal goals:
“Goals are a lot different from personal mission statements in that they are specific things you want to achieve”. However, goals are not just ‘fun in the future’ but are the actual guides that you use to achieve. It’s difficult to be positive if you think you’re going nowhere. Goals are the proof that you have a plan and you’re working towards it. They are a proof of a positive attitude.
Stop being a complaint box:
Complaints become such a huge issue that they create negative energy around you
Stop complaining! Complaining never helps. If you’re around people who complain a lot, avoid them immediately. Always try to see the situation in a positive light as complaints are a way of seeing everything in a negative light without considering any other explanation. It’s only a one-way road to discontent that increases further as you travel.
Laughter is the best medicine:
Laughing is good for your health, and of course, it helps you feel much better. Who doesn’t love laughing? Humor is especially good when things are going terribly wrong. Who doesn’t love a person who, in the middle of some difficult project, cracks a joke that suddenly makes you laugh? Always try to be that guy. Try to find humor wherever you can. “Laughing with people is different than laughing at them. Never joke about others to get a laugh at their expense”.
