Some ways to maintain a positive attitude in the workplace, regardless of whether it comes naturally or not:
Surround yourself with positive people.
If you’re always with negative people who complain about everything, you’ll become a complainer and see the world as negative as they do. You might think you can stay positive and change them, but that’s not going to be the case. Try to connect with people who like their job, have new ideas, and are interested in lots of other things besides work. It’ll make your whole outlook better.
You can’t always pick your co-workers, but you can be cautious about how much time you spend with them, and in what setting. If you’re stuck with a negative bunch, be careful not to participate in the negativity. Take breaks and go for a walk rather than immerse yourself in negative breakroom drama and gossip.
The same way that the people around you change you to be more like them, so is what you feed your mind.
Fill your mind with positive input.
The same way that the people you around change you to be more like them, so is what you feed your mind. Listen to positive music with headphones. Listen to uplifting audiobooks on the drive into work. Read encouraging books. Watch videos and listen to podcasts that are positive or help you improve skills. If you are what you eat holds true for your body, your mind is what you feed it.
Control your language.
This is about being conscious of the words you use when speaking and thinking. The structure of a language affects a person’s view of the world and the way they think. Taken to the furthest extent, your language actually limits or delineates how you can perceive the world.
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 those 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 easy to think that if you have a routine at work, you’re stuck in a rut or you’re not “flexible”. The truth is, though, that routines give us good fall-back structure. A morning routine is especially good since for many people, the morning is both when we’re most alert and awake yet sometimes not able to buckle down and get started.
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 workday for less arduous work and preparation for the next day. Most of us get tired by the end of the day, so don’t leave tough work for then. It’s important to end each day by getting prepared for the next.
Be nice to other people.
Being kind to other people makes you happy. A case study in the Journal of Social Psychology found that doing something kind for people has the same effect as trying new and exciting things when it comes to feeling happy.
Another case study in the Journal of Happiness Studies found that the memory of doing something kind for someone causes us to want to do it again.
So. 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 as well as causes those you are nice to, 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 pay it forward.
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.
Don’t rely on an outside source of positivity.
Carry a positive attitude with you. Think of a positive attitude like a survival tool: carry it with you at all times for emergencies. Whether you rely on a phrase that you repeat over and over when times are stressful or 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.
Refusing to take responsibility for your actions and your situation, or not taking control of how you respond, kills a positive attitude immediately. After all, if something happens and you’re at fault or in some way responsible, refusing to acknowledge it means you can’t correct the behaviour and it will happen again, and you also set yourself up for a victimhood mindset in which things happen to you. You will 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 affects the outcome, even when events are out of your control.
Decide your reaction to known problems ahead of time.
Whether it’s clients or co-workers or regular projects, there are some things at work that you are always going to dread dealing with. You know they upset you. Decide beforehand that they will not. If a client always has to make changes, expect it. Choose to be calm about it, to not let it bother you.
Case study
There was a serious fire in the engine room. How did the crew react to this critical situation?
A serious engine fire occurred on a boat pleasure. The incident resulted in no personal injuries, but the potential for harm was great. Serious engine fire the boating pleasure was sailing as normal when a fire was automatically detected in the engine room. The fire was then confirmed visually by the skipper and the crew was mustered. Everybody on board was accounted for at the muster station a few minutes later.
The skipper and the crew decided to start the CO2 firefighting system and closed all doors into the engine room. They also decided to set anchor because the boating pleasure was at this point drifting not far from the shore. Both these actions contributed to reducing the damage of the fire and the risk of grounding. The critical situation was handled professionally. The boat pleasure was no longer drifting, the fire was dealt with, and help was on its way.
A Video on Positive Attitude (and a Pleasant Personality)
Lessons learned
Time for a short TEST!