MY WINNING ATTITUDE

!POWER OF MY POSITIVE ATTUTUDE
Watch your thoughts, It becomes your words;
Watch your words, It becomes your actions;
Watch your actions, It becomes your habits;
Watch your habits, It becomes your character;
Watch your character, It becomes your destiny

A basic concept to be aware of is that your thoughts rule your life. If you see the world around you as a fuzzy, welcoming place with endless possibilities, then you will seek out the goodness in all things, even during the most trying of situations. However, if you see the world as a dark and thorny place, this attitude will reflect in the way you perceive and relate to the world around you.

I wonder, can you remember a time when a colleague gave you a hand when you got behind at work? Or perhaps showed you the ropes when you landed a new job,….Well I do and needless to say I still feel indebted to the guys who helped me get a good landing on my new job, this was a time when people had time to help office newbies and saw them as healthy competition that could drive them to be more productive and did not see newbies as a threat or an avenue to vent frustration. If you ask me, that attitude is one that I will never forget and will forever be grateful to these people for; as such I feel the need to pay it forward- that also goes to show how infectious positive attitude can be. At this point I dare to say that my attitude is not just a librarian of my past but also the speaker of my present and the prophet of my future.

My attitude is obviously more honest than my words because when I do not practice what I preach, hypocrisy becomes a norm. My friend Shade constantly brags of how she is a positive minded person with a can do attitude that loves to help and inspire people but the reality is far from that; she constantly has something to complain about and never sees the good side of anything. Shade would rather nag about things around her than carry out actions to correct little errors; she generally sees the cup of any situation as half empty rather than half full. No matter how seemingly faultless a person is, Shade has one issue or the other with the person. When we were appraised, I got promoted and became Shade’s superior, though she was initially my boss. A major assessment criteria was a positive attitude and she lost out in that race.- The question here becomes, was my friend’s attitude as positive as she professed or was she just full of words while her action betrayed her through her negative words and behaviour. The culture of a positive attitude is one that scarce or for lack of a better word ignored by a lot of people in their daily interactions. It should not just be about the take home at the end of the day but also about the positive footprints we leave in our sand of time as well go through work and life in general.

Bearing in mind the recent economic situation, many people now find themselves in a "sink or swim" environment. Integrity and loyalty for many is only a distant memory. In past times, I have talked with stressed out, burned-out CCR’s. Their highest goal is making it through the day, with little or no concern for the value or quality they have shown to their customers as help agents, this makes me wonder if they understand the meaning of their job titles. Known or unknown to them, not only have they telegraphed this mood to one another, they also broadcast it to customers through the attitude they have shown, regardless of how carefully they have been coached in "company speak’.

While discussing with a friend a while back, we explored an interesting saying about career success, - "Attitude, more than aptitude, determines altitude." It further confirmed to us the importance of having a positive attitude and how it can influence our jobs positively. How true these words are! No matter what we do or where we go, It's all about attitude, How well we do in our lives, relationships, businesses and careers is determined by our attitude more than any other factor. If you think about it, you've probably witnessed examples of how attitude can make or mar you.

It can be overwhelmingly tricky to find goodness in this fast-paced world of ours, especially with the global economic situation and the growing degree of mans inhumanity to man. We are constantly faced with negative messages that are instantly accessible- turn on the television, open up a newspaper, cruise the internet or listen to the radio and you will find so many examples of negativity. Or talk to one of those friends of yours, like my friend Sade that always has something to complain about- you will realise how much negativity there is around you.

After being in this exposed to this, how do you feel? My guess is that you feel mentally, emotionally and perhaps even physically drained. So what can you do to promote positive thinking and to change your thoughts to promote a healthier attitude?

*Associate as much as practical with positive people that encourage you, lift you up and make you feel good about yourself.

*Exercise daily. Even 20 minutes of walking in fresh air can do wonders to boost your positive attitude.


*Acknowledge that you are not in control and trust in a higher power. I read somewhere a slogan that says "Let go and Let God"- I have found that this works in my life.

*Watch and read things that make you laugh. Laughter has a tremendous healing power, and can make you feel good about yourself and those around you.

*Volunteer at your place of worship or homeless shelter. When we give to others and forget ourselves, it is amazing how our positive attitude is reinforced.

-----Say daily affirmations that are meaningful to you, especially when you wake up or before you go to sleep. Positive affirmations seep into our subconscious and in time will replace negative thinking. The time of day matters because we are most prone to suggestion at these times of the day.

Remember that there is nothing wrong with having negativity in our thinking- we are after all human. What we want to avoid is allowing negative thoughts to govern our lives.

Try to incorporate at least one of these tips into your daily routine and see if your thoughts- and your life- do not change for the better. After all, all you have to loose is negativity. Like I said earlier, your thoughts rule your life.

LET ME KNOW WHAT U THINK?????