A negative thinker sees a difficulty in every opportunity and a positive thinker sees an opportunity in every difficulty- Anonymous
Have you ever seen a child trying something new and getting belittled? And then, as he fails, he is ridiculed and doesn’t want to risk again.
That’s how negativity works. It seeps into the consciousness and makes you doubt everything, especially yourself. We are surrounded by it. Someone called CNBC the Constant Negative Business Channel and most news is like that. It takes great courage to adopt an optimistic positive outlook and ignore the catastrophizing.
But it’s so worth it! Optimism pays off in countless ways, at work and at home. Optimists live nearly a decade longer, they breathe easier and they sell 56% more than pessimists! They recover better from illness, are sick less often and are more successful.
How Negativity Destroys Success
• It’s highly contagious If you have one negative player on your team, it can truly spoil the whole bunch. Instead of looking for solutions to client problems, a Debbie Downer will present gloom and doom scenarios and stifle progress.
• It disempowers people If you don’t think there’s a chance to win, you won’t try. I recently coached an all star performer who was ready to quit her job because the system seemed rigged against her. We just had to brainstorm solutions and look for a way to make things work. She’s back on track now.
• It creates a sour work environment No one wants to share good news because it gets shot down. People are afraid to achieve because others will heckle them. So business comes to a standstill.
• It Makes You Sick When you get a questionable test result from the doctor, instead of asking for more information or another opinion, you jump to the worst possible conclusion and make yourself sicker.
Channel Positivity Instead
• Fire the negative nellies If you have coached a constant complainer and they still won’t change, let them go. They will poison your workplace.
• Reference past successes and use those to fuel future ones.
• Celebrate achievements visibly and often. Praise performers at staff meetings and be very specific. Celebrate team wins. Focus on the good.
• Be a shining example Demonstrate good will, positive spirit and optimism in your work style, attitude and behavior.
• Use motivational tools, books, audios, videos. Keep your focus where you want to go. The essence of resilient leadership.
October is International Fired up! Month- a great way to celebrate what gets everyone Fired Up!. For more information, see below.
Snowden
For those of you who don’t know Shonda, she is the sensationally successful writer and creator of the ABC Thursday tv night hits, “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Scandal,” “Private Practice,” and “How to Get Away with Murder.” For one woman to dominate a night of network TV is extraordinary. For a woman of color to do this is amazing and wonderful. And she created starring characters who were all female. So she has truly been ground-breaking in her industry.
Three bad car accidents over 20 years have left me with some tension, imbalance and misalignment in my neck and shoulders. Chiropractic helped a great deal, but what really healed me and continues to is yoga. Almost every day, I get up and do yoga stretches and postures. The spinal twist regularly realigns my neck bones after shifting them in sleep. Tree posture helps me keep my balance and I even do it while shaving my legs. Warrior 2 helps me stay strong and plank firm my arms and belly. I am in better shape than I was in my early twenties- all due to yoga.
Apparently, how you start and end your emails makes a big difference. You may think that sending a quick, curt response without saying Hello or Thank You is the best way to work. But that’s not true.
1. 1. Flowers in the workplace