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Keeping a Positive Outlook
By Ellen Corsi
I turned on the morning news recently and saw a segment about keeping a positive outlook on your life and your job. Everyone has different situations they deal with on a regular basis at home and at work, so how do you maintain this on a consistent basis? This television segment talked about a new trend in the workplace called, "being nice." "Wow," I thought, "what a concept!" The workplace over the last twenty-five years has been called many things, including guerrilla warfare, but nice? The "expert" suggested putting a dish of candy on your desk because it creates a warm atmosphere for everyone walking by. Co-workers can take a piece of candy and get a "nice" warm feeling about the person behind the desk, and, in essence, like you more.
The idea of really being "nice" in the workplace is just unfathomable! I've never seen it happen. I don't really think it exists. On the surface things may look "nice," but watch out for the hidden agendas! People in the workplace have been taught for years that they need to be assertive and aggressive to achieve what they want in their careers, so this "nice" concept is a 180 degree tactic that I didn't see coming.
My take on the workplace has always been: Why can't people just go to their jobs, get along, and go home? People spend anywhere from 20 to 80 hours a week at their jobs. Why make it miserable? The only answer I've ever gotten is that human nature takes over, and "nice" is out the window. Maybe if people made a point to be positive in their life and workplace we could get to a "nice" point where life could be more enjoyable overall. You remember the famous saying, "Nice guys finish last." I don't think that it's necessarily true. If people were genuinely nice on a regular basis, the world would be a better place to live and work.
There are many self-help books available that have been written specifically about having a positive outlook on life. They tell you to think positive and good things will come to you. They also say that if you have a positive aura around you, good things will happen in your life.
After people have read these self-help books, then what? Does their life really change, or does it eventually revert back to how their outlook has always been? Maybe at least, they feel better for a time, and hopefully everyone around them does as well. They also say it's always tougher to be positive than to be negative and cynical. We all have those negative, cynical times. I think people just have their good days and their bad days. That's called life. On the other hand, some people are born optimistic. They don't care how bad things get; they can always find a bright side. That is amazing.
How about starting your day with a positive outlook and if bad things happen, look at it this way: Things could always be worse. So just call it a day, and then start again. That's a positive concept but it's easier said than done.
Here's an idea that people generally miss. By looking at what may be creating a negative outlook in general, may just be the key to changing our overall outlook. For instance, if you don't like your job, instead of making everyone else you work with miserable, look for and find another job. There is nothing worse than existing around other people day after day, when they are unhappy about where their career has landed them at the moment. If you aren't happy with something in your personal life, this concept works here as well.
Another way to look at this is that everything is temporary. Everything is constantly changing, whether it is in your home life or work life. Situations change and co-workers change over time. It's inevitable. When people say they don't like change, generally it's because they like things the way they are. So if you think of it as only temporary, the situation will probably be a lot easier to live with.
If you say, "I can't stand my new boss," or "I don't like what our company is doing with this," realize that it will change at some point. The question is, do you want to wait it out or are you ready to make a change to your circumstance? The human nature standpoint is to wait it out. However, if it becomes too long of a time, this is where people get into trouble and make life miserable for everyone else. It's good to recognize your situation and it's also good to say, "I need a change." You will be happier for it. Your outlook on life will be more positive and those around you will thank you for it.
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