Positive Attitude Does a Body Good
A positive attitude isn’t just another empty phrase. While having a positive attitude can make it easier to get along with your coworkers or stop negative emotions from amping up right before a deadline, those reasons have to deal with other people. That doesn’t mean that being known as upbeat and positive won’t affect your work relationships. It will, and it will for the better. But there are a few cold, hard facts on why having a positive attitude is good for your own state of mind. Here are three:
Positivity actually helps you think of more options.
One of the worst feelings at work isn’t when there’s too much to do. It’s when there’s too much to do and you don’t know how you’re going to get it done. Feeling powerless at work and like your out of options can drain your energy and your patience. But study after study shows that if you’re in a positive mindset, it’s a lot easier to sit down and come up with long lists of options and alternative solutions.
How did the scientists trigger positive attitudes in the test groups? Joyful pictures. It could be as simple as taking a break to look at videos of puppies, after all.
Positivity lets you focus on more details.
Or, rather, lack of negativity lets you see more details. If you’re focused on something stressful, a fight, or even a looming meeting, then that idea is looming in your mind. Even when you try to push it aside, you will dwell on it in slower moments because that’s what human minds do.
The solution isn’t to tell yourself to ignore it. That just makes it more prominent in your thoughts. Instead, you have to replace it: a positive memory, the physical act of smiling… even more puppy videos.
A positive attitude helps you learn.
Your state of mind when you’re learning new skills and information matters. That’s why students who study under stressful conditions and when they think they’re doomed to fail can’t recall information as well as more relaxed classmates. If your brain is full of stress chemicals and negative thoughts, that physically changes your brain’s chemistry and slows down the storage of detailed memories. So, before you start your next training session, write down a reason or two why learning whatever you’re about to learn will improve your life. It may feel a bit silly at first, but it really will change your mind.
For more ways (and reasons) to incorporate positive mindsets in your workplace, contact us at www.getoffthewheel.com
____________________________________
Get off the Wheel Systems and Procedures for Greater Profits & Reduced Stress
By: Diane Gardner
This Book is for you IF…
You are an accountant, bookkeeper, or tax preparer with employees and one of the following describes you: