By Adrienne Erin
Contributor, Online Career Tips
When it comes to perspective, people generally fall into two categories: “the glass is half-full” or “the glass is half-empty.” It’s understandable to fall in the half-empty category, especially if you have a stressful job or numerous responsibilities at home. Sometimes, it’s easier to focus on the negatives instead of the positives.
However, in the workforce, remaining positive is essential to performing your job to the best of your abilities. Your attitude has an impact on everyone around you, including your boss and co-workers.
Your Attitude Is Contagious
We’ve all had those moments when someone cuts you off on the morning commute or someone snaps at you and all you can think about for the rest of the day is how nasty that person was. Because someone was negative towards you, you’re now feeling the same way. It’s a transfer of energy, and sometimes it’s hard to shake off.
When someone else is having a rotten day, he or she may take it out on a co-worker, who in turn takes it out on another co-worker — so on and so forth. Meanwhile, when someone smiles at you or tells you that your outfit looks nice, you feel happier. In turn, you may say something nice to a friend or to someone in the office.
Your co-workers’ interactions do have an impact on your overall attitude. If you surround yourself with negativity, you will have a negative attitude. If you surround yourself with positivity, you will have a positive attitude.
Fulfillment From Work
The best way to get the most out of your job is to have a positive outlook on it. Some jobs may be hard. For example, if you’re a child custody lawyer, you have to deal with parents arguing over a child they both love. However, you have to remind yourself why you care about your job — because you work toward guaranteeing that the child has the best childhood possible with his or her family.
Focusing on the negative parts of your job — the large amounts of paperwork or the upcoming deadlines — will make you dread your day. If you focus on the parts you enjoy instead — brainstorming meetings with your co-workers or the upcoming project you’ve been working on — it will make you feel more content with your work. You’ll be more satisfied with your job if you keep a positive attitude about it.
Build Better Relationships
The typical workday goes from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. That’s eight hours of your day spent with your co-workers. If you’re going to be spending a third of your day with these people, you need to foster good relationships with them.
People are drawn to positivity. As the saying goes, you’ll win more people over with honey instead of vinegar. Keeping a positive attitude will boost morale with your co-workers. You’ll have a stronger support system when it is composed of optimists instead of pessimists, and you’ll be more supportive when you remain positive.
Positivity Is Essential for Success
Staying positive and upbeat yields better results than remaining grumpy or unhappy. Highlighting achievements will boost your confidence more than focusing on your mistakes. Being an optimist does not make you naïve — you can be very aware of what needs to be improved upon and still remain upbeat.
Having a positive attitude strengthens your relationships and brings a sense of fulfillment to your job. When you start seeing the glass half-full, you’ll be able to enjoy it much more.
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