6 Ways To Create Career Happiness With A Positive Attitude At Work
If you constantly find yourself dreading Mondays or feel like you’re literally dragging yourself into the office each day, then it’s time to stop and take stock of where you are in your career. If it’s time for a change, then head in that direction.
Sometimes it’s not the job. If you have a great job that fills your needs and you’ve just become disillusioned, then you might just need an attitude adjustment.
Keeping in mind that the only person truly in charge of your happiness is yourself, you can use the power of positive thinking and fulfilling actions to dig yourself out of a pit of despair and start loving Mondays again.
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How Positive Thinking Benefits You In The Office
A positive attitude will steer you towards promotion faster than any political antics in the office. Managers see team players as people with leadership potential. If you have the ability to do your job with a smile and uplift others in the process, then you’ll truly stand out.
Not to mention, a positive mindset will go a long way towards actually making you feel happy and balanced with your life and career. You’ll notice that your physical health will improve. You’ll have more energy, and focusing will become easier. There is really no downside to building and maintaining a positive mindset at work.
Being happy all the time isn’t as easy as it sounds. If you’ve ever tried to “fake it ‘til you make it,” then you know how exhausting it can be. That’s why you need to find ways to actually change your mindset and become a positive thinker, for real. Here are six things you can do that will naturally give you a positive mindset at work.
1 | Positive Language Only
Negative language, even in the words you use to speak to yourself internally, can have a huge impact on the way you feel and act towards others. Don’t dwell on things you can’t change like an impending Monday. Instead of wishing that Monday will never come, think about starting a fresh new week. Avoid posting anti-work memes, making jokes about “annoying” co-workers, or talking yourself into feeling stuck or overwhelmed.
2 | Stop Complaining & Gossiping
Try going 24 hours without complaining, not even once, and watch how your life magically starts to transform. You’ll feel like a heavy weight has been lifted from your shoulders, and you’ll be able to clearly see your goals and accomplishments unmuddied by negative thoughts and feelings. Complaining and gossiping have a way of poisoning our minds, leading to more and more negative thoughts like a dark hole you fall into. As you tumble down further and further, it gets harder to see your way out. Complaining makes sure that your focus stays on something negative.
Instead, think of a way to improve a situation you don’t like. Working towards a new goal will give you a guiding mission instead of a reason to drag yourself and others down. Gossiping or talking negatively about your boss or co-workers has the same effect. Forcing you to focus on the things you don’t like about a person will ensure that you harbor negative feelings towards them.
3 | Watch Who You Hang With
Surround yourself with other positive thinkers. I know this sounds corny, but you could even start a positivity club or lunch group with like-minded thinkers. This really shows leadership and helps everyone in the office find a healthy work and life balance. Spending your lunch hour complaining about work will bring you back to your desk in a grumpy mood, more likely to snap at customers or co-workers, and have you counting the minutes until the end of the day. Choose to surround yourself with people who look for the joy in life and want to do their job to the best of their ability, putting all other things aside.
4 | Fill Your Mind With Positive Inputs
After you work on removing negative thoughts from your mind, it’s time to fill it back up with positivity and direction. Train your mind to think positively by listening to uplifting music, reading mindset books, listening to Ted Talks or podcasts and meditations. Look for positive things you can listen to on the way to work each morning or while unwinding each day.
5 | Breath Deep And Say Affirmations Daily
What do you do when tensions are high in the office and you feel like you might fall off the positivity-wagon at any moment? Try some deep breathing exercises at your desk or take a short walk to help clear your head. Pick a few positive affirmations that can help you through your day and say them silently to yourself repeatedly when times are tough.
6 | Have Career Goals
Everyone needs something to look forward to. If you’re feeling stuck, then try to think of where you want to be a year from now. Write down a few specific steps that will help lead you to where you want to go. Maybe you wish you had more responsibility, a more challenging role, or a change to a new department. Talk with your supervisor and make a plan for you to accomplish these goals. Make it your personal mission to get to the next step in your career plan.
Author Profile: Deanna Balestra
Deanna is a freelance writer and business coach in the midwest who enjoys helping people launch their own businesses or find happiness right where they are at. With over 15 years of marketing and writing experience, she helps small businesses and independent sales people push for their goals.
