The Influence of Positive Attitude in the Workplace

We’re all familiar with Charles R. Swindoll’s famous quote, “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” Initiating and maintaining a positive attitude in the workplace is the key to success not only on an individual level but also on the community level within the work environment. We sat down with Skylight Accountability Director and Financial Professional Coach Michelle Taylor to get her insights on positive attitude at the workplace and how it can benefit all.

Get a Head Start

Michelle believes that having a positive attitude at work sets the tone of your entire day. “It bleeds into everything else that you do. If you don’t start out with a positive outlook, I think that the negativity can take over, and it will affect everything you do from the relationships that you have to the people you’re talking to,” she explained. “Everybody has bad days, but if you at least start off thinking that it’s going to be a great day, then you’re already ahead of the game!”

Maintain

So, how do you get into the correct mindset to maintain a positive attitude? The answer is more attainable than you might think. “It starts before you get to work. As you’re getting ready to go in, you need to make sure you have your thoughts in the right space before walking in the door. If you start to plan and organize better for yourself, then you will be less frustrated or stressed around other people. Focus on organization, your own positive attitude, and forward- thinking: if you keep that vision of looking forward and pushing forward and what can be, it is always a good motivator,” said Michelle.

Benefits

Keeping up a positive attitude while at work doesn’t go unrewarded – by keeping your frame of mind in a positive space, you are unknowingly benefitting yourself and others. “I feel that if you have a positive attitude and a positive outlook, you can accomplish anything – especially if you do this with others,” said Michelle. “You will often get better thought, input, and problem-solving in a group setting rather than on your own. If you keep that focus and momentum, truly great things can happen. If you get too hung up being upset with someone, it becomes infectious and slows you down. If you keep that positive attitude, you can move at a much quicker pace and can believe in the overall vision of where you need to be.”

The Ripple Effect

It’s well known that one person’s attitude affects everyone else’s around them. Michelle is a strong supporter of this concept, and her advice is simple and easy to accomplish: “surround yourself with people that support you or bring you up. If you are around too much negativity, you too start to become that person. One person can make the difference.” If you’re dealing with a coworker who is displaying a subpar attitude, communication is key. “Usually, there’s something else behind the bad attitude. I think it’s more of a discussion about understanding the root cause of what is making that poor attitude come through. For all of the roles I might interact with, no matter what level they’re at, it all comes down to some form of communication and identifying what the issue might be. Sometimes it’s just as simple as, ‘are you okay?’”

Know When to Hit the Reset Button

An important aspect of keeping up with a positive attitude is leaving the past in the past. “We all make mistakes at work or in our personal lives. If there’s an opportunity for you to learn from that mistake, then there is an opportunity to change the outcome next time. You can’t change what happened in the past. You can only change what you’re going to do about it from this moment forward,” Michelle explained. “You have to find space for yourself. You need some alone time where you can get your head right. It can be as simple as taking 30 minutes to read or taking a walk around the block when you’re at work. I believe that you have to create some level of a safe space for yourself where you can hit the reset button and clear your mind. If you don’t and there are so many things coming at you, I think that’s when things start to bubble up. For thirty minutes to an hour a day, be selfish and do whatever will make you happy or will give you that reprieve of a reset.”

No matter what your work environment looks like, keeping a positive attitude can drastically alter the outcome of your day. It starts with making the conscious decision to have a great day, every day!

Thanks for sharing, Michelle!

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