Change is constant in corporate America. Companies are merging, restructuring and downsizing. Uncertainty is pervasive, and even small changes can throw you off balance. As an employee, you must have the inner resources to survive these turbulent times.
“The one thing you can control, and the one thing you can choose every day, is your attitude,” says Keith Harrell, a professional speaker known as “Dr. Attitude,” and author of Attitude Is Everything: 10 Life-Changing Steps to Turning Attitude Into Action. “Your attitude creates your feelings, mood and overall behavior. Attitude is interwoven in everything you do in life. It helps determine how high you’ll go in an organization or how low you’ll stay. It becomes your most priceless possession.”
Because attitude is the cornerstone of both your personal and professional success, consider the following ideas.
Attitudes for success
Your attitude comes from your inner core; therefore, creating positive attitudes is an inside job. If you want better results, you need to develop attitudes that promote calm, rational thinking.
For example, if you’re stressed out, you can feel calmer by getting a different perspective about your situation:
You can embrace change and learn to use it as a springboard for improvement.
You can develop the winning attitudes of persistence, cooperation and helpfulness.
Most important, you can be grateful, which will help you enjoy your job, even though things aren’t perfect.
Love learning
When you embrace lifelong learning, you look at everyone and every situation as your teacher. You can learn from your coworkers, customers, successes and mistakes. Take a moment at the end of each day to ask yourself, “What happened today, and what can I learn from it?”
Take the trash out
“If you want better results, take the trash out,” says Mr. Harrell, who recommends protecting yourself from negative attitudes with three special gates, for which he gives you the master keys.
- Protect your ear gate. “Beware of what you listen to on TV, radio and at the water cooler. When you allow garbage to come into your mind, garbage stays, creating a mind-set for negative attitudes,” he advises.
- Protect your eye gate. Create a feast for your eyes in your work area by displaying motivational quotes, pictures of your family and colorful flowers. Keep an inspirational book handy so whenever you get off balance, you can read a page or two and get back on track.
- Protect your mouth gate. “You can talk yourself into success or failure,” warns Mr. Harrell. “Every word you speak lives forever inside you, reinforcing your attitude.”
Whatever you say to yourself will be true for you. Avoid words like “I’ll never get promoted,” “I can’t get along with my boss” or “I’ll never learn the new computer program.” They come from and also reinforce your negative attitude.
Instead, replace the negative attitude with positive words:
- “I’ll work hard and improve my skills, and I’ll be successful in this job.”
- “I’ll take a moment to stop and think before reacting, and I’ll get along better with my boss.”
You’re in control
“Your programming through your ear, eye and mouth gates creates your beliefs,” Mr. Harrell says. “Your beliefs create your attitudes, your attitudes determine your feelings, your feelings determine your actions, and your actions determine your results. It’s your responsibility to become the master of your future and develop the attitudes you need for success.”