How to Keep A Positive Attitude
When You Work With An Idiot
by Sam Glenn
http://www.samglenn.com
It happens! We all have jobs and situations where we have to deal with that special kind of (Idiot). I define an idiot as someone who is clueless to how their negative ways
make your life and others difficult. They make the atmosphere foggy with their presence and make the sun shine when they walk out the door. You know the type. Life has enough knocks as it is, so how do we keep our best attitude in tact when we have to work with an
idiot? Chances are they don’t know they are one. You can tell them, and they still won’t get it. So, if you can’t change them or the situation, what can you do to make things better for you? You can play the one string you have – your attitude – and that can change the experience and the outcome. Here are a few helpful suggestions. |
|
 |
1. Keep Your Sense of Humor.
Stuff happens, but you always have two ways of looking at every story. You can respond with negativity, or with a sense of humor. Practice looking for the humor. Once you find it, your mood will change quickly, affecting your attitude in a lasting way. Before I grasped this, I was the guy who got home and complained about the traffic. Now, I see traffic as an opportunity to listen to music, decompress, think, pray, or notice the little things: just the other day I saw somebody picking his nose! As you can see, the traffic is the same as it was, but the state of my attitude can turn it into two different experiences.
2. Keep Your Right Mind.
It’s easy to lose your right mind when you get stressed out and frustrated. You want to snap at people, your blood boils and you
become toxic. The key is finding what keeps you in perspective. When you lose perspective, you lose yourself. Years ago, I lost my perspective; I sold my car to pay for gas. The key to keeping your right mind is to step away from any situation that is making you
hot - Take some deep breaths. Take a shower. Go for a walk. Rest. Separating yourself from something that frustrates you is healthy because it allows you to think over your response, so you don’t overreact. When you overreact, nothing good can come from it. Overreactions equal regrets. Be like the daddy who walked out and saw his 4-year-old
daughter using his toothbrush on the dog. Instead of exploding at her, he simply said, "Honey, the next time you use Daddy’s toothbrush on the dog, you need to tell Daddy." The little girl responded, "Okay Daddy, but what about all those times in the past?"
3. Feed Your Attitude.
Whatever you feed your attitude is what it becomes. Your attitude is something that is always at work – working for you or against you – and you determine which. It’s the first thing people experience when they meet you. It determines where you are, where you are going, and what you get in life. What you feed your mind will be processed and output through your work, relationships and life. If you don’t like your behavior (your output), then you need to begin to change your input. Begin to read good material. Listen to positive words and music. Surround yourself with people of character. This means you have to get rid of some of the "trash" – the negative stuff you are feeding your life. A lot of times we want to change others or situations, but the key is in knowing that we can’t... But that we can change ourselves and our attitude by how we deal with others and situations.
A wise person said, "What we ignore becomes weak and dies. What we give attention to gains strength and life." Give your attitude a little attention and it will keep the "Kick" solid in your personal and professional life.
Sam Glenn
Author of A Kick in the Attitude.
Learn More at: www.Samglenn.com
Submit your article to be posted here. Email article submission too: service@everthingattitude.com
|
