I have a sign at my desk at work that says “Happiness is a Choice”. Have you ever felt really bad or down after a conversation with a co-worker but your life and day is just great; it’s really their influence that got you feeling this way? It’s so important for your own well-being and for all of those that you impact to be happy.
A few things that I commonly see:
· Negative Nancy’s – nobody leaves a conversation feeling GREAT after any sort of negative communication, all parties will leave feeling a little less great. Go back to the rule of thumb “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
· Leave your personal life at home – nothing is more obvious and disruptive to the work environment than someone who’s having trouble in their personal life and brings it to work with them.
· Be Happy – smiles around the office become contagious.
I once took a class and one of the lessons was to “Fake It”. As the class walked around the room, the instructor would say “sad” and we’d put on a sad face as we looked at each other. She’d then say “excited”, “mad”, “stressed”, “happy” etc. As others portrayed these different emotions, I was amazed by how I too, was feeling these emotions. I could see the influence my expressions were having on others in the class - even though the emotions were absolutely fake! If you’re having a bad day or something negative happened at home last night, just ignore it and pretend that you’re in a great mood and then it’ll actually happen. Faking it becomes real!
Enjoy your day!
What are some of your favorite ways to stay positive and happy?