Want success? Have a positive attitude
Posted on June 20, 2024 by Martin Hahn, One of Thousands of Career Coaches on Noomii.
This article discusses the most important aspect of progressing in your career which is a positive attitude.
I used to wonder how much one’s attitude contributed to a person’s success. After observing real-life examples over a number of years, I’ve concluded a positive attitude is extremely important to success.
Who wants to work alongside a grumpy person? A complaining person? A negative person? A naysayer? Who wants to hire a person with a negative attitude? I can’t imagine it. But I’ve found that many people go through life with a ‘downer’ attitude at work and sometimes at home, the latter perhaps being a result of a carry-over effect from work.
When I reflect on how I wanted my life to unfold, I often think of the Bobby McFerrin song, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” That’s the demeanor I’ve tried to embrace and project. It relaxes me and brightens my days. Some might say, “But that’s not realistic,” or, “I can’t simply turn that on and maintain it for very long.” I don’t think that is necessarily so. Obviously, there are times of sickness or tragedy, but for the most part, I believe people control their attitude when it comes to their activities of daily living.
I truly believe people, if they choose, can assume a mindset of ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’ and actually begin to live it. Not only will that make your life more enjoyable, there is a strong chance it will become contagious with many of those around you. And it is likely to be noticed by people at higher levels who can have a positive effect on your career, whether you realize it or not.
If, on the other hand, you adopt a negative attitude, it can also have an adverse effect on your career. I recall once an employee who reported to me and was always complaining about the company and/or almost everything else. He worked in an open area near a few other employees where people could see and hear him. As I walked by him one day, I paused and suggested he might clean up his desk now and then. He replied, “Why should I do that? My desk will just get messy again.” I had a talk with him in private the next day. I didn’t ctiticize him, but I did suggest he probably didn’t have much of a future with our company. A few months later, he walked into my office, shook my hand and thanked me for making him aware of how he had been acting; he also mentioned he had found a job in another company that would suit him better. He actually looked happy for a change!
There is actually a formula of happiness: 50–10–40 of which 50% is inherited, 10% is based on life circumstances, and 40% is based our own control. So we can change our happy feelings. And researchers offer some ideas how to do this:
- Try meditation: it will take only fiofteen to twenty minutes a day to become more mindful;
- Decrease negativity: overcome negative thoughts by arguing againts it
- Stop rumination: stop rehasing bad experinces with yourself or with others;
- Savor good thoughts: repeat thoinking about good past experiences; Invest in positive activities: go on a great vacation and enjoy it and do not spend your time only buying stuff. Practise mindfulness: try to be present in the monet and don’t worry about the past of future.
On the up side, I witnessed first-hand an interaction that falls into the “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” category: I went grocery shopping with my 12 year-old daughter, Marilyn.
While we waited in line to be checked out, she began, with no prompting from me, talking to others in the line. When the checker began moving our groceries through the scanner, Marilyn started chatting with the checker, who then became more animated and seemed to be enjoying herself. Then to top things off Marilyn, again with no prompting from me, said, “Let me help you with bagging our loot.” And she didn’t wait for concurrence. She walked around me, went to where the ‘loot’ was and began to bag it.
The checker then asked Marilyn’s name, and they began to talk. In doing that, the checker learned that Sarah was a school junior. The checker asked, “Would you like to work part time here later when you turn 16? You can work part-time here while you are going to school. If so, I’d like to give you an application, and I’ll put in a good word for you.” Just think: Marilyn had no idea when she chatted and bagged groceries that she might get a chance to work and make some money. She simply had been happy, warm and energetic, and a job opportunity fell in her lap. It could happen to you, too, if you embrace the persona, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.”
