Unfortunately I didn't come up with that phrase, someone else did, but how true is it? I noticed on Sundays my Facebook friends start talking about their weekends ending and going back to work on Mondays. I find it interesting the different attitudes they take. Some are "back to the grind", some are "I know it's going to be another stressful week-can't wait until Friday", and some are "Whoo, Hoo, another week starting-what opportunitites will present themselves this week?". Guess which one I like?
No matter your reasons for working (a) be thankful you have the opportunity to work (b) be thankful you have a job (c) always try to make the best of a situation. In other words, if you don't win the lotto you will have to go to work on Monday. If your job is causing you that much stress, find another one OR look inside yourself and determine is it your job or your attitude about your job that is causing you stress? If it is your attitude, then no matter where you go to work, it will always be the same. Because the problem lies with YOU and not the job. And that doesn't just relate to a job, it can also relate to your life and your relationships with others. I'm not minimizing the stress you feel, the negativity in your organization may be real but why let that determine who you are and what kind of day you will have. I decided a long time ago that no one has my permission to make my day a bad one. Think about that. The only way a situation or a person can determine your mood or feelings is if YOU let them. That works both ways. If you want to feel positive, hang out with positive people--it is contagious and it will rub off. If you want to feel negative hang out with negative peeps and allow them to determine your thoughts--it's contagious too. Let's look at some people that let their attitude determine their altitude.
Dara Torres-She is the first U.S. swimmer to compete in FIVE Olympics. On August 1, 2007 at the age of 40 and just 15 months after giving birth to her first child she won gold in the 100 meter freestyle. Three days later she broke her own American record in the 50 meter freestyle-26 years after she set the American record at the age of 15. In August 2008 at the age or 41 she won silver in the women's 50 meter freestyle finishe in American record time. Everyone told her she was too old. She has won a total of 12 Olympic medals, 4 gold, 4 silver and 4 bronze. Everyone told her it had never been done by someone her age. Everyone told her she would never be in good enough shape after the birth of her child. Everyone told her except Dara Torres!!! She didn't give others permission to determine her future. Thanks to Dara there are women striving to reach their goals in swimming. Many of these women are being told they can't do it. What if Dara had listened to everyone except Dara? These women wouldn't have a role model to look up to. Your attitude determines your altitude.
Lance Armstrong-on Oct 2, 1996 he was diagnosed with stage 3 testicular cancer. It had spread to his lungs, abdomen and brain. His doctors told him there was only a 7% survival rate. His question to them was "Who says I can't be in that 7%?". After surgery, chemo and radiation his cancer went into remission and he went on to win SEVEN consecutive Tour de France races (1999-2005). In 1997 he founded the LiveStrong Foundation to provide support for people with cancer and to promote awareness of cancer and early detection. He has and still continues to lobby in Washington to make survivorship a national health priority. Lance gave no one permission to determine his life, he is in that 7%. Attitude determines your altitude.
Helen Keller-lost her hearing and sight at the age of 19 months. With the help of Anne Mansfield Sullivan she learned to communicate using sign language, to read braille to write and to speak. She entered Radcliffe College in the fall of 1900 and went on to recieve a bachelor of arts degree cum laude in 1904. Her formal education ended there but she continued to learn, read, and write. She recieved many honorary degrees from Universitites such as: Temple and Harvard as well as Univiserties in Glasgow, Scottland, Berlin, Germany and many others. She was a member of the American Foundation for the Blind and in 1924 campaiged for "Helen Keller Endowment Fund" for the foundation. She died in 1968 at the age of 88. In her eulogy the preacher said "Her spirit will endure as long as man can read. Stories can be told of the woman who showed the world there are no bondaries to courage and faith". Attitude determines your altitude.
Now, given those stories I'll bet your work week doesn't look all that stressful anymore right? These people have all made a difference in the world we live in and have impacted us all positively. They each had plenty of reasons to roll over and play dead, but they didn't let their situation determine how far they would go. What can you do to create that positive impact on someone else? OK-you work in a negative environment, so be your best and most positive YOU. Start the change, it is contagious. People naturally gravitate to positive people and their attitudes rub off on others. BE that positive person that others want to be around. I'm not saying to always be in charge of cheering peeople up or trying to MAKE negative people see the positive in a situation. People will be who they choose to be. I'm just saying, let it start with YOU. Choose to be that positive person, the light in the darkness, the glass half full person. You'll find you feel better about yourself, your environment, your relationships and who knows when it will make a difference in someone else's life.
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