Some people enjoy work, they like their boss, their colleagues and the intellectual stimulation. But what if you don’t like your work or the people with whom you work? What can you do? Here is my number one tip:
…actively look for things for which to be grateful.
When I lived in Dallas, our pastor told a story of research done on 100 people who were considered to be very successful in their personal and professional lives. Zig Ziglar also references this in his book See You at the Top. All available information on these successful people was examined in an effort to find out what they had in common. They were stunned by their conclusion: The common denominator with all these people was not education or socioeconomic status or parental wealth, but that they were all “good finders.”
What is a Good Finder?
This term was invented to describe how these very successful people looked at the world. Good finders look only for what is good in others and vocally affirm them explicitly and gratefully. We can actively look for the good in everything and everyone, even ourselves; it’s just a matter of perception!
It’s about choosing to be grateful. Or not. Bad things do happen, but we can choose how we want to look at them.
Re-Frame
Have you ever taken a picture to the framing store to select a mount and frame? I am always amazed at how a different frame can transform a painting. We can do the same thing with words to change our perceptions. For example, someone at work says: “We’ll never have this done in time.” Instead of taking their fear or anxiety on board and feeling your stress and pressure mount, re-frame their words. Say, “This is a great chance to see how much we can achieve under pressure. What an opportunity!”
If you utter or think the words, “We’ll never have this done in time,” your body-mind immediately goes into stress mode. Stress chemicals pour out and pump through you, making you less efficient and affecting your thinking and capacity to be clear and creative. This causes you to lose sight of the bigger picture.
On the other hand, if you choose to re-frame the situation through different words, you have a completely different mind set and “body set”, you have different chemicals racing around your body, ones that will help you focus and do the job! Being grateful makes for a much more productive work platform than being miserable.
Remember to be Grateful!
It’s amazing how gratitude can transform our mood, our actions, and our general well being. It really is “the joy switch!”
If you really are just too busy to mentally remind yourself to be grateful, then physically remind yourself. Go out and find a pair of children’s plastic sunglasses or visit my store and see our heart-shaped gratitude glasses.
If you’re worried people in the office or your spouse might start to think you’re a complete space cadet because you’re walking around with gratitude glasses on all day then just keep them nearby as a reminder!
So whenever something or someone is pulling you down at work, be a good finder, choose to find the good in the person or the situation, put on your gratitude glasses (real or imaginary) and re-frame the way you see thing. Make the choice.
You can be grateful to have the promotion at work or grateful you don’t have to deal with more responsibility.
With gratitude, everything looks good!
We can take on the world with gratitude, turning obstacles into potential joy switches and burdens into gifts. With the right perspective, the ordinary can become extraordinary, and we can live in joy!
Take a look at this video for more tips on finding joy and managing stress at work…and home.
By Amanda Gore, Zooties!
