Our book LEMONADE: The Leaders Guide to Resilience at Work is launched! I’m so excited to say, it is now available on Amazon.com. I was so excited I called a colleague of mine who shall remain nameless to tell her that my third book (and the associated assessment tool, the RAW-Q is finally available after years of research. She said “It’s been so long, you must be so unhappy about all the delays. Does it feel like a let down?” Her intentions were good, but it was a little like all the air was let out of my happiness balloon! I had to remember one of the key attributes of resilience we studied for Lemonade, which is positivity. I chose my response. “Not really – I’m just enjoying the moment!” I made sure to take another tip from myself and I called someone who I knew would be delighted for us next – and his bubbly energy helped me do a reset.
Has a person’s cheerful mood ever rubbed off on you when you were feeling low? Likewise, have you ever been in a good mood only to have it tarnished by someone else’s crummy mood? Either way, I’m sure you noticed an influence in your productivity level. People with good moods are energized whereas people who are down are, well, dragging.
Positive and negative thinking are contagious.
Leo Babauta, of Zen Habits, suggests treating negative thoughts (things like “I want to stop,” or “This is so boring) as you would treat a bug. Squash it and replace it with a positive thought. I really like the visual of this. “It works amazingly,” he says. “If you think negative thoughts, you will definitely fail. But if you always think positive, you will definitely succeed.”
Dale Carnegie, another giant in positive thinking suggests focusing on all of the things you are grateful for. Making a point to be grateful for all of the small provisions in your life will drastically change your attitude. Hard pressed to find anything? How about the clarity of thought you have reading this?
Stop the Victim Mentality
It’s very easy to feel like a victim when things go wrong. It makes you merely an onlooker. Get in the game. Wield your power. Take control. Call a friend. Make a difference. It’s a choice to be dragged down by the negativity around you.
“Your future will depend very largely on the thoughts you think today. So think thoughts of hope and confidence and love and success.” Yes, indeedy!
Please join me, Alan Graham, Ph.D., and Kevin Cuthbert in the official launch of our new book by buying in in print or for Kindle on Amazon.com – and give us a great review if you like it!