Thursday 18 October 2012

Are You Suffering From P.M.A.?

Do you leap out of bed at 6am and yell out "FANTASTIC, it's Monday morning!"?

More often we roll out of bed wondering where our weekend went and already beginning the countdown down to Friday!

Hurrah, it's Monday..........!
But just take a minute to consider the implications of this kind of attitude.
What is your mood like at this  time in a morning? What about after your drive in to work? As you sit at your desk and open up your emails? If I came to you now with a difficult problem I needed help with, what would be your response? (I can imagine some of your answers already!). I'm sure you'd probably rather I went away and came back when you were feeling a bit happier in yourself.

'Howay Steve get a grip - do you want me to skip into work singing about the joys of Spring?'

No, although wouldn't it be great if life was so wonderful it made us feel like that!

Why should we worry about what mood we are in? So long as we do the job we're paid to do and get results that's enough isn't it?

Let's take a look at what it is that creates our results - it's the way we act and behave. Our behaviours drive our results. We've learnt over a number of years that behaving in a certain way gets us a certain result. So what drives our behaviours? You guessed, our attitude.

"Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference" - Winston Churchill

We've all had miserable days when we couldn't be bothered - nothing seems to go right and everything seems to take more effort and energy.
But I'm sure you've had days when you've awoken in a great mood and ended up having one of the best days where you got everything done effortlessly, problems just seemed easy to solve and you even had time to help others with their issues.

There are too many people currently extolling the virtues of a positive approach to life for us to ignore it. It's not about being "fluffy" or "cuddly", it's not about ignoring bad things (see later) but it is about influencing your results.
 
Have a positive influence on your results!
It was Henry Ford who said "If you think you can or you think you can't you are right"

How true is this statement!

Some people are beaten before they even try as a result of their negative thinking. They believe they will fail, they act and behave as if they are going to fail and hey presto the result is failure. Now I'm not suggesting that just by having a positive mindset before you start anything that you will automatically succeed at everything you attempt - if only. However I'll wager you will get more positive results and even when you fail you will take away learnings that ensure you improve for the next time.

"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort." -Anon

I did say that taking a more positive outlook on things wasn't just about ignoring anything bad - it s about putting things into perspective. Whenever something bad happens take a look at the bigger picture and ask yourself where this fits in the grand scheme of your life. Even being made redundant or having your car stolen isn't the end of the world; it could be the start of an exciting chapter of your life or an opportunity to rethink your motoring strategy! It's how you view the world that makes it what it is for you.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained
I assure you if you think about your attitude and adopt a more positive approach you will notice:
  • Problems get solved more easily
  • You are more creative (no need for the red wine to get the creative juices flowing!)
  • You have more time for others
  • Your stress levels decrease (and couldn't we all do with that!)
  • You develop and grow and learn from things that don't go right
So go on and give it a go. Just try the 'glass is half full' approach for a couple of weeks and notice the results you get, how you feel and how others respond to you.

And let me know how you get on..........

Have a Fantastic day

Steve D