Are you a glass half full or a glass half empty kind of person?
How do your tendencies affect your team at work, your family and your friends?
Be honest with yourself and if you feel that you could use a bit more positivity take these three smalls steps to cultivate it:
One: Before you leave for work, even if it’s just in your head in the car, list five things you’re grateful for. It might be as simple as the feel of the sun on your skin or the wind dancing through the leaves or it might be gratitude for the amount of privilege we have in the Western world.
Two: Catch yourself thinking negative thoughts. If you find your mental chatter is spiralling downward, catch it! In every moment there is a choice. It will take some time to change your thinking patterns but it always begins with awareness. When you become aware of it, wonder ‘how could I approach this from a more positive perspective?’ and see what you come up with.
Three: On your way home from work revisit that gratitude practice, except this time consider what took place within your working day that you’re grateful for. It might be the way someone smiled at you or the joke someone told that lightened up your morning—or the simple fact that you’re employed and how much easier it makes paying your bills!
Implement these three practices this week and take note of how your attitude changes? As your attitude and reactions to situations change, watch how people around you start to change the way they approach you and talk to you. Shifting your attitude have a very powerful ripple effect.
