Staying Positive - Harder than it Looks

 We are all human.  Even us who think, live, and breath positivity.  

I have had the hardest time this winter staying positive at work and at home.  I think, like most of us, between Covid and the cold winter months of southern Ontario, it can be difficult to continue to be positive, or even neutral these days.

I have been finding myself trying for the life of me to be positive when speaking to co-workers or employees.  However, at times I too am in the gossip lane (mostly about those not in Canada with my company).  I reflect on this now with how can I change this going forward?  I know I need to or I will fall deeper and deeper into either sadness or negativity and that is not what I want.

So, I will assign myself the great duty of always finding a way to be neutral or positive with all situations at work.  Neutral with respect to what others say (we are all allowed to have opinions, but some we should keep to ourselves.)  Even if something bad does happen, I will result to finding a way to use this as a lesson and build upon it for any future issues that come up...and they do...almost every day.

Another thing I have noticed this winter is that no only myself, but everyone around me is feeling the blahs.  Again, this is likely due to lock downs, not seeing people, tiredness of Covid, and being tired of winter.  I am hoping if I can at least stay alert and either neutral or positive in all situations, others will pick up on this and also do the same thing...rather than the majority of everyone feeling blah.  Maybe this will not only lift up my happiness a notch, but perhaps others too.

We as leaders of people are not perfect.  We have moments, days, or even winters of weakness, but if we can recognize this, address it, and if nothing else put a smile on our face, then maybe...just maybe, we can all get through the blah's with a better outlook, more positivity, and less negative talk or thoughts.

What do you think?

www.twinlifecoaching.ca

Reframing Thoughts for Better Motivation

Do you have days when you just feel like going back to bed?  The idea of going to work is a stretch?  You think of all those emails, that long to do list, the whiny employee, and that big strategy meeting and just how are you going to get through it all with a smile on your face?

Let's be honest, even the best leaders can have off days.  There are a few things of course, you can do to help prioritize, but this post is not about that.  It is about being motivated to go to work and take care of the things you need to do, be a leader and take care of your team.

What if, instead of letting the negative thoughts go wild in your mind, we reframe our thoughts to be move positive?  

Here is an example: Your thought may be 'Sigh, I have the longest meeting in history today and I will never get anything done, the emails are just going to pile high!'

What if instead you said to yourself something a bit more positive.  How does this sound: 'I have the strategy meeting today, where I can put my ideas forth for how we can succeed.  Oh, I need to remind myself to put my out of office on, so anyone emailing will not be expecting me to reply today.'

Do you feel the difference?  Just putting a positive spin, or an idea that can assist you (out of office) you can completely change how you feel about the day.  Yes, this is a simple example, but it is about reframing your thoughts to allow more positivity, which will lead you to more motivation to get up out of that bed and head to work.  Remember we all have those days where we do not want to, so find a way to make it easier and better - reframe.

One more example: 'I do not want to go to work today because I have to fire John Doe later today, then I have the strategy meeting.  How will I ever concentrate?'  This is a bit harder as we never want to fire people.  Sometimes we do need to help our mind through it though, and change this into something easier and more manageable to our mental state.  

How about: 'Today I will terminate John Doe and thank him for his service.  If I do this first thing this morning. I will be better able to focus on my ideas for the strategy meeting rather than thinking about the termination meeting all day.'  Not a positive thought necessarily, but a reframing and rescheduling so your day will be better and you will have more focus on the ideas you have for that big strategy meeting to move the company forward.

Next time you have those negative thoughts about work, or you just want to press the snooze button one more time, try to reframe your thoughts to either be positive, or think of a way to make your life easier that day.  This can help to motivate you to get through those cold winter mornings when all you want to do is stay at home.

Need help through reframing or ideas to make your rough days better?  Send me a note to tara@twinlifecoaching.ca and let's talk.

Tara

www.twinlifecoaching.ca