Having a positive attitude at work makes everything better. From learning new skills to soaking up useful feedback, these five quick ways to keep a positive attitude at work can help you feel and be your best.
Having a positive attitude can help you in any work situation – it’s an important part of boosting your self belief. Self belief isn’t just a quality, it’s a skill. You can build it over time to rise as a Young Professional, whoever you are and whatever your background is.
What is a positive attitude?
A positive attitude is more than sticking on a smile and thinking happy thoughts. Taking a positive attitude to challenges means trying to see possibilities instead of dead ends. It means aiming to act out of curiosity and hope, because fear can stop you from moving forwards. A positive attitude is about looking ahead, and wanting to work towards something better.
Here are five ways to keep up your positive attitude at work.
1. Working in a team? Surround yourself with people who have positive energy.
Are there people at work who have so much positive energy that you feel it rubbing off on you? Maybe they have lots of ideas, or a can-do attitude, or they love to share information that’s useful to you? Appreciate that extra dose of healthy motivation and feel it recharge your personal energy batteries in the workplace. You can’t choose your co-workers but you might find yourself gravitating towards people who enjoy a range of interests, and they like their job, and they are perhaps less likely to complain. Positive people can help you explore ways to enjoy the work you do, and grow as a person and a Young Professional.
2. Speak positively, think positively
It’s a small thing, but what you say can shape how you think. Imagine being faced with a new idea or way of doing things at work. If your first words are ‘oh no’, even as a joke, then you are beginning to see things in a negative light. If your first words are ‘that’s interesting’ or ‘woohoo, let’s do this’, or something that suggests you’re willing to embrace and explore change, you are already starting to see things in a positive light. That affects how you will approach the change, and it has a positive effect on people around you, too.
In a similar way, you can often get small-talk at work when people ask you how you are. They’re not expecting you to go into great detail, but of course you can share a little about yourself. If you reply “I’m exhausted”, or “I’m dreading this meeting coming up,” or something similarly negative, you may start feeling even more tired or negative than before. If you reply with a nice thing you did at the weekend, or if you say you’re looking forward to something coming up at work, you are using what you say to fill your mind – and that of your co-worker – with positive thoughts.
3. See problems as a hill to climb, not a pit to fall into
What’s the difference between a hill and a dark pit? When you reach the top of the hill you get to enjoy the view. All that hard work paid off and now you have a much clearer perspective on things!
Problems, changes and challenges are always going to crop up at work. Keep a positive attitude by viewing them as opportunities. When you put in the effort and stay creative with a fresh approach to solutions, that problem might lead to achievement or something good. Even if it doesn’t, you did your best. Your positive attitude will help you to look at problems in a way that keeps you open and full of energy. That will help you have a better chance to solve them.
4. Stay positive with criticism and don’t take it personally
Being told you could do better at work is always hard to hear. In fact, if you have low self confidence or energy/resilience levels, you may find it useful to read this advice on how to take criticism at work while dealing with mental health struggles.
The best way to keep a positive attitude when you get critical feedback at work is to not take it personally. If your boss tells you your timekeeping needs to improve because you’re always late to work, that doesn’t make you a bad person. It’s a useful clue on how to improve. We all need to improve on something in our lives. Work on your timekeeping skills, and maybe you will get praise instead of criticism.
Always aim to treat criticism as a useful sign on where you can do better in order to achieve your full potential. Never see it as a personal attack on you. We can’t always get along with our boss or co-workers, but if a manager tells you where to improve, it’s usually because they want to help you be your best.
5. Stay curious and open to possibility
When you are curious about the world it keeps you open and fresh. It keeps you thinking about possibilities. If you are asked to learn something new at work – like a new piece of digital software, or some health and safety training – see it as an exciting opportunity.
- Every new thing you learn at work adds to your list of professional skills and knowledge.
- Every new experience you have at work can give you a better understanding of work culture.
- Every conversation you have with a co-worker or boss can help you understand company traditions, requirements, goals and tricks of the trade that little bit more.
- Even the podcasts you might listen to on the way to work can feed your brain and positive attitude.
So keep soaking in that information, because a willingness to learn is a BIG sign of a positive attitude at work!
