Attitude: Your Public Face

“Well we all have a face
That we hide away forever
And we take them out and
Show ourselves
When everyone has gone
Some are satin some are steel
Some are silk and some are leather
They're the faces of the stranger
But we love to try them on.”

~~Billy Joel, “The Stranger”~~

Have you thought about who you are in public? Are you different at home with your family than you are “in business”? Have you considered your online persona? Are you the same? As I talk to more people about the importance of an online presence in today’s marketplace I encounter many who don’t understand who they “should be” online. A few tips: 1. Be yourself. 2. Listen first to what’s going on around you, and then engage in conversation. 3. Add value and insight. And 4, which is the most important advice I can offer, stay positive. No.Matter.What.

It is becoming more and more apparent as online social networking tools increase in popularity that too many people still don’t understand the impact of negativity in public. Say whatever you want to at home behind closed doors, but when you’re out there, whether in person or behind a computer screen, please, I beg you, stay positive. Airing dirty laundry, complaining about your job (or lack of one), dissing the guy you just interviewed with in front of MILLIONS of people online, or otherwise being negative and whiny is just not going to help you. Not in any way.

If you really can’t think of a way to spin it so it’s positive, if you simply cannot find that silver lining, just stay off the computer. You’ll be glad later that you made that choice.

Attitude: More Lessons From My Son

“Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things." ~~Antonio Smith~~

Do you remember when something as simple as getting to use an electric mixer was sure to be the start of an awesome day? How about when eating pancakes for breakfast was the Best. Thing. Ever. Or, when waiting a WHOLE WEEK until your birthday seemed like an eternity, and you couldn’t think of anything more important than who was coming to your party? Was life simpler then? I don’t think so. 5 year olds struggle enormously with peer pressure (yes, even at that age!), fears, uncertainty, and setting boundaries… That sounds a lot like what most adults suffer from too… so, what’s changed? Personally, I think it’s nothing more than attitude. Sure, the pressure is about more significant things, as are the fears and uncertainty, but you would think that since our power of deduction is also more significant, and our experiences are certainly much more vast, we would be able to handle the pressure as well as the little ones do…

I want to go back to getting excited about the “small stuff”. (And, I’d go as far as arguing that these things really are NOT the “small stuff”!) So, here’s my Attitude Adjustment for today: I will rejoice in what’s REALLY important in my life! I know my day will be awesome because I made pancakes with my son this morning, and we had fun! I’m celebrating the fact that there’s a smile on my face, and one on his too.

Motivation: The Power of Frustration

“Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do.” ~~ Pope John XXIII~~


Negative motivation… I’m wondering if there’s a better word for that. Typically when I talk about motivation, I talk about inspirational, positive things. I write words that make us feel good, things that make us smile. I communicate excitement, share passion… It’s certainly how I prefer to be motivated. But I’m beginning to recognize a flip side to motivation. It’s frustration, feeling “fed up”, feeling overwhelmed (before or after the point of paralysis), and while not nearly as much fun, it might be just as effective for getting things done.

Then I remember that life’s far too important to take seriously, as my Dad would say.

Personally, as mentioned, I much prefer positive motivation, so here’s to the “new me”… again. And, I wish you all the joy in rediscovering the “new you” whenever you need to!

“I would not waste my life in friction when it could be turned into momentum.” ~~Frances Willard~~

Happy Friday Everyone!

Motivation

“Nothing diminishes anxiety faster than action.” ~~Walter Anderson~~

I’m going to semi- (and probably mis-) quote my dad again. It’s not the first time I’ve heard him say it, or, maybe it really was… Anxiety (fear) is the same emotion as excitement. The day I wrote about changing my internal dialogue (http://hireeffect.blogspot.com/2010/07/preparation.html) we had this conversation. And, it’s been on my mind ever since. I think I’m really getting it.

I love feeling excited about things; whether it’s a meeting with someone I haven’t seen in a while, or it’s a celebratory event, that kind of excitement is a lot of fun. Well, why can’t the anxiety I feel about the amount of work that lies ahead, or the challenges I’m facing be called “excitement”? Why not choose to feel “excited” about all the things I have on my plate? Why not choose to have my work be a source of fun? Anxiety really does go away when you “just do it”. And it’s so much easier to do things that you’re excited about than it is to do things you’re anxious about. What will you have fun with today?

Wednesday: Positive Attitude

“Lighten up, have fun, and remember; life is much too important to take seriously.” ~~Joel Pashkin~~

Who’s that, you ask? He’s my dad. And in times when I have serious trouble maintaining a positive attitude, he likes to remind me to laugh a little, and lighten up. I know that when I have a positive attitude, when I just KNOW that I’m going to have a great day, it really impacts my productivity and often even my results. When I go into my day feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and gloomy, well, my day doesn’t typically turn out so well and I end up wasting an awful lot of energy. I KNOW I need to change my attitude! This morning I am reflecting not only on my dad reminding me to lighten up, but also on my son’s book, “The Pout-Pout Fish” by Deborah Diesen. It starts, “Deep in the water where the fish hang out lives a glum gloomy swimmer with an ever-present pout.” And as the story goes on, and the pout-pout fish spreads the “dreary-wearies”, much to his own chagrin, he eventually is able to turn his frown upside down and become the “kiss-kiss fish” who spreads “cheery-cheeries” instead. Today, I am the pout-pout fish, and you are my catalyst. Thank you for helping me to find my positive attitude. And, Dad, thanks for listening and laughing. I wish you all a cheery-cheerie day!