Everyone has a tough work day now and again, but having a bad attitude to go along with it is entirely voluntary. That’s right. You can choose to pass on being bad tempered when things don’t go your way. Nothing that happens during your day can MAKE you feel anything. How you decide to feel about things is entirely under your control.

Acknowledge that things aren’t always going to go your way. You can’t fight it – so accept it. When something throws a wrench in your day it doesn’t mean you HAVE TO get upset, grumble or moan about it. Instead you can choose to be strong. You can choose to feel lighthearted no matter what is happening around you, even if you are sitting in traffic and running late for work.  Fuming won’t get you there any faster, will it? Try to relax and enjoy the scenery instead. You’ll feel better and still arrive at the same time. A negative attitude never makes anything better – never has, never will.

Have you ever worked with anyone who seems like they are always in a bad mood? The storm clouds brewing over their heads make them close-sighted and cause them to become hostile, pessimistic, and indifferent to how they are affecting others around them. Isn’t it funny how they complain that they don’t have time to be happy, yet they find time to seethe and gripe about their perceived injustices? The thing is your attitude really has nothing to do with time!

Also being negative alienates people. Not exactly a formula for success. All you’ll attract are other faultfinders. Is that really the crowd you want to surround yourself with?

A rotten attitude affects your ability to deal with stress and weakens your immune system causing you to waste more of your precious vacation days being sick not to mention increasing your risk for ulcers, heart disease and a host of other grave conditions. A particularly nasty side effect of this mindset is that it positions you as a victim. It screams ‘Oh poor me!’ You’ll continue to suffer over and over until you realize that YOU are the only one with the power to change your way of thinking and transform your life.

Every time you complain it becomes harder to break the pattern. You’ll have to WORK to loosen the powerful grip of this hurtful habit. First you need to become aware of when you start to slip into pessimism and then stop it in its tracks! Censure any comments you were going to murmur under your breath and replace it with something better. For instance; ‘Well this isn’t the best time for (x) to happen, but if we work together we can get it done.’