I have a question for you. This morning when you woke up or the alarm went off, did you think to yourself, (1)”Great. Another day, another $1.50?” or did you think, (2)”It’s another day and another opportunity to do my good work in the world.” These are two very different ways to show up at work.
With the first thought, you are already creating a feeling of boredom or frustration. With the second thought, you are creating a feeling of anticipation or excitement.
What kind of action do you think you would take if you started your day with the first thought? No extra effort, right? Maybe even a slow-down to match your feeling.
And with the second thought? You might volunteer for an extra project or at least show up with some energy towards your tasks for the day.
What kind of result do you think you would get if you take the action or do no action in response to the (1) thought? A work slow down, a negative comment from the boss, or just continued boredom with the job.
And with thought (2)? What result do you think you would get? Positive notice from the boss, assignments complete, a sense of accomplishment in yourself and your abilities perhaps.
My point in asking all these questions is this: The thoughts you start your day with can produce either positive or negative results. Reinforcing these thoughts day after day can continue the result you desire or produce the total lack of results.
Your thoughts produce all the feelings, actions and results you create. It’s as simple as that.
The good news is when you know and understand this, you can make changes to turn things around.
Now, who would like to turn things around? I am raising my hand, because even though I don’t report to work like I used to when I worked for an agency, I know that my thoughts and attitudes determine how the rest of the day goes. And I use this model daily.
The process is this:
- Do a morning download of your thoughts, maybe even before you get out of bed. Write them down.
- Be compassionate with yourself and understand how these thoughts originated. Don’t be hard on yourself.
- Work a model (which is what I described above) on the negative thoughts. Then come up with a better thought and follow the model through using the new thought.
Circumstance triggers a
Thought creates a
Feeling creates an
Action creates
Results.
Here is an example:
C: I have a job
T: I’m tired of doing the same thing every day
F: Bored
A: None. Same as yesterday and the day before
R: Boredom continues. Maybe negative notice by boss.
Turnaround
C: I have a job
T: I am good at what I do and I can volunteer to do more.
F: Inspired
A: Talk to boss. Volunteer.
R: Positive notice by boss. Chance for promotion. Make more money. Renewed enthusiasm about work.
See how it works? Now how about trying this method yourself. Make up your mind on Sunday night that when you wake up Monday morning, you will start the day with this thought ______________. See what happens. You will be amazed at how much better your day can go. And you will be showing up as the person on the job who has energy, gets things done, and the boss notices (in a very good way.)
Try this and let me know how it goes. I would love to hear in the comments section.
Need help turning things around on the job? Feeling kind of stuck? Contact me here and we’ll chat for 20 minutes to see how I can help you see things differently and get different results. Let’s get things moving!
Jane Springer is a certified Life, Wellness and Style Coach who assists women in taking care of themselves, in body, mind and spirit. She coaches women who want to lose weight, avoid diabetes, and feel great. She also helps them thrive after divorce. She also helps them to clear their closets of old clothes and outdated attitudes, so they can shine and feel confident.