As I write this, I'm ready to head back to work after a 9-day break. I'm looking forward to it. Really. I like my job. My boss. The people I work with. The clients I serve. The projects I get to work on. The impact I can have. The office I work in. The hours I set for myself. Even my commute is better than some I've had. My work life is good.
Two weeks ago, I would have been hard-pressed to mention any of those likes. I had gotten so tied up in some big projects and situations that weren't going well that I completely lost sight of the many, many positives about my work and workplace. Negativity breeds negativity so then I started making more mistakes, which caused many more problems. I came home late every night, and I'm sure my family didn't even mind spending less time with me since I was so grumpy anyway.
I want to make sure I don't go to that negative place again, even when the sh** hits the fan, so I wrote out my list of positives to post at work:
In every happiness book or article I read, the author or researcher talks about the importance of gratitude. I've talked about it too, and I'll keep doing so because it's so important for all of us to remember. Finding - and focusing on - the positive in each situation makes a huge difference.
As I publish this post, I've been back to work two days. Yesterday morning I read a quote "When things go 'wrong,' you tend to react as if you're being punished. Instead of this negative response, try to view difficulties as blessings in disguise." How poignant when I was hit with a migraine yesterday afternoon... I focused on gratitude that I have understanding and helpful coworkers, medicine to help alleviate the pain, and an office with a door so I could hunker down. And I'm certainly blessed that I don't get migraines more often.
Count your blessings.
Photo by Ksenia Makagonova on Unsplash
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