How a positive mindset makes your life more pleasant

Everyone at work has occasional bad days and setbacks. How you and your colleagues deal with it affect the working atmosphere. How do you stay focused on what works well and makes your work life more pleasant? Find out all about it in this blog post. Learn about the irresistible power of a positive mindset and how to encourage it in the workplace. Gain insights that will benefit both you and your staff across the board.

A positive approach strongly affects our lives. We all have occasional setbacks to deal with. The difference is in how you deal with it. You know from experience how negativity starts a downward spiral at work. And usually leads to greater frustration and demotivation. But a positive mindset and working atmosphere increases job satisfaction, sparks initiatives and improves work performance. People with a positive outlook handle setbacks differently. They have a resilient attitude, dream up solutions and take the initiative. A positive mindset provides greater job satisfaction, a sense of freedom and encourages better performance.

So how do you create such a positive, constructive working atmosphere in the office? Five insights will help make this happen.

1. Speak positively and constructively
   A positive, constructive atmosphere is contagious. Avoid expressing your frustrations openly. Actively promote positivity. Notice how your constructive behaviour improves the working atmosphere around you. Not only does your attitude and behaviour make a difference, the language you use has a huge effect. Use positive wording in your conversations, meetings and emails. It is how you create a stimulating working environment.
   
   Some examples? Use ‘have to’ instead of ‘want to’. This minimises the idea that you require a colleague to do something and boosts their ambition to get it done. Drop the word ‘but’ from your vocabulary and say ‘and’. Remember… the word ‘but’ negates everything you just said. Using the word ‘and’ confirms all of the positive things said. And test the difference between the verbs ‘try’ and ‘do’. Now that sounds a lot more proactive, right?
   
   
2. Discover ‘areas for improvement’ rather than ‘shortcomings’
   Do you say ‘shortcomings’ or ‘areas for improvement’? It may seem like the same thing, yet it sounds completely different. Now, we all have our foibles. And that’s not necessarily all that bad. It just means we complement each other and strengthen the team spirit. This gives everyone’s talents a chance to shine. The challenge is in facing our weaker points and improving ourselves. So transform shortcomings into challenging areas for improvement. And reward yourself and your staff for every sign of growth and improvement.
3. Strengthen everyone’s qualities
   Your whole company benefits when you give your staff the room to flourish at something they excel in. This improves their self-confidence, work satisfaction and commitment to your company. Each employee is a unique individual with their own skillset. Do you allow your staff to fill their workdays with tasks they excel at? You might discover a hidden talent that you may need at another time and be grateful for. And then everyone wins.
   
   
4. Learn from setbacks
   Never sweep setbacks – even small ones – under the carpet. And never give a big setback the chance to drag you down. Every setback is an opportunity to learn, grow and improve. For example, if you experience a setback, write down how you go past it. What did you learn? How does it make you want to improve? And with your new insights, what problems can you avoid from now on? We usually want to forget setbacks as quickly as possible. So from today, carpe diem… grab these opportunities and get something positive out of them. Transform it into a learning opportunity so you invest in your future.
   
   
5. Lots of pats on the back and celebrate successes
   Give your full attention to all progress, improvement and gains. Just hauled in a huge order? Or successfully completed a project, big or small? Then celebrate it! And feel free to tell your colleagues. If you have something positive to report, share it loud and clear with others around you. Make it a good-news email, lunch treat or stick a Post-it with a compliment on your colleague’s desk. These wonderful minor and major events deserve extra attention. Never let them pass in silence without giving your colleague (or yourself) a pat on the back!