UNIT -1

What is failure - Causes of failure

Failure is defined as a lack of success or the inability to meet an expectation. The problem is
that we can read too much into failure. Too often, we tie it to our sense of self-worth, self-
esteem, and self-acceptance. The expectation we fail to meet is often our own, or one that
we've created in our own head.

However, when you observe incident reporting or issue reporting systems, you find that the
mistakes and failures found in the majority of organisations can actually fit into three
categories. These are preventable, unavoidable/complexity-related, and innovative or
intelligent failures.

9 Reasons for Failure (Regardless Of Industry Or Department)

Failures are an inevitable part of running a business, organisation, facility, or any other entity.
What’s important knows how to learn from mistakes and set up the right channels for
reporting them.

In any type of organisation, you need to promote employee involvement in resolving and
avoiding the repetition of mistakes. However, you cannot do that without understanding the
common reasons causing them. Hence in this blog post, we will be talking about nine
common reasons for mistakes regardless of industry or department.

9 Reasons for Failure

Lack of communications

Enabling employees to complete tasks properly, and with minimal mistakes, requires time
and effort. When people do not understand what they are doing, how to do it optimally, or
why they are doing something there is a higher chance of making mistakes or failing to
complete tasks altogether. Mitigate this risk by ensuring clear communications on tasks,
responsibilities and projects (current and upcoming) that require actions from employees.

2. Lack of leadership

Working without sufficient or proactive leadership is just as bad as not knowing what to do
due to a lack of communication. The leadership should be present, providing clear directions
and empowering information-sharing across the team so that everyone can complete their
work. You need to make sure workers have all the information they need to complete their
tasks with confidence.

3. Lack of vision
If employees do not have a direction and understanding of the overall vision they are working
towards, it will have an impact on the quality of their work and their performance (ie: the
number of mistakes they make). The vision and mission goes hand in hand with
communication and providing sufficient information, but also includes promoting a culture
where everybody feels that they have a purpose behind the work they are doing.

4. Complex systems

Some surroundings and functions will have more chance of failure and mistakes than others.
This means a failure could be inherent to a system based on its complexity. There is usually a
limited set of improvements to reduce the complexity itself, but as general rule of thumb, all
steps in a process should be well-documented in order to increase the likelihood of
succeeding.

5. Ill-discipline, lack of trust or negligence

Other times, failures happen as a result of the employee’s negligence or lack of trust. This
involves failure to abide by departmental or operational procedures, or disregarding rules and
methods. The root causes vary and might be about organisational problems, individual
relationships with supervisors or lack of motivation as a whole. Thus, offering a turnkey
solution is impossible but being aware of these issues is always the beginning. To do that,
having a low-threshold incident reporting platform helps a lot.

6. Not learning from past mistakes

A huge cause of repeated failures and mistakes is that organisations do not address the root
causes of failure the first time around. These unaddressed problems are like snowballs
starting to roll down from the top of a mountain, getting bigger and bigger as more time
passes. To avoid this, push to understand underlying issues, mitigate them, document the
corrective actions, and make sure relevant people are being trained based on this new
information.

7. Poor reporting channels

Poor incident or issue reporting channels and policies can cause blockages in identifying and
resolving issues. To learn from past mistakes, you need to enable the possibility for
employees to report and notify you when mistakes happen. To do this, you need to have
a proper channel, make sure people know how to find it, and make the reporting itself as
effortless as it can be.
8. A lack of business goals overview

If the strategy of your department or business isn't communicated properly, employees won’t
know their goals, objectives or how to best execute their everyday work. This makes it more
likely that they will face problems and failures. To address this, make sure that everybody
understands both the bigger scope and how their role plays into achieving it. As an additional
tip, we highly recommend organisations to look into both KPIs (Key Performance Indicators)
and OKRs (Objectives and Key Results).

9. Lack of employee involvement

The role of management and a manager is key for minimising failures and mistakes.
Managers are responsible for defining clear plans and goals, conducting quality checks, and
organising and monitoring their team's performance. A part of the performance success also
comes down to how involved and engaged each individual team member is. Employee’s
involvement has a direct impact on the efficiency and bottom-lines of the business, as it also
includes high levels of productivity. If employees aren't feeling involved in setting the KPIs,
OKRs or strategies for their work, then the team motivation drops. This leaves room for more
errors, and slow delivery times.

Final Thoughts

Failures are like a two-sided sword. Although it’s important to embrace them at times (as a
learning curve), it is also necessary to avoid them where possible. Understanding why or how
failures happen gives you valuable insight to help you address the causes instantly.
 UNIT-2

ATTITUDE & MOTIVATION

An attitude is a state of mind, while motivation is the reason you have for behaving in a
certain way. Your attitude can improve or decrease your motivation.

What is an example of motivation and attitude?

It's about making people feel good, so you seek out activities that allow you to do that. Example: A
gym trainer helps people have fun during their workouts with a great attitude. This motivates them to
come to work each day.

Why is attitude important in motivation?

With the right attitude, your motivations will manifest themselves into successes and goals
you never thought you could achieve, and it may be a place that is far better than what you
have imagined for yourself. Only you can choose your motivation, and only YOU can choose
your attitude!

What is concept motivation?

The term motivation is derived from the Latin word mover, meaning “to move”. Motivation
can be referred as a combination of motive and action. Motivation is an action word that
influences every aspect of our daily lives. Motivation is fundamental in the level of success
an individual attains.

What is the concept of attitude?

Attitude can be defined as the way in which a person views and evaluates something or
someone, a predisposition or a tendency to respond positively or negatively toward a certain
idea, object, person, or situation.

Factors Affecting Attitudes

These are the factors influencing attitude:

The factors which lead to development of attitudes are: a. Family b. Peers c. conditioning d.
Social adjustment functions e and direct instruction f. Modelling g. Satisfaction of wants and
h. Prejudices!

a. Family:
Family is the most powerful source for formation of attitudes. The parents, siblings provide
information about various things.

Attitudes developed by an individual, whether positive or negative are the result of family
influence, are very powerful and difficult to undo.
b. Peers:
As the individual develops, he comes in contact with outer world and peers in first place.
Peers include same age friends, neighbours, classmates, etc. The child tries to internalise the
attitudes of these people.

c. Conditioning:
When we are conditioned or adjusted to a certain set up of people, situation, etc., we will be
influenced by that. Hence, our associations lead to develop attitudes. Many times the kind of
reinforcement we get from environment also leads to develop attitudes.

On the other hand, negative reinforcement like punishment, teasing, criticizing, troubling
may lead to develop negative attitude. Examples: when a patient’s life is saved by a particular
hospital at critical moments, he will develop a favourable attitude about that hospital
(classical conditioning). Similarly, in instrumental conditioning, reward consequences of any
behaviour will shape our attitude. For example, if you express an attitude to a friend, who
then reinforce your behaviour in the form of smiling, your attitude is likely to be
strengthened, otherwise gets weakened.

d. Social adjustment functions:

This is otherwise called balance theory. Every society has majority of people who prefer to
lead a harmonious life. They try to avoid unnecessary friction of conflicts with people.
Naturally, they are inclined to develop positive attitudes towards most of the people and
issues. Our attitudes may facilitate and maintain our relationships with members of positively
valued groups. Usually we want to go with significant others to us, and rebel against those
unwanted.

e. Direct instruction:
Sometimes direct instruction can influence attitude formation. For example, somebody gives
information about a hair dye or usefulness of some fruit, we develop an attitude about that
product, may be positive or negative.

f. Modelling:
This has been influential in developing attitudes toward a wide range of issues from alcohol
to various kinds of dress, shoes, etc.

g. Satisfaction of wants:
Individual develops favourable attitudes towards those people and objects which satisfy his
wants and unfavourable attitudes towards those who do not satisfy.
h. Prejudices:
Prejudices are preconceived ideas or judgments where one develops some attitudes on other
people, objects, etc., without proper information. For example, disliking a doctor or a nurse
without knowing their abilities, just because of their caste, religion, region, nationality, etc.

Positive Attitude and Advantages

With a positive attitude we see the bright side of life, become optimistic, and expect the best
to happen. It is certainly a state of mind that is well worth developing. Positive attitude
manifests in the following ways: Positive thinking. Constructive thinking.

“The greatest discovery of any generation is that a human being can alter his life by
altering his attitude.”

William James, American philosopher and psychologist

The definition of a positive attitude encompasses a state of mind that allows you to envision
and expect good things. It does not mean living in denial of the negative situations around
you. A positive attitude means allowing yourself to stay optimistic. The benefits of a positive
attitude include anticipating happiness, health, success, and opportunities and, in turn,
keeping top of mind the positive outcomes that you may want for yourself.

Our positive attitude towards anything start s with positive thinking and a positive mind-set.
In fact, we can think of positive thinking as a mental attitude. It helps us to look forward to
good and favourable results. Here are some proven benefits of a positive attitude.

Better heart health

Our positive or negative thoughts and attitudes can impact our hearts. One study sought to
identify the possible benefits of a positive attitude in patients diagnosed with heart disease.
The results looked at patients with cardiovascular disease who introduced positive constructs.
The study found they experienced improved heart health. They also benefited from reduced
rates of hospitalization. And even improved mortality. We can note that optimism was the
major construct established and used in this study.

Another study suggests that having positive psychological well-being can further aid heart
health. This study shows a contribution to the prevention of cardiovascular health issues5.
This means that we may protect ourselves from heart disease and improve our physical health
by staying optimistic. A positive person avoids the burden and traits of negative thoughts.
2. An active, curious mind

We become more receptive to new information when we keep a positive attitude toward life.
We also enjoy trying out new things without the fear of failure.

Two Australian psychologists tested this theory on a group of students9. In their study, they
looked at self-belief - a positive attitude. They looked at which students from the sample
would actively pursue their learning. Furthermore, which would encounter problems. Before
they evaluated intellectual capacity, they assessed students' attitudes toward their education.

Just like the students in this group, a positive attitude will help you approach challenging
tasks better. You can also counter negative emotions when they sneak up on you by
challenging these thoughts with your self-belief.

And a more positive attitude is better for mental health and shown to reduce anxiety .
Furthermore, other studies have found that cultivating a positive attitude can prove an
important tool in dealing with depression2.

3. Increased productivity in the workplace

Researchers have proven that individuals with positive attitudes are more productive than
their peers. They positively reinforce themselves while approaching a new (or previously
failed) task. Thereby increasing their self-confidence and chances at success. However,
people who choose negative reinforcements by focusing on their mistakes have a chance of
failing again.

This approach even goes beyond individuals. We can also look at its role at work. Companies
that emphasize positivity will record better performance from their staff. Of course, as
humans, we naturally prefer to be exposed to positive things.

The benefits of a positive attitude can be shown across different aspects of both work and
life. These aspects include cognitive, emotional, psychologically, and socially. Positive
atmospheres at work are shown to lead to higher employee performance.

Staff perform better when an organization nurtures a positive learning space and feels
positive about its people. It seems that when human resources foster positive energy in the
work environment, it is good for individuals and co-workers.
4. Overcoming Obstacles Becomes Easier

Founders, social entrepreneurs, and others who pursue their dreams despite obstacles are
applauded for grit. But grit does not come from intent. It comes from a positive attitude and
commitment. You have more chances of achieving your goals if you can approach negative
situations with a more positive perspective.

Of course, having a positive attitude is not enough to get you through everything. We must
identify a purpose for overcoming that obstacle to realize the benefits of positive thinking
best. But with a combination of both, your chances of a more positive mind-set are much
more favourable.

5. Better Relationships and Social Life

We usually want healthy relationships, both in friendships and dating. Knowing this, we seek
out people to build healthy, positive relationships. But a study by a prominent psychologist
reveals the means for people to create healthy relationships.

They must (first) be able to cultivate positive emotions7 and encouraging attitudes. This is
because relationships will not always be on good terms as people disagree often. In such
moments, negative emotions can push us to take narrow-minded actions, which may not be
easy to undo.

Further, positive people tend to have built-in psychological resilience. This resilience allows
them to respond better to negative moments and look to the bright side of life. As a result,
they can better equip themselves to cultivate healthy responses to disagreements. And often
more appropriate ones too.

Positive people use humour, creativity, relaxation, and optimistic thinking. These qualities
can help disarm disagreements and dispel those bad attitude moments. Generally, this
positive attitude will make anyone a better friend, family, or partner.

6. Better Recovery Process

Recovery processes such as physiotherapy or mental therapy require a lot of commitment and
hard work. In fact, therapists like to establish their client's resilience to identify their strengths
and use them better

The attitude of any patient toward their recovery process is one of the strengths evaluated by
therapists. Whether you're trying to regain the use of your limbs or recover from mental
trauma, your therapist knows one thing. Maintaining a positive attitude will help the progress
of your therapy.

Seligman, one of the founders of the Positive Psychology movement, puts it this way:

“If we want to build and maintain well-being, we must, on one hand, lessen our misery;
but on the contrary, we must have a positive meaning, emotion, accomplishment, and
positive relationships. A positive attitude is a habit. As with all habits, it becomes a part
of you after you've practiced it over and over again. And the more you do so, the more
you can avoid the opposing negative attitude. People with a positive attitude start by
fostering good thoughts. Here are a few practices to add to your everyday routines to
assist you in developing positive attitudes and staying positive throughout aspects of
your life and work:

1. Practice mindfulness

Mindfulness involves actively paying attention to your environment, both internal and
external. We don't know that most of our actions and responses to situations are on autopilot.
In fact, the average person is on autopilot 47% of the time.

Mindfulness will enable you to take stock of your environment and your responses to the
prompts around you. What makes you feel nervous about a new task? Who/What is the
immediate environment that makes you feel like you can do anything? Who makes you feel
like a failure? What do you tell yourself when you're scared? How do you respond to both
positive and negative events?

All these questions can be answered by practicing mindfulness meditation. Here's a 3-minute
guided practice to help you get started, and these mindfulness quotes will inspire you to keep
going. If you're new to mindfulness, simple techniques like deep breathing can help you get
started and clear your thoughts to focus on the positive.

You can also adopt the practice of positive self-talk or engage in positive affirmations as part
of your morning routine, whereby you share verbally or in writing everything positive about
the current moment or daily life.

Our journal prompts might assist you if you want to write your thoughts down on paper in a
gratitude journal. To start out practicing gratitude, jot down what makes a great day, explore
the part of life on the bright side, and reflect on compliments rather than criticism. When you
practice gratitude, you can spend time with a more positive outlook, all helping foster a more
positive attitude.
2. Adopt a growth mind-set

We don't like to accept our shortcomings. But if we want to get better, we must first accept
the negative parts of ourselves along with the positive. To begin this process, we should
adopt a growth mind-set. Take time to understand the difference between a fixed and a
growth mind-set.

This positive mind-set allows us to see the parts of ourselves that need improvement and to
pursue opportunities for (positive) change actively. None of us will ever attain perfection, but
we can live a positive and fulfilling life by staying open to change.

3. Surround yourself with positive people

The people in your immediate environment contribute to shaping your attitude toward life.
Seemingly ordinary things like encouragement, group solidarity, and support can serve as a
buffer against negative thinking, experiences, or reactions.

If you want to cultivate a positive mental attitude, you should surround yourself with people
brimming with positive thoughts, which will encourage this growth. Avoid those with
negative attitudes that might hinder your positive outlook.

It's worth noting that while surrounding ourselves with others in a positive state of mind and
who possess a great attitude can help you maintain a positive attitude, life is not always that
straightforward.

We can't always just ask people to stop complaining or look on the bright side. Negative
people often need the support we can and should provide where we can. And when
supporting or encouraging others to feel grateful and enjoy life, sharing our approaches to
developing a more positive attitude can prove beneficial.

Conclusion

The benefits of a positive attitude go beyond feel-good moments. Your attitude serves as the
building block for your experiences and achievements. If you approach challenges while
believing in yourself and nurturing your self-esteem, you'll have much more success with a
good attitude than someone who avoids challenges.
Moreover, numerous studies point to the effects of positive thinking impacting our health in a
positive way, from the immune system to the heart and mental health.

If you treat people positively, you'll be able to build happy and fulfilling relationships. Your
general health also thrives when you can keep negative self-talk, emotions, and fears out of
your own thoughts and focus on better outcomes. As long as you have a positive attitude, you
can always recover from any situation and pursue new adventures. After all, we could all do
without more negativity.

Negative attitude and Disadvantages

A person’s mind-set can make or break their character as a whole.

It would be a dream to always have happy thoughts in mind all the time. But the harsh truth is
that there are those days where we are brought down so that negative thoughts come in.

It can’t be helped. There will be days when negative thoughts can make you think less of
yourself and your life.

But that’s not all there is to it. A negative mind-set can be a burden on you in more ways than
one:

Negativity affects how people see you

Being pessimistic does not improve your relationships with the people around you, nor will it
give them a positive view of yourself either.

A negative mind-set can portray you as someone who never looks on the bright side of
things, and more often than not you won’t be seen as reliable, motivated, or even just fun to
hang out with in general.

Obviously, you also won’t be a positive influence on anyone who sees you as a Debbie
Downer.

Learn to bring some light to your life for others to enjoy.

It affects you inside and out

Constant negative thoughts will affect you physically and psychologically.

Let’s talk about physical changes. A negative mind-set can severely affect your health by
lowering your body’s defences. You might not feel like eating properly leading to bad dietary
habits. You may also not be sleeping properly leading you to feel weaker on a daily basis.

Negative thoughts can also affect you on a mental scale. You could feel depressed and not
feel like getting much done. Also, you might not have hope or faith in anything you do,
which means your work could be at its absolute worst too.

You always meet failure

It should be noted that with negativity comes failure.

If your horizons are always bleak, then your journey will always remain dark. This means
that a negative mind-set doesn’t just draw in failure, it welcomes it with open arms and by
extension, and you do as well.

In short, having a negative mind-set will draw in failure to your life, and it may never leave
your side the longer you sink into less than positive thoughts.

You always feel stressed

There’s no bigger pressure than the one you put on yourself by having a negative mind-set.

Negative thoughts build up stress and leave you worried all the time without a moment of
peace, which keeps you paranoid, frantic, and in such a mess that stops you from being
productive and accomplishing anything meaningful.

You don’t need stress interfering with your life, and you certainly do not need negative
thoughts clouding your judgment either. Save yourself the trouble and get rid of both of them
at once.

A negative mind-set will always put you on the losing side. Not just for you, but for the
people who love and care about you too, and it only gets worse the deeper you decide to sink
into it.

Be the positivity that you greatly need in your life.

Ways to develop positive and negative attitude:

Having a positive outlook naturally results in a more optimistic view of life. Rather than
thinking “the grass is greener on the other side,” you’ll feel that you’re already on greener
grass. You’ll see the positive side to most situations, helping you deal with negative events.

You’ll deal with disappointments and failures more easily.

They’ll still be hard, but you’ll cope and bounce back. Not only that, but you can accept that
things turned out the way they did, rather than being in denial. Those with a negative attitude
will dwell and ruminate over negative events.

You’ll be more empathetic and understanding toward others.

With a positive attitude, you learn to see the thoughts behind people’s actions and why they
may have acted the way they did. Rather than jumping to a harmful conclusion, you can
understand where people may be coming from.

You’ll be more grateful.

A positive outlook will teach you to be grateful for the good things in your work and life.
You’ll approach every day with an appreciative mindset.
 Clearly, having a positive attitude is immensely beneficial, yet it’s easier said than done. By
adopting some of the following tips, you can maintain a positive attitude through highs and
lows and improve your work ethic.

10 Creative Ways to Keep a Positive Attitude

1. Start a gratitude journal.
2. Treat yourself to some self-care every day.
3. Start every morning strong.
4. Avoid spreading gossip.
5. Crack more jokes.
6. Take real breaks.
7. Have something to look forward to after work.
8. Practice meditation.
9. Focus on the long-term instead of the short-term.
10. Listen to music that matches your mood.

1. Start a gratitude journal.

There’s so much to be grateful for in life, so why not remind yourself of that on a daily basis?

A gratitude journal is a wonderful way to stay positive every day. Once a day, you jot down
at least three aspects of your day for which you feel thankful. They can be as small as seeing
a cute dog on your way to work or as large as getting an offer for your dream job.
Additionally, they can be something that happened to you on that specific day — such as
getting yourself a large latte — or something that exists in your life always — like having a
family who loves you.

Whatever you want to write is up to you. All that matters is that you’re remembering to feel
grateful every day. By retraining your mind to think about all the good things in your life,
you can develop a more positive outlook.

2. Treat yourself to some self-care every day.

It’s always important to take care of both your physical and mental health. It can feel
overwhelming when you’re working a full-time job that requires you to constantly interact
with people — whether they be customers, prospects, co-workers, or managers — in high-
pressure situations.

To keep moving forward with a positive attitude, it’s essential that you take a step back and
treat yourself to something special. Self-care doesn’t always have to involve a nighttime soak
in the bath with candles and a glass of wine — although that sounds lovely, too.

Consider the ways you can unwind, de-stress, and have some “you” time. Some examples are
doing a face mask, watching a movie, baking, reading, calling a friend, getting takeout, or
even just saying “no” to plans and, instead, staying in. No matter what it is, you should get
into the habit of practicing something every day. By allowing yourself these moments of rest,
you can ensure a more positive attitude when you’re on the work grind.
3. Start every morning strong.

It’s easier to maintain a positive attitude all day if you implement it right after opening your
eyes in the morning. That dreaded moment when the alarm goes off can often lead to
irritation, which sets you on the path to have a negative attitude all day.

Instead, think about some ways to make your morning the best part of your day — especially
if you’re not a morning person. Consider waking up a half hour or an hour earlier than usual.
This means getting into bed earlier, too! Give yourself time to do the things you love but may
not always have time for; go for a run, relish in a hot shower, have a cup of coffee, and
actually make breakfast (and, no, granola bars and frozen waffles don’t count). Put on your
favorite music or show, or even whip out a book and start your morning doing something you
love while enjoying a home-cooked meal.

When your morning is more productive and less rushed, you’ll be sure to head to work in
higher spirits. That morning glow will spread throughout your day, and then, the cycle can
repeat.

4. Avoid spreading gossip.

To many, gossip is their bread and butter. However, the mere act of saying things — whether
or not they are true — behind someone’s back that you wouldn’t say to their face is negative.
In the workplace, gossip leads to an unstable, unsafe, and disagreeable environment. After all,
if you’re spreading rumors about your coworkers, chances are they’re doing the same about
you … yikes.

It can be hard to avoid gossip, but simply refuse to get involved. If someone tries to reveal a
dramatic story about a coworker, decline and tell them you’d rather not participate. While
that may feel odd, you’ll actually find that you feel lighter when not carrying the weight of
secrets. And, when you’re not talking about other people, you can feel more confident that
others are keeping their lips zipped about you. And that’s a reason to feel optimistic.

5. Crack more jokes.

Humor truly is the best medicine. Laughter has great short-term results on your mindset and
body. According to the Mayo Clinic, laughter can increase endorphins, relieve stress, and
release tension.

In the long-term, laughter — and the positive thoughts associated with laughter — can
release neuropeptides, which fight stress and other serious illnesses. It can also help you cope
with difficult situations and make you feel happier. By cracking more jokes, you can make
humor out of potentially negative situations at work, and — at the same time — prepare your
body and mind for a more positive outlook.

6. Take real breaks.

On a busy, eight-hour day, it can sometimes be difficult to find time for a serious break. That
means leaving the workspace, having a meal, and putting away all work-related information.
You are legally allowed to have a break, and you should never feel like that rest period is
jeopardized.

Working for eight hours straight can make you feel sluggish and irritated. A break — even
for 30 minutes — can re-energize you and make you more motivated to continue your work
for that day. Give yourself time to refuel your positivity, and you’ll be sure to end the day on
a better note.

7. Have something to look forward to after work.

You may be tired after a long day of work, but having something planned after 5 p.m. can
make the day look a little brighter. Whether it be with your co-workers, family, or friends, a
night of fun can make the day go by a lot faster.

Your plans don’t always have to involve going out for drinks or dinner. Even planning a
Netflix marathon can put a silver lining on your workday. The point is to craft your days to
be more than just “work.” By penciling in some fun time several days a week, you can find a
healthy way to balance your personal and professional life.

8. Practice meditation.

Practicing meditation can do a lot to decrease stress and anxiety, as well as improve mental
and spiritual health. Proper meditation can decrease workplace anxiety for those in high-
pressure work environments, such as in customer support or service.

Even five minutes a day is a great start to a meditation routine. Practice deep breathing and
clearing your mind. Simple methods like this are effortless and will help you find balance in
your life, as well as let go of the negativity and stress that you may experience on a daily
basis.

9. Focus on the long-term instead of the short-term.

When a conflict arises — either with a co-worker or with a customer — your immediate
reaction might be to jump to the defence. You want to protect yourself and garner respect,
which is a good thing. However, the more conflicts in which you partake, the more negativity
will surround your life.

Instead, take a second to step back and view the situation from a third-party perspective. Will
participating in this conflict be beneficial in the long run? Or, will it simply cause
unnecessary stress and negativity at the moment?

Often, a customer is simply having a bad day, or a co-worker is facing stress. Rather than
snapping back, you can practice empathy. This might help you get to the root of the problem
and end the conversation on a positive, lighter note.

10. Listen to music that matches your mood.

It seems ironic, but sad music may actually help boost your mood. According to a research
study, many people tune into sad songs as a form of mood enhancement. Many consider sad
 music to be “beautiful,” which helps people feel better. In addition, sad songs can invoke
memories, distract from negative situations, and carry strong messages.

When you practice the above tips, you’ll find your attitude much improved. And you’ll find
that it comes out through your actions, too. Take a look at some examples of what a positive
attitude can look like in your work and daily life.

Positive Attitude Examples

1. Looking at the Bright Side After Getting Laid Off
2. Practicing Self-Care after a Failure at Work
3. Meditating When Feeling Overwhelmed at Work
4. Finding Worthwhile Pastimes While Stuck in Traffic

1. Looking at the Bright Side after Getting Laid Off

If you’ve ever been laid off, then you know how unpleasant it is. You feel like your worth has
been brought into question because you weren’t important enough to stay on the company’s
payroll. Even if it wasn’t by anyone’s choice but rather a result of financial instability, it can
be disheartening, especially if you have family to take care of.

Armed with a positive outlook, you would:

 Let yourself feel the pain and grief of losing your job. Having a positive outlook doesn’t
mean not feeling badly; it means getting up after life gets you down.
 Create a plan and take care of the basics, such as securing unemployment benefits.
 Start a new hobby or side business, or do things that having a job prevented you from doing.
 Practice self-care to remind yourself of your value.
 Read a book, start a new show or podcast, or seek another stimulating pastime. Maybe you
can be the stay-at-home parent and take care of the kids.
 Start applying for jobs with the hope of securing better pay, better benefits, or a better work
environment.

2. Practicing Self-Care after a Failure at Work

After messing up at work, it’s easy to feel downtrodden and dwell on the failure. Maybe you
didn’t prepare a presentation well enough, your disorganization got in the way of your
productivity, or your manager once again had to meet with you about your performance.

To face this situation with a positive attitude, you would:

 Accept that you could’ve done better, but that the only way to go now is up.
 Treat yourself with as much compassion and understanding as if a colleague had made this
mistake, and you were looking at it as a bystander.
 Practice self-care to avoid overthinking and remind yourself of your value.
 Let it go and know that you can always do better.
 Create an internal improvement plan so that this mishap doesn’t happen again.

3. Meditating When Feeling Overwhelmed at Work

 Does this sound familiar? You have twenty clients to follow-up with, a presentation due just
this week, and a meeting with higher-ups about your team’s performance. In this situation,
nearly anyone would feel overwhelmed. Even if the details are different, we’ve all felt in over
our heads at one time or another.

A person with a positive attitude would deal with this situation by meditating or finding
another coping mechanism. You would also:

 Take inventory of everything you have to do and prioritize them by importance.

 Reach out to your manager to let them know you’ll need more time, if possible.
 Practice self-care and understand that your productivity at work doesn’t define your worth.
 Postpone what can be postponed and do what must be done now.
 Get up earlier than usual to have a few more hours in the day to catch up on work.
 Unwind in the evening by reading, exercising, or watching a comfort show.

4. Finding Worthwhile Pastimes While Stuck in Traffic

Road rage is, well, all the rage — especially if you live in a congested area. Will you get
angry and try to merge from lane to lane so you can find the one that’s going more quickly?

With a positive outlook, you would:

 Accept that there’s nothing you can do about traffic, and that getting angry hurts you more
than anything else.
 Take a few deep breaths while at the wheel and slow down the speed of the vehicle.
 Find a podcast on your favourite music player, or listen to music you’ve never listened to
before.
 Think about your tasks for the upcoming day and make additional plans if necessary.
 Call up a friend or family to help pass the time.

As you can see, having a positive attitude helps immensely even when facing something as
major as a layoff or as minor as traffic.

Below, you’ll find some positive attitude quotes you can bookmark to help you maintain your
positive attitude.

Positive Attitude Quotes

1. "Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose." - Lyndon B. Johnson
2. "A good laugh is sunshine in the house." - William Makepeace Thackeray
3. "If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes
mistakes." - John Wooden
4. "Every day brings new choices." - Martha Beck
5. "If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude." - Maya
Angelou
6. "Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you
have for sure." - Oprah Winfrey
7. "You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced
by them." - Maya Angelou
8. "Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will." - Zig Ziglar
9. "You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind." - Joyce Meyer
10. "People deal too much with the negative, with what is wrong. Why not try and see positive
things, to just touch those things and make them bloom?" - Thich Nhat Hanh

Keep a Positive Attitude to Improve Your Work Life

Now that you’re equipped with all the tools, tips, and mantras you need, you can set yourself
on a path to a positive, refreshing attitude on life. And maybe, just maybe, this will help you
find more happiness in your work life, allowing you to be more productive and face failures
head-on.
Sign Up for Updates
 SIGN UP

ABOUT
·
THE TEAM
·
CONTACT
·
PRIVACY
·
COOKIES
·
T&Cs

Copyright © 2023 TRVST LTD. All Rights Reserved

100 North Point Center E, Ste 125 #A262, Alpharetta, GA 30022, USA.

7 Bell Yard, London, WC2A 2JR, United Kingdom.

As a subscriber you will stay up to date on new product features, blog posts and other
interesting topics.