4 ways to avoid a negative work week

4 ways to avoid a negative work week Have you ever been stuck in traffic thinking that the traffic jam is never going to let you through?  Well, if you live in Tulsa right now, you know exactly what I mean.  Our city officials have apparently decided to begin construction on many major intersection in our town ALL AT THE SAME TIME.  It is almost every day that we get a call from one of our employees letting us know that they have “once again” shut down part of I-44.  I know that I, myself have been late due to the traffic and there was nothing that I could do about it.  The good thing about the traffic situation in Tulsa right now is that most employers are very sympathetic and fully understand their employees’ unforeseen difficulties getting to work due to traffic issues.  Being positive in a negative situation is a conscious choice that has to be made daily.  There are very few people in life that figure that out.  It seems as though it is much easier and popular to be negative than to be positive.  Following are some suggestions that will help you to have a better, more positive week. “It all goes back to choices, and a lot of people choose to go the negative route,” says Joel Zeff, author of Make the Right Choice: Creating a Positive, Innovative and Productive Work Life. “Why not go the [positive] way? It’s less stressful.” And while you may think planning is a drag, the truth is that the more you plan your life, the more you reduce your stress and increase your sense of control. Make a choice to be happy: Being happy sometimes is just a choice.  Not only myself, but many people that I know who decide to be happy throughout a week report a dramatic difference in how they felt that their work week went.  I remember there was a book written a while back that seemed to make a lot of sense to those who read it.  “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff”  Throughout this next week.  I want to encourage you to not sweat the small things that all too often make us have a negative opinion of our day. Plan your commute:  Right now, there are lots of construction projects.  Make sure and pay attention to that guy on the radio that constantly reminds us that there will be construction here or there.  The local news websites also have construction updates updated for you to know when and where the construction will be happening throughout the week.  Even though your supervisor may be sympathetic to construction.  It is still an unnecessary event that usually rises your stress level.  If you plan ahead, you can avoid a big early morning headache. Try to go out of your way to help someone at work: One of the most overlooked way to feel more positive is just as simple as lending a helping hand.  There is nothing that makes us “human beings” to feel better than just helping someone out when they don’t expect it.  I was at the convenience store the other day and someone was a quarter short and I dug in my pocket and gave them my quarter.  They were completely shocked (you could see it in the look on their face)  and also, the clerk made a comment thanking me.  But I left that convenient store thinking and feeling great about what I had done.  If we all took more time to just do something nice for someone unexpectedly, we would all live in a happier place. Stay out of the “Drama”: You know what I am talking about here.  Everywhere I have ever worked, there is always a group of employees that sit around and complain and whine about the recent “problems” .  This just creates a negative thought process in everyone.  You will be much happier if you purposefully avoid these discussions.  You will eliminate that automatic negative thinking. Have a great week this week from Trinity Employment Specialists! Every day may not be good, but there’s something good in every day.  ~Author Unknown If you don’t like something change it; if you can’t change it, change the way you think about it.  ~Mary Engelbreit Article by Tulsa staffing expert, Cory Minter, President of Trinity Employment Specialists