You Can Stay Positive and Progressive at Work with These Tips

John Krautzel
Posted by in Career Advice


Before complaining about a lack of progressivity in your workplace, make sure you're not part of the problem. A positive attitude helps open your mind to new ideas, and positivity is contagious. When you focus on staying positive, your coworkers are likely to join you, leading to a better atmosphere for innovation and a more productive environment for everyone. Try these tips to get started.

Cultivate a Calming Morning Routine

A hectic morning routine may leave you feeling irritated and stressed before you even get to your office. To combat this, work on adding some pleasant activities to your morning schedule. Read some uplifting blogs, or scroll through a favorite humor website to start each day laughing. Choose soothing music for your morning commute, and avoid radio shows that are contentious. Some people enjoy spending five to 10 minutes on free writing, yoga or meditation to ensure a peaceful start to the day.

Set Realistic Goals

You may think that lofty goals are essential to achieving great things, but they can also set you up for failure if you're not careful. Instead, set reasonable goals, and celebrate every success. Checking things off a well-organized to-do list is another way to nurture your positive attitude. Watch out for unreasonable expectations from your boss or co-workers. Speak up for yourself, and set boundaries to ensure that you are able to complete tasks well, meet deadlines and satisfy clients.

Consider Coworkers Teammates

Remember that you and your coworkers are on the same team. Although a little friendly competition can boost productivity, regularly treating your coworkers as adversaries enhances negativity at work. Foster a positive attitude and a progressive workplace by smiling at each person you see and complimenting the deserving work of others. Keep an open mind about cooperation, soliciting the ideas of others and encouraging those facing difficulties.

Take Problems in Stride

Every workplace has problems. Whether it's irritating coworkers, demanding bosses, slow technology or perplexing work tasks, expect regular challenges on the job. Maintaining a positive attitude is difficult if you let every imperfection rule your mood. When you face difficulties, look for the best solution and then follow through without stressing about your inability to control every detail.

Keep Work Stress at Work

Work problems tend to grow larger in your mind when you ruminate about them outside of work hours. Instead, make your private time about your family, friends and personal interests. Create a transition ritual for decompressing after your workday. Spend a few moments at your desk writing about the day's activities before your leave the office to signal a change from your work mind-set to home mind-set. Some people may enjoy a brisk after-work jog. Others may like to listen to upbeat music on the drive home. Keeping a consistent after-work routine, such as getting a drink with friends, is another way to help you maintain a positive attitude at work and transition to a pleasant evening of necessary downtime.

Learn to face each day at work with a positive attitude to build the strong foundation of positivity necessary to foster a progressive workplace. Stay optimistic when dealing with challenging situations, and fight off negativity to help make your job a place of contentment and satisfaction for you and your co-workers.


Photo courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson

    @Tanya M. thanks for your comment. So sorry that you are going through this. Unfortunately you don't know what she is going through - what has caused the anger. Maybe she is right and you should reconsider your position by looking for a new job. Or maybe you can request a sit down with her and explain why it's not right for you to add your personal cell phone number onto any office correspondence. But, if she is angry all of the time, she just might fire you. It's unfortunate but it might be a chance you have to take. Personally I would be looking for a new job. Trying to work in a toxic atmosphere is not good for anyone. What about your other coworkers? Are they receiving the same treatment? Remember, you don't know what has caused her anger. Could be that she is dealing with family issues or health issues or a myriad of other issues. Maybe she doesn't realize how she is coming across to you and your coworkers. Maybe, during your meeting, you could ask if there is anything wrong; anything you can do to help. Sometimes that's all it takes to break through the anger barrier. Since you have been in your job for 5 years and haven't been experiencing this, you can be pretty sure that something has happened in her life to cause this. Could be that she just needs a listening ear. Anyone else facing the same issue a Tanya? What did you do to resolve the issue?

  • TANYA M.
    TANYA M.

    I’m been in my job 5 years and I have a boss lately that she is angry all the time to everyone sitting with everyone to change stragedy job work to be more so sufficient but with anger arritude disrespectful. She threatened me yesterday to reconsider my position in the job if I do not add my personal cell phone in my emails and template letter at work I don’t get paid overtime nor salary. What can I do ?

  • Mudaasir Z.
    Mudaasir Z.

    Absolutely right

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