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Maybe it’s too many people telling us to practice daily affirmations and listen to happy music that’s made us skeptical of anyone telling us how to get an optimistic attitude, but when we saw BNET’s article on achieving a winning attitude for business people (particularly, people in sales), we thought it might be worth a look. After all, business people don’t have time for all that positive affirmation crap, right?
Well, actually, they do. Skeptical or not, Jeff Keller, author of Attitude is Everything, says that a positive attitude is the key to sales success, and we think his steps to becoming optimistic are actually pretty helpful whether you
Step #1: Realize That You Are In Control - The weather, traffic, and your computer’s meltdown in the middle of a busy workweek might seem out of your hands, but how you choose to react isn’t. If your flight is delayed because of thunderstorms, you might fret and despair because your clients are surely annoyed with your tardiness, but a more productive way to look at it is that they’ll appreciate you more for having sat in the airport and waited through a delayed flight to get to them. Taking the second approach is sure to start you off on a better foot once you actually get there, too.
Step #2: Reframe Failures and Setbacks - Bad meetings, lost clients, and dissatisfied bosses usually trigger bad feelings and negative emotions, but using them as a learning opportunity rather than a reason to stress and get depressed is much more constructive, and will help you pick up from a better place the next day.
Step #3: Get Your Daily Dose of Positive Input - Getting at least 15 minutes of positive music, reading, quotes, or any other input that lifts your mood and makes you think positive can go a long way towards keeping your spirits up.
Step #4: Go on a Negative Media Diet - Entertainment and news often focus on negative stories. Filter out downer news programming and TV shows that promote negative thinking.
Step #5: Spend Time With Other Optimists - Spending time around negative friends and family members pulls down your own mood. Instead of going to cocktails with coworkers who like to bitch about your boss, pick more positive company. It will rub off.
Step #6: Choose Your Words Positively - Cut out negative phrases and words from your vocabulary – “I can’t”, “it’s impossible”, and “I’m in a bad mood” only promote more negativity and feelings of failure. If you start using positive language, your actions and mood are bound to catch up.
via BNET
