Choose Your Attitude

I haven’t been happy at work lately and it’s really put me in a funk. But then somehow,  something shifted for me. I remembered something sort of Zen a former boss of mine once said to the effect of, “It’s the same day whether you choose to be happy about it or not.”

This sentiment has been expressed over and over throughout time (see some of the quotes below): That all that we humans have control over are our attitudes, not our circumstances; That a positive outlook does more for us than worldly goods, money, or status. The sentiment is especially poignant for me when expressed by Victor Frankl, Holocaust survivor and author of Man’s Search for Meaning. He said, "The last of the human freedoms is to choose your attitude in any given set of circumstances." I sincerely hope my circumstances, and those of the people I love, are never as dire as those he found himself in. So, in my far less dismal circumstances, I can certainly be guided by this belief. I can choose my attitude.

So, what have I chosen to do in my current situation? I’ve decided to focus on what I loved about my job for the first year before things took a turn for the worse; I’ve decided to really be a stickler about only working the 30-hour week I was hired for and take those extra 10 hours to do things that do make me happy; I’ve decided to work more on a coaching app I am thinking of developing; and I've decided to keep my eyes open for ways to be happier at work. 

It’s the same day, regardless of how you choose to respond to it. I hope you respond in a way that brings you fulfillment and joy. That’s your coaching exercise for this post.

Best,

~ Sophie

QUOTES I LIKE RIGHT NOW

"The greatest part of our happiness depends on our dispositions, not our circumstances." ~ Martha Washington

"We awaken in others the same attitude of mind we hold toward them." ~ Elbert Hubbard

 “Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same.” ~ Francesca Reigler

 “If you can't change your fate, change your attitude.” ~ Amy Tan

“I take nothing for granted. I now have only good days, or great days.” ~ Lance Armstrong

“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.” ~ Oscar Wilde