Ever have trouble shaking off a small mistake at work? Do you find yourself struggling to get out of bed each morning, or dreading your weekly meeting with a certain coworker? Since October is Positive Attitude Month, now is the time to discover how attitude affects your career.

What are the Tangible Effects of My Attitude?

Mayo Clinic resiliency expert Dr. Amit Sood relates a thought to the image of a rock hitting the surface of a lake, creating waves which ripple out in all directions. A positive thought can ripple outwards, impacting all aspects of a person’s day favorably. Similarly, negative thoughts can create detrimental ripples that persist throughout the day.

  1. Physical and Mental Health: According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, positivity may reduce inflammatory damage that stress can have on the body. Positive attitudes can increase immune system resilience, lower depression rates, and improve outcomes of conditions such as stroke, brain injury, and brain tumors.
  2. Productivity and Resilience: The Mayo Clinic testifies that positive thinking leads to better coping skills when faced with hardships. Kim Cameron of the University of Michigan researched effects of workplace positivity, and found that, “when organizations institute positive, virtuous practices, they achieve significantly higher levels of organizational effectiveness.”
  3. Leadership Opportunities: Kathy Caprino of Forbes lists how positivity improves careers. Someone with a positive attitude is more likely to be viewed as a role model whom others can learn from, thus leading to leadership opportunities.

Like happiness, positivity is contagious. Dr. Amit Sood tweets reminders intended to interrupt negative thoughts and commence positive thinking.width=630

Seek out these positive reminders and use our strategies to become a source of positivity in your office. Soon you might find yourself (and those around you!) feeling happier and more productive.

Sharon Schweitzer and Emilie Lostracco co-wrote this post. Sharon Schweitzer, J.D., is an award-winning entrepreneur, cross-cultural trainer, and the founder of Access to Culture. In addition to her accreditation in intercultural management from the HOFSTEDE Centre, she serves as a Chinese Ceremonial Dining Etiquette Specialist in the documentary series Confucius was a Foodie, onNat Geo People. She is regularly quoted by BBC Capital, Investor’s Business Daily, and Fortune. Her Amazon #1 Best Selling book in International Business, Access to Asia: Your Multicultural Business Guide, (3rd printing), was named to Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books of 2015. She’s a winner of the British Airways International Trade Award at the 2016 Greater Austin Business Awards.

Emilie Lostracco is a Fall 2017 Cross-Cultural Communication Intern withAccess to Culture. The Montreal native is currently a senior at the University of Texas at Austin, studying International Relations and Global Studies. Emilie specializes in international environmental efforts, European studies, and French. She plans on graduating with honors in December. Connect with her viaLinkedin.

Photo credit: Photo: Ambreen Hasan on Unsplash, Pixabay on Pexels

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