The Pessimist’s Plan
I recently received a tweet from a Twitter friend named Kelly Dingee that put a smile on my face. Kelly writes for an awesome talent management blog – Fistful of Talent and tweets with the handle @SourcerKelly. Like most of the individuals I follow on Twitter related to HR, we’ve had conversations back and forth about hot topics, random facts and basic fun. Her comment really made a difference in my day.
Debbie Downer
You see, I am a pessimist and always have been. In fact I am from a family full of them, blah blah blah. Think Debbie Downer from Saturday Night Live. Well, as I have said before, I truly believe I control my attitude, especially in the workplace. Yes, other variables may have an impact but I am the one who ultimately decides how to react. With that in mind I have been focusing on improving my pessimistic outlook on a daily basis.
With the start of a new career I decided it was time to make some big changes. I went from a 60+ hour a week job in the private sector to a 40 hour a week job in the public sector. Basically, my life no longer revolves around work. Amen. This means I have much more time for family, friends, volunteering and playing with social media – yay!
The biggest change I made was to make a concerted effort to start each day positively, which is difficult when I wake up each week day with my alarm blaring at 5:50 am. That’s right, it’s disgusting. What makes it worse is that I am NOT a morning person and that I usually cannot sleep more than four hours per night. Regardless, I grab the laptop and open up Twirl to see who else is up. Usually I find what I like to refer to as the “morning crew” – @SteveBoese, @TrishMcFarlane, @LisaRosendahl, @Victorio_M and @MikeVanDervort. My goal is to have a positive impact on those I connect with on a daily basis. Whether offering words of encouragement in the office or kudos via tweet, I am doing my part to make someone else’s day just a little bit better.
If I can leave my house for work with a smile on my face then I have done my job. All I can do then is continue spreading the positive vibes throughout the day. I think it’s beginning to wear off on some people.
Stay positive in your workplace. We all have challenging days. Work through them the best you can as your attitude will have an impact on those that work with you.
Stephen is the 2009 President of Big Bend SHRM and the founder/creator of HR Gumbo. He is an operations and people manager with a passion for social media and relationship development. As a proud member of Generation Y, Stephen has worked diligently to bring Big Bend SHRM to the next level – one of the most progressive SHRM chapters in the state of Florida. He is currently an HR Specialist in higher education in Tallahassee, Florida. @stevemgharrison
October 28th, 2009 at 11:41 pm
I’m such a Debbie Downer myself. It’s just easier in life to keep the bar low. I’m part emo, part Debbie Downer, and part pragmatist.
Wow, I just read this and apparently I am also self-absorbed.
Maybe the key to being an optimist is to be focused on others. Apparently, I am not. Must change this.