April 25, 2017
Are you a grouchy person, always complaining about something? If so, please stay away from me.
Not just me. Nobody likes to hang around with a grouch.
The Power of Positive Thinking was a best-selling book from the 1960s that is still on sale. Its title pretty much describes what the book is about. A positive attitude helps you get through life in whatever you do – at work, at play, with interpersonal relationships.
This is something useful to keep in mind as you explore the trades. If you are reading this, you probably are someone thinking about a trade career, or perhaps you already are a trade worker looking to advance. In either case, developing your trade skills is of utmost importance.
But it’s not enough to put you on the road to unqualified success. Equally important is your attitude.
To obtain and retain a high-paying job in the trades, it helps immensely to be enthusiastic about your work and maintain a positive attitude when you interact with superiors and co-workers. Nobody likes to be around a chronic complainer, no matter how well that person might perform the job at hand.
What are some of the ways you can project a positive attitude?
For one thing, avoid participating in gossip and backbiting if any of that is going around with your co-workers. Sometimes employees have legitimate complaints, but the way to handle them is to address them privately with the people who have the power to resolve them.
If you are asked to do a task that may be unpleasant, look at it as a challenge and an opportunity. Most people make excuses and try to get out of the assignment. But if it’s a task that needs to be done, your boss will be grateful if someone tackles it without complaint. Keep in mind the old saying, “It may be a dirty job, but someone has to do it.”
A lot of positive thinking gets reflected in casual everyday encounters. When someone asks you, “How’s it going?”, you can respond by reciting all the things that are happening that you disagree with, or you can look at the bright side and take comfort in all the little things that brighten up your day. If nothing else is going right with your life, at least take comfort in still being alive. And keep in mind the old saying that the darkest hours are right before dawn.
Make it a point to say “good morning,” “thank you,” etc. to all the people around you – even someone you may dislike. People notice when someone is cheerful and uplifting day after day. They also notice when someone constantly mopes and groans. You’ll benefit if, as an old song put it, you stay on the sunny side of life.