Thinking about my own expressions of being positive and reflecting on it is that my job
really allows me to express this. I am a Personal Trainer at a gym and for my clients to
be able to tackle one of the workouts I have planned for them I need to make sure I
stay positive throughout the work out for them. There is nothing worse then having a
coach that is negative and just not giving you that energy that you need to get through
that work out. You want someone that is going to be interactive, pushing you to that
limit and keeping you motivated. For that you need someone that is positive and willing
to go that extra mile for you. The hardest part for me is being so positive in my morning
class ( which is at 4:30am) the car ride over there is always a struggle but when I set
foot in the gym the positivity just starts to flow and I am ready to go! I am sure it helps
them get through the work out that early in the morning. I like to think of myself as a
super positive and cheerful person. I bring positivity to my day every single day by just
doing certain things throughout the day to keep myself upbeat. My first thoughts when I
wake up are to be grateful to be alive and well. I do some morning stretches to get these
lazy bones going and down a big glass of water. I speak to myself in the mirror daily.
If you can't face yourself at your best moments you surely will not be able to do it in
your worst moments. I do self talk ALL the time. I have post its posted all around my
house of my goals, positive memos to myself, and inspirational quotes. I choose to treat
myself with the utmost appreciation because I value myself and everything about me; my
time, my energy, my focus, my goals, my family, my education, my well being, and
especially my attitude. My life is meaningful and I want to make an impact or a
difference no matter how big or small while I am here on earth. With that being said,
how I treat myself is how I treat others. I ALWAYS want to be able to say I treat
people how I treat myself and actually mean my words.Working in the life insurance
business has definitely opened my eyes to so many different cultures and backgrounds.
You meet all walks of life; some may be young or old, rich and poor, educated or
dropout. Since having started in this business I have learned never to judge a book by
its cover and to always keep an open mind. I have learned some of the most interesting
things from people who would be considered uneducated or poor. No matter who the
person is, there is always something you can learn that you may not have known prior
to communicating with said person. Granted, you get some nasty people from time to
time but I pride myself on breaking down those barriers that people tend to build when
just meeting someone new. A simple smile can do the trick but just being a genuinely
nice person always trumps because you radiate positivity when you treat people in a
manner they are to be treated and people buy from people they like.Working for myself
I don't have to worry to much about inconsistencies unless I am the one making them.
If I had to deal with such nonsense I would like to think I would keep the same cheery
disposition I normally have on a day to day basis. Being an upbeat person is just
alluring. I want to draw people in not away. I do understand errors happen from time to
time but after a little conversation stating the errors along with a great job, keep up the
good work.....just pay closer attention to.....(areas needed.) Honestly, we are adults. We
don't need to be scolded. Just a simple conversation with clear directives, expectations,
and gratitude goes a long way. When I think of my own positivity and how I express it,
I tend to tell people they are valued, and show support verbally and nonverbally. My
expressions of positivity also change depending on who I am speaking to. At work, I
offer my assistance to co-workers, I acknowledge them when they have had a success,
and I tell them I appreciate the time and attention they put into an assignment or task.
When I am with my family, I show expressions of positivity differently. I give hugs and
I tell them I love them. I also am someone who apologizes when I am wrong or make
a mistake. h When writing in a positive tone at work, I should know who my audience is
when I am writing an email, memo, or other types of correspondences. I should write in
a clear and concise manner that others will understand. I should also avoid using
negative words or phrases that would receive an adverse reaction from those I am
communicating with. Maya Angelou wrote, “I’ve learned that people will forget what
you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made
them feel” . I worked for Walmart. As a customer host. My job duties were to greet
every customer coming into. store and leaving. I also had to scan their receipts. This
job came with the good, bad, and very ugly. Don’t get me wrong I love my job but it
was very stressful. Because the customers would get offended. If I asked sir or ma’am
can I check your receipt? I recalled this one situation I asked to checked a customer
receipt because they had items that were not in a bag and the customer before them had
items in a bag. They called me racist it got out of hand quite. I had to reassure myself
that I was only doing my job. Anything that’s not in a bag I have to check. The
customer even stood there why I checked the next customer with items just like there’s.
One example they found out I didn’t treat them any different the situation calmed down.
Sometimes you have to reassure people especially working at retails stores. Yes I believe
in the customer is always right but to a certain extinct. I believe the way I handle myself
didn’t put me in jeopardy or the customer. There are several areas in my line of work
that are judged by the score (%), I am held accountable for my Market, and in turn I
hold my Managers accountable and their teams. I was the leading Market for the
Business Unit in a program called the "Lift" where the company minimum was 12% or
higher. The majority of my 260 employees maintained a score above 12% with a few
stragglers under 10%. When I was exploring different was to encourage my team to
strive to reach the minimum I created a spreadsheet that ranked everyone from the
highest to the lowest with a color chart. The employees between 10 and 12% I labeled
beside "go for 12%", the employees that were under 10% I labeled "unacceptable". My
direct supervisor and mentor through a coaching moment encouraged me to reword how
I addressed the under 10 with the same point but with "below company standards". I was
still getting the point across that they were not performing well, but I was not as
aggressive with how I let them know. I try to be positive every day. When I wake in
the morning i find that listening to gospel music while getting ready for work puts me
in a good mood. It calms me so to speak. Sometimes i have to tell myself, "Today is
going to be a good day!!" Because Lord knows one of my coworkers tries my patience!
I smile a lot and i greet everybody i come in contact with. I try to have an optimistic
approach at work and try to stay away from negativity and people who constantly
complain about things. I feel that negative energy begets negative energy and i feed off
people. if i see someone is having a bad day i will ask them if they are alright and try
to give them encouraging words. When attempting to keep a positive writing style at
work i keep in mind who I'm communicating with. I want to make sure i say what i
have to say but make sure that i keep it respectful so as not to offend anyone. The way
I express positivity is by always being kind whether I am at work or out in public. At
work every morning when I go into the office I always say "good morning". Someone
could be having a rough morning and a simple good morning would lift their spirits. I
am always trying to be as positive was possible even in negative situations or a negative
environment. I don't like to dwell I like to find a solution to the problem. At work I am
sure we all have experienced a time when it is just a busy, overwhelming day. Days like
that I still remain positive because in a room full of negative vibes, that one good vibe
of positivity can shift the room. For example, one day I came to work and we had about
2 call outs and every one was upset and worried about not being able to get their work
done and I simply told everyone don't stress we will work together and get everything
done. Instead of thinking the worst I like to think about the good and find a solution.
Being positive in uncertain situations can make things a lot less stressful. Positivity
(when writing) will impact the audience's outcome. I occasionally become emotional
when writing and have to ensure I do not “overdo it” when I express myself because it
might not have the best result. I like to express my opinion and make sure I get my
point across, but at the same time I want to ensure there is a win-win situation (for both
parties) and want to avoid offending someone if they do not agree with me.Some of the
resources provided in chapter 5 encourage you to consider the readers' values and
priorities. If we receive an email at work we should prioritize it and respond to it in a
timely manner. If we respond on time and in a professional manner, the outcome will
often be favorable. You are communicating to them that you have received the message
and what your next step will be. While doing this we also have to ensure our message
is respectful. We don’t want to sound “pushy” or demanding. Another resource was the
AIM planning process. This acronym stands for Audience, Identify, and Message.
“Effective business communicators possess an uncanny ability to step into the shoes of
their audience members” . I can think of a few moments where I exhibited positive
behavior in my work environment that led to us to not only complete our assignments,
but complete them in an effective manner. We had a tough project that required us, for
weeks, to endure late nights and early mornings. This assignment was not a field up,
instead it was a simulated exercise that required us to dedicate most of our time. My
junior marines were on the brink of collapse as they were extremely tired and burned
out. But, every day, I would come in with snacks and I would always tell them to not
give up, that “no man can stop time” and once we were done we could reap the benefits.
I joked around with them in an attempt to keep their spirits up. Needless to say, a few
weeks of this led to the accomplishment of the mission and it was efficiently
accomplished, I might add. It was done so well, that they were recognized by unit
leadership. Adding a positive writing style can help mitigate improper habits like logical
inconsistencies even though they are common. Not too long ago, one of my marines said
“nobody wants to be in the marine corps” and at the time I did not know he used a
logical inconsistency, honestly I had no clue what it was. But now that I think of it, he
did in fact use a logical inconsistency. He made that comment based off of the
frustration towards the marine corps, but his mindset might have been different had he
been in a positive environment. I feel that with myself and giving politeness is that I am
constantly saying to people as I pass them especially when I am work or with the ladies
I work with I am always saying "Hi beautiful". I've been told numerous times that I
make people's day better by saying that to them. Plus, I feel by saying that or even just
acknowledging them as you past makes people feel like they are being seen. We never
truly understand what people are going through on a daily basis and even just a "Hi"
makes a huge difference. In my old position we had morning huddles in the morning
where we would get the plan for the day, joke around a little, and then go on our way
to start working. Now in my new position that doesn't happen, so I make sure I get to
work a few minutes earlier than I am suppose to start so I am able to say good morning
and see how my coworkers are doing. I feel it helps with good work morale and
showing my coworkers that I care. When I think positiveness, I think greeting people.
Being able to say hello to new people you may have just met at the grocery store, or
even at your new job. Having that little bit of time to ask a random person how they
are doing? I feel positiveness is stepping outside of that shell and reflecting your positive
energy onto others. Being at work obviously is a different atmosphere than the at home.
However, why do we change who we are at home to a totally different person at work?
We think professionalism vs reality, but why not be who we are destined to be? So, each
day I work my manager manages to come by to ask me how I am doing? And I
typically respond back with good, how about yourself? Then the conversation ends. I ask
myself, why can’t I continue the conversation to make things more positive and worth
communicating? Until one day I decided to ask my manager how he was doing? And
made more efforts to check on him and give out care to all my colleague’s. Then I think
to myself maybe that was the message my manager was gravitating towards. Asking
others how they were doing? To make it a point to engage with others whether it is
uncomfortable or not. Now in my workplace us as colleagues write out inspirational
quotes, have morning huddles, and are able to form great communication with those in
and out of work. Positive thinking is undoubtably a fundamental factor when it comes to
overall business success. People are naturally drawn to positivity and having that
positive, optimistic attitude allows you the ability to influence and inspire your target
audience. A prime example would be how "Negative content tends not to go viral
because who wants to read all that text? ... You don’t need the same number of words
to describe why a cat is cute as you would need to explain why certain hypothetical cat
shelters don’t meet safety codes of care." ("The Importance Of Positivity In Business",
2015) As a firm believer in having a positive mindset, I utilize this daily in all areas of
my work. This includes meetings, seemingly endless emails, as well as constant employer
demands. There have been numerous occasions where I needed to utilize my positivity
in order to successfully complete an assignment ahead of time. There is often the
tendency to resist doing things sooner that you are used to completing them, especially
if it is a last minute request. There is always too much to do and not enough time to do
it -in just about every occupational field. I believe you can get much more accomplished
with a positive attitude followed by positive influence. Many things can be going on in
someone else life, and we have no clue about. Foe example I had some customers the
other day that I have known for years, that night when he went home he shot himself
and died, unbelievable and so sad that this happened. I always try to help people if I can
and do the right thing. If you keep doing good things, good things will come your way.I
agree with you that a simple "Hi" can improve a persons day. I work in a hospital and
I always make sure I acknowledge the patient and the staff. I make sure to listen to their
concerns and follow up with them to let them know that I care. If I can put a smile on
someone's face then I feel like I have made a difference. You are correct in saying we
don't know what people are going through. Being friendly to someone doesn't cost
anything and it's not as hard as some people make it out to be. My coworkers and I try
to keep a positive attitude and have been told by others in the department that we are
always laughing and working issues out together.I try to always be kind no matter where
I am at as well. I definitely try and be kind to those that are rude because there
obviously have been times where I have been rude back and I just feel really bad after.
You never know what someone is going through and they could be just having a bad
day. And, there have been so many times I have came to work in my old position and
have had more than 2 people off so it makes it hard to get the quota met for the day
when we are down people. Unfortunately, we can't change the fact that other people
called out so staying positive helps with your day and your attitude towards toward and
like you said a lot less stressful. I couldn't agree more with your statement. Before I use
to second guess myself and question whether I should continue to be kind when
sometimes your kindness can be mistaken for weakness. It wasn't until I got older that I
had realized that I am just a naturally kind person and people love to be around that
type of energy. When you are a positive person people just know that you can be trusted
and can connect with on a higher level. Offering acknowledgement to someone who may
be having an off day is the best way to turn that negative disposition they are into
something positive. Sometimes all people need is a warm smile and some
acknowledgement. Being kind costs zero dollars yet most strive for the bare minimum.
