Attitude Negotiation
Changing my attitude creates self-wins. Sometimes I believe that I need to negotiate better conditions at work. A good place to start those negotiations is with that voice between my ears.
When I am in a bad mood, I more easily see the negatives in other people and in my circumstances. When I am in a good mood, I see positives.
Choosing Gratitude
On the other hand, gratitude is a choice. It is a mental tool for negotiating with negative thoughts. It is a mental tool for negotiating for even better thoughts when my mood is good. It is a tool for negotiating with my default mode thinking whether that thinking is good or bad.
The exciting idea of a new job or falling in love spontaneous expectations of happiness. We don’t just picture the relief and joy of leaving our current situation. We can fall in love with just the idea that a new job will be wonderful. “Oh, please, please, God. Give me that new job and I will never ask for anything again.”
At the same time, we can recognize that falling in love repeatedly can bring us joy. However, it can ruin our lives. As we move from one relationship to another, we sacrifice the support and security of a long-term relationship.
What is the point? Happiness in long-term situations is about making choices and commitments. We make choices and commitments on staying in our jobs.
Practicing gratitude is one of those choices.
In addition, we make choices and commitments as to how we feel about our job and our lives.
When our default mode thinking tells us our situation is bad, we can choose how to deal with those thoughts. We can act on them. We can sit there and stew in them. As a third choice, we can focus on the positives of our situation. We can practice gratitude.
Image credit: Jay Wren