I got some shade thrown at me by a few people yesterday. It comes with the the territory, and I’ve even grown to expect it, but it can be very disheartening. Not so much because it hurts me, but because they don’t realize how much their bad attitude is hurting them.
You see friends, it hurts my feelings when people are rude to me, but it doesn’t hurt me nearly as much as it hurts them. Our attitude is our single greatest limiting factor in life. I’ve seen first hand how much we can hurt ourselves with our attitudes. Believe it or not, I used to be, and in many ways still am, a very angry person. I had a horrible attitude when I was younger, I did not know how to receive criticism of any kind. If you criticized or critiqued me in, in any way, I completely shut down. I would sit in meetings with my arms crossed, starring daggers into others if I felt what they were saying was stupid or a waste of time. It was sad and incredibly immature.
I had a very well meaning coworker pull me aside one time and mentor me some. He said, ”do you realize how you come across in meetings?” This conversation was a game changer for me. I was hurting my future because I was unhappy. I didn’t see the opportunity in the position I was in, I hadn’t yet learned the value of knowledge and experience that can be gained from every situation. I am forever grateful for the call out from my coworker.
Today, be aware of your attitude. Whether you think others see it or not, know that they do. There is nothing I appreciate as a boss more than an employee with a good attitude, and nothing I struggle with more than an employee with a bad attitude. Carrying around the chip on your shoulder and claiming the entire world is against you, only further isolates you and proves that very point. Get with some trusted advisors and deal with whatever is causing you to have such a bad attitude. Trust me, that thing will limit you far more than anything else in life. Much love and good attitudes sweet friends.
