Thursday, June 7, 2012

Power of Positivity

My friends who are dedicated to yoga tell me that part of the importance of the meditation process is to be able to visualize yourself somewhere that brings you to a place to alleviate the pressures of the day. Today it is harder than ever to "turn off" those constant electronic and external stimulus or things going on in your own head.

A friend from church shared with me that her daughter was being bullied on Facebook by other girls. The things that we all know teenagers say, but when I was a kid, I went home and my parents could spend the time talking to me and helping me clear my head and reposition my thoughts. Now, the kids come home and get on line and all of the pressure of the day are there right where it was in school. Finding the way to turn off negative things in our life is a really important tool to give us perspective.

It is just as important to understand how your words here at work or online, can impact all who are around you, not just our kids or their folks, but also the people we work with each day.  In our Culture of Caring, we stress the importance of using a caring, compassionate tone at all times.  Because of this, we also have an official HR policy (HR-56) that explains in detail the use of social media on your own time off premises.  The policy details our expectations and the importance of understanding the written word posted online has the same negative effect, if not more, as it does if it is spoken within our buildings. 

Staying positive can have a profound effect on the people you interact with.  Judy Potter recently approached a little boy waiting for an outpatient appointment and he said to her, "Tomorrow I am going to hit a home run!"  Just out of the blue - Isn't it amazing how just one little sentence can set the tone for your attitude in how we live our day?

Judy's wondered what we could say to ourselves each day as an affirmative statement – here are a few of her suggestions, I think they’re great!

"Today I am going to comfort a parent”

“Today I am going to mentor a team mate”

“Today I am going to say something that makes someone feel appreciated.”

How might you answer that question?

Is there someone who has shared something with you that has changed your day or given you a new perspective?

“Today I am going to …"

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Today I am not going to jump on the gossip band wagon and try and have a positive voice regarding everyone. And if I fail, I'm going to jump off that wagon and try again.

Anonymous said...

I love this post about the bandwagon, and think I'm going to do that too!

Anonymous said...

Today I am going to help some babies build neural pathways!

Amy Mansue said...

Thank you so much for your posts and more importantly for your effort not to engage in the "gossip band wagon" as you termed it. There is nothing that sucks the life out of your day is hearing or participating in those whisper campaigns of negativity. First it violates our Culture of Caring where we make a commitment to each other that we will deal directly with the person we have an issue with. Second, if the person is me or "administration" in general, it is even more disappointing because I have tried really hard to ask about whatever the gossip is so I can answer it directly and put a stop to it.

Regina said...

Today I am going to join staff (TRLTC) to welcome our Kiarra and Jesus back home with us after they won yet another battle....

Today and everyday, my cup runneth over.

Anonymous said...

Today - I am going to compliment a coworker.

Anonymous said...

As you said nothing sucks the life out of a person and the joy out of their work like gossip and negativity. It solves nothing and only puts everyone else around you in a bad mood. I feel very grateful to work in a place that gives us the opportunity to be straight forward about our thoughts and fears in a place like the rumor mill.