13 Reminders To Stay Positive, Tenacious And Confident At Work
No matter how much you love your job, everyone has an “off day” at work every once in a while. Even the most confident professionals go through phases when negativity, low self-esteem or a lack of motivation starts to interfere with their performance and productivity.
It’s important to keep some affirmative reminders top of mind to help you get through such challenging times. Here, 13 members of Forbes Coaches Council share things every professional should periodically remind themselves of to stay positive, tenacious and confident, no matter what their work entails.
1. Build Emotional, Mental And Spiritual Strength
Good times do not last forever, and neither do bad times. Use every opportunity to build the muscle of your emotional, mental and spiritual strength; this will create muscle memory, and you will have something to lean on when things do not go according to plan. This process will also help you to acknowledge your ability to bring your whole self to the working environment. - Claudine Reid, PJ’s Community Service
2. Show Leadership, Engage And Ask For Help
Any situation has a positive side, no matter how tough it is. The learning and new insights that come along with difficult situations are priceless and will help you to master similar situations in the future. Use these moments to show leadership, engage and ask for help. It is okay not to know everything! Being open, vulnerable and looking at the bright side is the way. - John Nielsen, The Nielsen & Co Coaching and Leadership Consulting
3. Keep An Attitude Of Gratitude
An attitude of gratitude is the way to stay positive, tenacious and confident in every area of our lives. An attitude of gratitude is a small thing that makes a huge difference—a choice we intentionally make to look for and focus on the things we can be grateful for. This choice positively impacts our outlook, expectations, actions, relationships and outcomes despite all the challenges. - Lillit Cholakian, NewGen Global Leaders
4. Stay True To Your Personal Values
The most fundamental thing is authenticity. Being true to personal values and adhering to a consistent set of beliefs that determine your behavior is key. When one is centered and aligned to purpose and value, positive energy is unlocked that will serve you in staying positive and being resilient. Confidence is being seen as reliable and knowing that you don’t have to “fake it.” - Thomas Lim, Singapore Public Service, SportSG
5. Accept Reality And Face Situations As They Are
The importance of letting go cannot be understated. It is imperative that we face situations as they are, rather than how they “could” or “should” be. When we accept reality, no matter how difficult, it frees up our mental, emotional and physical energy to be at our best and navigate the situation most effectively. - Craig Dowden, Craig Dowden & Associates
6. Keep An Open Mind And Figure Things Out
You don’t need to have all the answers; you need to be willing to keep an open mind and figure things out. Thinking along these lines is a great way to foster feelings of being “good enough.” You can put this reminder anywhere where you’ll see it regularly, such as a sticky note on your computer, the bathroom mirror, your phone and so forth—extra points for recording a voice note or saying it out loud when you see it. - Micha Goebig, Go Big Coaching & Communications, LLC
7. Focus On Your Purpose-Driven Vision
Everyone experiences their own ups and downs every day. To stay calm and optimistic even in the face of significant obstacles, always focus on your purpose-driven vision and set challenging objectives and measurable key results so that you know you are getting closer to your vision. - Michael Thiemann, Strategy-Lab™
8. Augment Authenticity Through Awareness
In the words of Dr. Seuss: “Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive that is youer than you.” The sentiment behind this is that you are unique and can leave an indelible mark and impact on the world. You don’t need to be anything other than exactly who you are. Continue to augment your authenticity through awareness, growth and adaptability. - Arthi Rabikrisson, Prerna Advisory
9. Keep Your Eyes On The Prize To Recenter
Keeping your eyes on the prize always can help to recenter a leader. When you may be struggling mentally, it is important to keep your three-year vision in front of yourself. Is this plan specific and measurable? Then, when you have a bad day, you can always fall back on the big picture. Momentary problems won’t seem as large when compared to where you’re going and where you want to be. - Jon Dwoskin, The Jon Dwoskin Experience
10. Remember That State Of Mind Is A Choice
Our state of mind is a choice. How we behave is a choice. All behavior is purposeful. We choose to be frustrated, depressed, angry, worried, positive, tenacious or confident. All behavior is purposeful. We chose to be bullied into reacting. We chose to allow externals to push us around or not. State of mind is a choice. Behavior is a choice. What’s your choice? - Jay Steven Levin, WinThinking
11. Reframe Your Thinking
Each moment is an opportunity to reframe our thinking and make the best of our current situation. Our thinking affects our behaviors, these behaviors affect our performance, and our performance has a profound impact on the outcomes of our careers and lives. - Stacy Soria, Gladegy Consulting, LLC
12. Recenter Around Core Values Regularly
Find regular opportunities to recenter yourself around core values. It’s so easy to get caught up in the daily grind of work and life, and if we aren’t careful, mission creep will set in. Then, before we know it, we will find ourselves spending more and more of our limited time and energy on efforts we don’t actually care about. When this happens, recenter and prune the excess until you are realigned. - Jonathan H. Westover, Utah Valley University & Human Capital Innovations, LLC
13. Remind Yourself Where You Came From
I am a huge advocate for stretching one’s goals to set a course for achieving great things. However, sometimes when we set goals that are so outrageous, we fall short and feel as if we have failed. I would rather fall short than not to have tried. The best way to stay positive is to remind yourself where you came from—where you started—and that progress has been made. - Robert Gauvreau, Gauvreau | Accounting Tax Law Advisory
