Enjoy Life and Work - by Steve Simms
Everybody likes to hear the words, "I like you!" Most people,
however, expect to hear these from other people, not from themselves. But
as Phyllis Diller said: "If someone doesn't like himself, it's almost
impossible for others to like him."
Here are seven proven ways to like yourself better.
1. Don't compare yourself with other people!
You were designed to be yourself and nobody else. There is no "normal."
There is no "average." Rating yourself by other people's standards,
opinions, and abilities will always make you come up short.
2. Stay in line with your conscience and with your own moral standards.
It is almost impossible to like yourself when you feel guilty. Guilt comes
from doing things you personally believe to be wrong. So to like yourself
more, get in touch with your own values, and live by them. Refuse to
violate your conscience.
3. Forgive yourself.
When you have broken your own principles, forgive
yourself completely! You're human. You make mistakes. So acknowledge you
were wrong. Correct the wrong behavior. Learn from it. Then, once and for
all, put it out of your mind.
4. Separate personal worth from performance.
You are not your work! As Wayne Dyer said: "If you are what you do, then
when you don't, you aren't!" So build your self-worth on your infinite
value as a magnificently designed, intricately crafted, human person. Your
ultimate value comes from being human.
5. Accept compliments from other people. Don't say: "Well, it was really
nothing." Instead say: "Thank you very much!" Receive compliments and allow
them to build you up. Savor them.
6. Give yourself compliments.It is all right to appreciate yourself. So
compliment yourself often.
7. Use the affirmation "I like myself!" Say it like you mean it?with
feeling. Say it in your mind, throughout the day. Say it aloud, when you
are alone! Say it 10,000 times, over the next year! Then one day, you will
fully believe it.
Be Positive
If someone offered you $10 million in cash if you would consistently show a
positive attitude for the next 30 days, would you give it a try? If they
defined such an attitude as "acting positive, pleasant, friendly,
enthusiastic, and encouraging," could you do that for 30 days? I think you
could. You would have a good attitude for a month, because you would be
highly motivated to win the prize money.
Now, nobody is going to offer you such a cash prize for a good attitude,
but the real-life payoffs for a positive attitude are outstanding!
They include:
>>Happiness.
The better your attitude the happier you will be! Happiness is not a
commodity that is found by pursuit. Instead, it is a state of mind produced
by a positive attitude.
>> Health.A good attitude is a better pain reliever than Anacin, Tylenol,
Mediprin, and Bayer, all put together! A positive mental attitude
strengthens the body's immune system and releases a natural drug (more
powerful than morphine) into the mind.
>> Self-confidence.A good attitude causes people to feel good about
themselves and project that feeling to others.
>> Better relationships.People who feel good about themselves are not on the
defensive with other people. They are open and honest and have rich,
rewarding relationships.
>> Improved performance.Experts say that attitude accounts for 85% of all
job success. People perform better in every area of their lives with a good
attitude than they do with a bad one!
>> Encouragement for other people.Since attitude is highly contagious, your
good attitude will automatically make you a real benefit to everyone you
meet.
>> Increased income and other material rewards.Because your good attitude
will make you very valuable to other people (your boss, for instance),
they, in time, will reward you with money and possessions. With so much to
gain and so little to lose, you might show a good attitude for 30 days. If
you don't like it after trying it for 30 days, then go ahead and be as
miserable as you want to be. But at least give a positive mental attitude a
sincere try.
How to Enjoy Work
If you have to work, you might as well enjoy it! Here are eight ways to
enjoy your work.
1. Decide to enjoy it!Make up your mind to feel good at work. You will be
surprised how much better you will like your work if you just make a
deliberate decision to enjoy it.
2. Maintain good and friendly relationships with your employer and with
your co-workers.Getting along with and liking the people you work with will
make any job more enjoyable.
3. Remember that your work provides much (if not all) of your necessities
and luxuries.Just think, unless you inherited a bundle, you owe all you
have to work. In that light, the old job looks pretty good, doesn't it?
4. Keep in mind the service you are providing people through your work.The
job you do helps other people. Now that is a good feeling!
5. Challenge yourself at work. Set and pursue attainable goals. Always try
to do a better job. Stretch yourself and your abilities! Grow! That
attitude can make even a dull job exciting!
6. Concentrate on the good things about your job.Write out a list of things
you like about your job. Read the list every night before you go to sleep.
7. Do more than you are paid to do. If you do just enough to barely squeak
by, you will be bored, but if you really get after it, you will feel good
about yourself. Besides that, your boss will soon notice and before too
long you will be rewarded.
8. Adopt the "this is my company" attitude.You may not actually own the
company, but wherever you work, it is your company! And when you begin to
feel like it is your company, you will discover a new sense of pride and
fulfillment.
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