Where are the vitamin and supplements for patience, chutzpah, problem solving and creativity? Take two pills and dealing with difficult coworkers and bosses will become a joy! Drink this juice and your creativity will be off the charts! Eat this bar and demanding and unreasonable clients will be fun to work with! And my personal favorite: One tablespoon per day and anxiety and fear will completely disappear, satisfaction guaranteed!!While we are waiting for these vitamins to show up on retail shelves, there is one ready alternative–quotes. You can read or say one or more out loud per day, memorize new ones each day and shoot for being able to ramble off a dozen as needed. Ask other people for recommendations for ones that work for them and if the effects from the quotes you have wear off, go in search of new and better ones. You never have to worry about side effects.Being a regular quote user, I have identified 3 challenges when a good quote or five can help you, take risks, empower yourself, become a positive thinker, begin new adventures and develop a better attitude about your life.With each situation, I will give examples so you can relate to the circumstance. Then I’ll offer quote suggestions to help you cope and hopefully get relief. You’ll need to think and feel the quote or quotes for several days or even weeks to get the full effect, but it will be worth the effort. You can also add your own quotes. Feel free to borrow from others; no prescriptions are necessary. Remember, “A quote at the right moment is like bread in a famine.” Talmud
Let’s begin with situation #1.A “Rash” of Negative ThoughtsDiagnosis: You realize that you have a negative attitude and need to change it.Symptoms: You recognize your negativity is getting in the way of your productivity and work relationships. Or you may be working in a negative or hostile environment and want to create a positive, optimistic barrier/protection inside yourself to support you against the negativity around you.Your Positivity Prescription:Take as many of these quotes as you need with a hot cup of coffee or tea and a few moments of peace and quiet. Repeat as necessary.· “Our attitude is the most important aspect of our ability to succeed.” – Dr. Dorothy Wagner· “The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude.” – Oprah Winfrey· “The world in which you live is not primarily determined by outward conditions and circumstances but by the thoughts that habitually occupy your mind.” – Norman Vincent Peale· “The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.” – Winston Churchill· “Change your thoughts and you change your world.” – Norman Vincent Peale· “Attitude is everything.” – Charles StanleyHere’s the second of my 3 soul-vitamin situations–Self Confidence SupplementsDiagnosis: You are looking for a new, fresh, broader perspective of yourself in the world. You are feeling insecure and unsure of yourself and your abilities. You are being too hard on yourself. You need to remember your past successes.Symptoms: You need to make a mental/actual list of your skills, abilities, past achievements, remember the good feedback from others, and teach/feed your inner coach to positively support yourself to perform at your best.Your Positivity Prescription:· “If you are going to doubt something, doubt your limits.” – Don Ward· “Make a true estimate of your own ability, then raise it 25%.” – Unknown· “Clear you mind of can’t” – Samuel Johnson· “Act as if it were impossible to fail.” – Dorthea Brande· “One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation.” – Arthur Ashe· “The best way to gain self-confidence is to do what you are afraid to do.” – Unknown”· “Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities!” – Norman Vincent PealeHere’s the third of my soul-vitamin scenarios:Acute Obstacle-itis.Diagnosis: You need to keep your perspective and your self-confidence high when you are given a new project with no direction and a tight deadline. We all know how it feels to get insufficient, conflicting or inaccurate information to tackle new tasks and meet unreasonable deadlines. Often the people that want a task completed are not available to give the necessary information or approval.
Symptoms: Since you are responsible for the tasks completion you need to remove the obstacles and create solutions. The following quotes will help you overcome these workplace hurdles.Your Positivity Prescription:· “Don’t let circumstances defeat you. You can if you think you can.” – Unknown· “Keep your mind on the objective not the obstacle.” – William Randolph Hearst· “Believe in yourself. There is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.”- Christian Larson· “Every wall is a door.” – aRalph Waldo Emerson· “When you reach an obstacle, turn it into an opportunity.” –Mary Kay Ash· “Do what you can where you are with what you have.” – Theodore Roosevelt· “In the middle of difficulties lie opportunities.” – Albert Einstein· “Most obstacles melt away when we make up our mind to walk boldly through them.” – Orison Marden· “Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You’ll find they haven’t half the strength you think they have.” – Norman Vincent Peale