Day 213 – December 5, 2011
“Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it for that determines our success or failure.”
~Norman Vincent Peale
I'm sorry I have been silent since Saturday, I have sick children (it is the cold and flu season) and they are my priority. I never made a secret about my priorities. Happily, they are feeling better today.
In the past two days I have been contemplating what I should talk about. Lots to address, but which to do first? So, on to today's topic. I am calling out people with bad attitudes on their jobs. Everyday, I make a conscious effort to smile, be nice and have polite conversations with people in business, in lines, pretty much everywhere. But, what I all too often encounter in return is aggressiveness, rudeness and disrespect; often by people who are on the job. Obviously, they have no idea how fortunate they are to be employed. Being grouchy, miserable and inconsiderate doesn't make them any better. In fact its a sad echo of a time long past and to me, it seems like some twisted caricature of a bad B movie. Attitude is so 90's. It makes them seem sadly out of tune with a world that is full of pitfalls and misfortune, for even the best and most honest of people. The fact that they have jobs among the economic chaos seems completely lost on them. You would imagine that they would be pretty darn happy, ebullient even, just to be employed during these times. But, I have witnessed unskilled, barely competent and uneducated people, who have had the good fortune of falling though the right cracks at the right time, actually believe they are responsible for their situation and look down on others. It is irksome to say the least, when I am aware of so very many who have worked hard, earned educations and lived honestly, only to be blown by the wayside during this extended recession. Last night, during the CBS Evening News, I heard a very sad fact; millions of adult children with college educations, are finding it impossible to find work and are forced to move back in with their parents. Yet, they have hope and get up every day to try again. So, to those who are experiencing these difficult times and can put a smile on your faces; I take my hat off to you and say, “good job.” Those who have jobs and act poorly can learn a thing or two from you.
The point is that while it's okay to have a bad day once in a while (as a woman in menopause, I can most certainly sympathize) it is not okay to drag that attitude around with you “all the freakin' time.” Nobody, I mean nobody is impressed and scant few are intimidated. Mostly, folks think people like that are just fools, or donkey's backends. A grimace, physical or vocal, should be reserved for honest effort, not everyday attitude. And, when it is clear that someone hates their job and the people they encounter during the workday, maybe its time to find something else to do with the time. What that is? Well I hope for their sake, it is a more positive use of time.
Now that's out of the way, I can try and put out a positive vibe for today. This morning and this afternoon, I saw a young man about twenty or so, ringing a bell for the Salvation Army's Red Kettle Drive. It was pouring cold, hard, rain both times and yet there he stood smiling and ringing that bell. He was cheerful and kind toward everyone. Even those who passed him by like he was a ghost. All day he stuck it out, outside standing in the rain, greeting people and ringing that bell, a smile for everyone. I knew if he was earning anything, it was a pittance. It didn't seem to matter. His “joie de vivre” warmed my heart, but not nearly as much as what he said, “Remember, a smile is contagious!”
Words to live by.
How will you treat people today?
Tune in tomorrow to read the daily mood quote
Thank you for reading
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