The greatest discovery of any generation
is that human beings can alter their lives
by altering the attitudes of their minds
Dr. Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965),
Humanitarian, theologian, medical doctor

What is the connection between a person’s disposition and his or her job satisfaction? Does a positive person with high self-esteem, who thinks positively about life, like his job because he is predisposed to do so? Does this positive attitude cause people to seek out challenging, complex and more interesting work, thus placing them in a situation where they are more likely to like their job?

The answer is yes. Recent studies indicate that people who rate themselves highly, with a high self-esteem and a positive outlook on life tend to perceive their jobs positively as well. At the same time, they tend to be in jobs that are more personally satisfying and complex. These people seem to seek challenge and complexity. When they find it, they seek out more. As long as there is a challenge they make great employees.

We have all intuitively known that to achieve a person must have the skill and knowledge to do a job. But they must also be willing to accomplish. Employees that have a positive attitude about the organization that they work for, perceiving that their work contributions are valued and that their organization cares about them, are more willing and likely to work harder.

The first step toward positive thinking is the realization that we are in control of our thoughts — if we choose to be. While unconscious messages might be coursing through our brains, we can insist on a halt and then change over to positive thoughts.

Let’s say you notice that some of your coworkers are goofing off while you’re working feverishly to meet deadlines. You catch yourself thinking negatively about them, like “I wish the boss could see what’s going on here,” or “What’s the use of trying when no one even notices who gets all the work done?” You can change the direction of those thoughts: “Since I’m getting more work done than my coworkers, eventually the boss will notice and reward my efforts” or “At the end of the day, I’ll feel really great about finishing this project.”

Negative thinking is a bad habit. We usually inherit it from our parents or adults we had been close with during our childhood. Fortunately, we can train ourselves to change negative messages coming from our “inner voice” into positive thoughts. It may sometimes seem as if you can’t control that inner voice, but remember, it’s your brain! If you make positive thinking a habit, you’ll find there isn’t much room left for gloom.

Our subconscious can’t tell the difference between what we think and what we do. It tends to believe whatever we tell it. It listens to our thoughts and takes its cues from them, so it's tremendously important that we take control of what we feed into it. It takes practice to monitor our own thoughts, but, after a while, it’s fairly easy to change an “I can’t” into an “I can” or an “I failed” into an “I learned from that experience.”

Your personality can have a strong influence over your health. A study recently conducted in a number of leading American universities, revealed that certain personality groups are, apparently, more prone to diseases than others. Psychology lecturer Dr. Dennis Jaffe says: ”Your personality has as great an influence over your health and longevity as either diet or exercise — perhaps even more.” If you want to enjoy a long and happy life, try examining your personality for traits that are damaging to your well being and put Dr. Jaffe’s seven-point plan into action.

Don’t be afraid of change. People who react positively to change, by accepting it and adjusting to it, are less likely to develop ulcers, colitis and hypertension. The key to welcoming change is to conquer your fear of the unknown. Ask yourself: “What am I afraid of? What’s the worst outcome I can think of?” Try to picture the changes you will encounter and then rehearse living through them.

Don’t be an onlooker. People who are used to being spectators of life, rather than taking an active part in it, tend to die younger. Find something meaningful to live for. Find a challenging task you can cope with and allow yourself to get emotionally caught up in it. The more involvement you have, the less likely you are to suffer from depression.

Don’t bottle up your emotions. Studies made at the University of Michigan show that people who can’t express their emotions suffer from headaches, backaches and arthritis. Feelings are real and you are entitled to your emotions. In fact, hiding your feelings is just an escape from reality that relieves you from having to deal with them. It doesn’t make them go away, it just represses them until later in life. Very soon you’ll need to face those feelings again and determine why they are causing you to feel depressed or unhappy.

Take your time. Force yourself to work, move, talk, eat and think more slowly. Don’t crowd too many things into a day. You’ll feel depressed if you don’t finish all of them.

Take control. Take charge of your life and stop wasting effort and energy worrying about things beyond your control, such as trying to change someone else’s personality.

Keep on trying. Try to do something very well, and then try to exceed your own best efforts. Don’t give up. The harder you keep trying, the faster you get the results.

Be more selfish. People who put the needs of others before their own are more prone to major degenerative diseases. Learn the art of healthy selfishness. Feel free to turn down a request for something you don’t want to do.

There is a story that gives a good example of a positive attitude toward the future. A woman was diagnosed with a terminal illness and given three months to live. She asked her pastor to come to her home to discuss her final wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at her funeral, what scriptures to read and which outfit she wanted to be buried in.

Then she added, “I want to be buried with a fork in my hand.”

The pastor was surprised. The women explained that "In all my years of attending church socials and potluck dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, ‘Keep your fork.’ It was my favorite time, because I knew something better was coming, like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish pie — something wonderful. So, I want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and wonder, 'What's with the fork?' Then, I want you to tell them, ‘Keep your fork, because the best is yet to come.’”

At the funeral, when people asked why she was holding a fork, the pastor told them of the conversation he'd had with the woman before she died. He said he could not stop thinking about the fork, and knew they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it, either. He was right.

Keep your fork. The best is yet to come. With a good attitude on the job – and elsewhere – things are sure to go your way.