Can a Positive Attitude Get You Back to Work?

April 10th, 2009

Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth and current Dalai Lama

As more and more firms are closing down in this recession, many find themselves out of a job. This is when a positive attitude makes all the difference.

I used to work in a hotel and also lived there in the staff quarters, so when I was made redundant I was both out of work and homeless which was quite traumatic. This happened on the day before I was due to go on holiday to India.

What I found is that a positive attitude really helped me. I looked at my situation in a positive way. The first thing I did was extend my holiday from a month to three months. This resulted in my being able to go on a trip to meet the Dalai Lama which is one of my most treasured memories. This certainly would not have happened if I had stuck to my original plan to stay for 4 weeks.

My stay also allowed me to reflect on my life and look at the future as a fresh start, a new beginning.

If you have lost your job recently, you may not have the opportunity to go away for 3 months like me but there are several advantages to having a positive attitude which can help you get a new job.

These are some of the advantages that people with a positive attitude have when looking for a job:

They tend to network more and may hear of job opportunities as a result.
They spend more time searching through job listings
A positive attitude can make all the difference in a job interview
They don’t give up easily and this perseverance helps achieve their goals

So how do you get to be more positive. Here are some tips:

Surround yourself with positive people. Positivity is contagious.
Identify things in your life that you are grateful for. This will help your overall positivity.
Try to catch yourself becoming negative, then distract yourself. Call a friend for a positive chat, watch some mindless TV. Resume your job searching when you feel in a better mood.
Laugh a lot. Watch a comedy film or play with a child.

Although losing your job can be traumatic, there are ways to have a positive attitude that will help you in your search for a new job.

If you are suffereing from stress as a result of losing your job then download my free book “How to Manage Stress.”

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