A perspective makes a sizable difference not only in personal happiness, but career success. Consider the following scenario:
Anna is late to work. Her two kids stumbled out of bed, grumbling about the early morning and cold floors on their warm feet. Hustling and shuffling, she gets them into the car and turns on some lively music before telling them how much she loves them as she drops them off to school. She feels happy to provide them a fun atmosphere and smiles inwardly, even though they may grumble about her choice of music.
On her way to work the car in front of her abruptly slams on their brakes and she comes inches from hitting them. Her coffee spills down her front. Anna lets out a sigh of relief and is thankful she was able to stop in time, avoiding damage to her car. The thought of hurting the people in front of her makes her shutter and she again finds thanks in her safe stop.
As the day continues, unfortunate events continue to happen to Anna, but she seems unfazed. Coworkers admire her ability to find the positive in everything, regardless of how bad it seems to them.
Is Anna just ignorant or does she have a talent in an area we too can acquire?
Anna has perspective.
By believing that her career, life and events are a journey and not singular events created to make her life harder, Anna finds peace and even happiness in uncertain times. Life’s circumstances are bound to happen; it is our perspective that determines whether they are good or bad.
If you choose to always see the bad in situations, you will find greater suffering and stress. Now, of course some things are inherently bad, but the ability to find even a small touch of good in them will alleviate some of the negative emotions that go along with them.
Another talent Anna displays is her attitude. Attitude and perspective go hand in hand, but recognizing the good in bad situations can also create a positive attitude. Imagine if Anna were to react to the negative in her situations, her attitude would be angry, frustrated and impatient. Instead, the positive perspective she found alleviated much of the stress and suffering she would have otherwise experienced.
Employers look for a positive perspective and attitude because it translates into a solution based mindset. People with a positive perspective and attitude have the ability to positively influence people during high stress situations. This small difference in people can impact an entire company to increase productivity and efficiency.