When I was growing up, my mother used to tell me that life was not about what happened TO you, but how you dealt with the curveballs and blessings life threw your way. I’ve definitely found that attitude and “mood” can influence how well I’m able to deal with all the little things that pop up and demand my time and attention during the day. For me, a big part of how well I can cope comes down to the language I use to qualify and quantify what’s going down in my family and business life. Just referring to something as a challenge or opportunity instead of a “problem” can make a huge difference in how I feel about tackling the task.
I have an old friend/coworker who explained to me that she had decided to make the seemingly simple switch from saying that she “had” to go to work to she “gets” to go to work. She shared that relatively simple little word change shifted her entire attitude about going to work. Instead of seeing and feeling as though going to work on Monday morning was a drudge and a trap, saying “I get to go to work today” turned it into a blessing and a gift. I was impressed how changing three letters could create such a major personal philosophical shift.
I decided to adopt the words “challenge,” “opportunity,” and “adventure” to use in my personal and professional life. “Adventure” is a particular favorite–I think because I have such a passion for words, language and stories. Instead of feeling like I’m dealing with some horrid little life lesson or problem, just shifting my thinking and turning into some sort of epic adventure with parallels to literature and life stories puts even the most challenging difficulties into a different light.
I believe communication experts will even suggest that a person use words like “challenge” and “opportunity” on the job or in the workplace instead of more negatively-charged words like “problem” and “difficulty.” This slight shift in language creates and conveys a completely different attitude about the tasks at hand. Even though we may not have coworkers and bosses and others in our home businesses to impress with our masterful use of language, just changing the way we think about our daily “grind” can cause a major shift in our energy and how ready and willing we are to deal with all the intricate challenges and opportunities involved in running a business!