Change The Way You Think

Yes, I know you consider yourself a positive person. So did I until one week I took the time to write down my actual thoughts and responses during workplace interactions. I was shocked at how many negative and self-defeating thoughts I actually had. I wasn’t able to change those negative thoughts until I started to think about and write down what positive/constructive thoughts could replace the negative ones. Once I got into the practice of doing this I swear my stress and anxiety levels went down.

With all the negative customers that you have to deal with each day as a call center rep, it’s only natural for you to slip into negative, self defeating thoughts. Negative thinking is one of the primary sources of stress and anxiety and you already know that stress and anxiety can lead to all types of health issues.

There is all the hype about the book, ‘The Secret’. While it’s message is about the power of positive thinking, some of it is a little too far-fetched for me. Here's a more down-to-earth article about positive thinking published by the Mayo Clinic:

So do it…..I challenge you! Write down your actual thoughts and reactions for a week. Whenever you encounter a negative thought, then think about and write down what a more positive thought would be. At the very least it will give you something interesting to focus on in between the call after call after call after call….that you take each day. In the long run, it will make you more aware of your thought pattern - and awareness is knowledge- and knowledge leads to self-improvement.