I live in Seattle. January is usually a messy, wet, windy, some-times snowy mess. Gloomy Gus central. This year, we’re stringing together days and days of mild, sunny weather showering us with blue skies and snow-capped mountains towering above the city instead of cold, hard rain. It’s quite a treat, actually.
Yet, there is still grumbling. Just this morning a colleague asked “How’s it goin’ Val?” And I started to go down that slippery path into griping about something that actually didn’t matter. I caught myself and turned it around but still; the dark side loomed and I almost took us both over the edge and into the deep.
“Attitude is everything” is a cliché. It’s trite. It’s over used. And not really that helpful. Except, that it is. A smile and a positive attitude is infectious. It inspires others. And makes tough work lighter. A simple smile eases the way, makes strangers friends, and in general, brightens the day.
So give in. Smile a little more today and see if you don’t get more smiles back.
Val Shaken-not-Stirred Sanford
Vice President, Strategy and Business Operations
