Anxiety. Stress. Frustration. At times, these feelings can get us all down. You feel like you’re putting in your absolute best, and then another problem comes along, it snowballs, and you are suddenly overwhelmed with a sense of failure. This used to be my mindset on the regular. I struggled often with how to handle this… worry and anxiety. I often said to myself, “It will get better – this won’t last forever.” But what I failed to realize, was that I had to take a step in the right direction. This wasn’t just going to get handed to me, I needed to strive for it.
I had many friends and loved ones encourage me to move towards a better direction in my career. It was something that I struggled with often, and leaned on many bad habits as coping mechanisms. I would smoke incessantly to allow my brain a rest from the frantic nature of my job. “We’re serving food, not saving lives,” they’d say. True. But when you’re in it, and the fryer breaks down or the dishwasher breaks, or three people don’t show up and your plate just got 5 more jobs added onto it, the stress sure doesn’t let up; the sense of overwhelming failure doesn’t stop just because you want to have a good day.
It took a career change and a great team for me to discover that I needed more in my life than just a job. I needed support, encouragement, and most of all, positivity. And I needed this from myself, most of all. Self-talk. Internal dialogue. What I discovered along the way in this life, was that I tend to beat myself up. Still do. It’s like I would get stuck in the muck and mire of my own self-loathing. I could blame it away on outside forces, things I couldn’t control (and some things I could), but it doesn’t really solve anything. All that does is give strength to my negativity, and allowances for this pessimistic mindset to continue.
Lately, I have been finding strength in my inner voice to shut down those caustic thoughts, to “talk back” and stand up for myself to… myself. Our team works at sharing positive moments in our lives, our work, as well as blogs, videos, songs, and many other tidbits of positivity. It allows for us to start our day out right, with a laugh, and with a brighter mindset. I have found that my stresses are easier to bear, with a wonderful team. That every job comes with problems, but I now feel as though I have better tools to approach them. Most of all, I feel as though my self-talk has gotten way easier to turn around. Whenever I get those negative nelly vibes, I find a more confident retort and am able to move past things quicker. To solve problems more efficiently. And most of all, to have a better day, every day.
As I continue along this path of positivity, I hope to share with you the highlights, and gems we have discovered together along the way. Here is one that I shared with the team not long ago:
This mantra really resonated with me, as it’s something I began to recognize, in the past. We get what we put out into this world. I could literally feel the energy of the people around me change when I put forth a good mood, or conversely, a bad mood. It is a challenge to master, but one I welcome every day. May the vibes of each day manifest into the energy you want in your life. Stay tuned!
