It's All About The Attitude

I've spent quite some time this past week reflecting on my goal of being more positive this year.  Is it working?  Has an adjusted attitude made a difference?  If so, how?  How can I possibly keep this up?

First of all, I truly believe it is "working".  What I mean by that is I definitely have a brighter, sunnier, more positive attitude.  When I do find myself starting to be sucked back into that vortex of negativity, I now more readily and quickly pull myself back into the more positive.  Let's look at an example.

Sometimes there are days when you feel nothing is going your way.  You get to school early so you can be prepared when the students arrive.  You've had your one cup of coffee at home and are ready for your second and final cup of the day.  You make your way to the teacher's lounge, passing by the office to cheerfully greet the secretaries and pick up your mail.  Into the lounge and there is it!  Grrrrrrrrrr...  the coffee pot with one centimeter of coffee left.  Mumbling to yourself you expertly make another pot.  You tell yourself it is just coffee, but you secretly wish that you could catch that person, just once, emptying everything but the final ounce into their cup and sprinting from the lounge.  I imagine them sprinting because they don't want to be bothered (or caught?) making another pot of coffee.  You get over it.  Off to the copier.  Insert spelling activity, choose double-sided because you care about the earth, and hit START.  Out it comes  --  in pink!   Grrrrrrrrrrr.... why can't the person who switches to color paper take it out when they are done?  You take out the pink and put in the white and wait the five minutes for the drawer to lift the paper.  You tell yourself that you've definitely probably been guilty of leaving color paper in the copier at some point too.  Keep smiling!   Back in your room you realize you left a curriculum binder at home that you need today.  Grrrrrrrrrrr..... why didn't you remember to put it in your bag last night when you thought about it?  Suddenly some negative thoughts attempt to take over.  But wait!  You've been practicing the power of positivity for seventy-one days!  You're certainly not going to let coffee, pink paper, and some forgetfulness get you down!   So you sit at your desk, sip your freshly made coffee, paper clip your white copies, and think about what great ideas you can come up with to present the material that's sitting at home in your binder.  And you know what?  When the bell rings you start your day with a positive attitude and  never look back.  So, yes, I'd say "it" is working.

Other signs that I see around the school (and with myself)  that would indicate "it" is working:

Positive comments whenever something not so positive is said.  Think phrases such as, "Think positive!" or "Let's look at that more positively!"  I was so happy today when I walked into the gym to pick up my little darlings and the PE teacher was asking the students if they had questions or comments.  After one not so positive response, she added, "Who has a positive comment?"   Hands shot into the air and the responses I heard for the next couple of minutes were filled with good vibes.  

I made a new BFF (fellow teacher) over the weekend while attending the Visible Thinking conference mentioned on an earlier post.  She works in my school and has always had a contagious positive spirit.  In years past, this happy attitude might have even annoyed me but not any more.  I'm making a point to drop by her room once a day and say hello.    

I really enjoy writing the blog.  I've never thought of myself as a writer, but many days I find myself making mental notes about ideas for the blog and I always look forward to writing it.  

I'm getting positive feedback on the blog.  Teachers at school will chuckle and tell me they really liked a particular blog post or just encourage me to keep it up.  

My international audience is growing.  Last check there are people from eight countries, + the U.S.  Now, I can't tell if it is repeat customers or if they look once and not again.  So -- to any readers in other countries -  can you send a comment??  Let me know if you read the blog and are getting anything from it?   Are you a teacher?   I'm truly interested in your feedback.

I've created thirty-two posts and received eighty-two comments!  I haven't kept track of the hours, but I can tell you it is many.  And I might add, 100% of the comments have been positive.  

My Halloween costume included a pink taffeta skirt, a tiara, and a sash declaring me Miss Positivity!  I would have never in a million years predicted that you'd see me dressed like that!

We had a speaker at one of our recent PDDs (professional development days) and he said you need to do something for thirty days to make a change.  Speaking from seventy-one days out, I'd say I've got this one. It's working, it has made a difference, and I can (and will) keep it up.