Attitude Adjustment
Transform the World
By Tim Sanders
In fall 2007, I attended a talk by Mark Schulman, superstar drummer and cancer survivor. I had met him a few years previously when I moved to Los Angeles. He and I became friends, and I became a fan of his infectious attitude.
In his talk, he told a story about his wife—who also battled cancer—and how her health crisis reframed her attitude about her roles and obligations. Every day was precious to her, and a day she could do things was a good day. Her language changed. She converted tasks into privileges, or as Mark put it, "She turned her have-to's into get-to's." On days she had the energy to get out of bed, she'd say, "Today I get to go to work, create things and hang out with my friends." Mark learned from her example, adopted it too and emerged with a winning view on life.
In January 2008, I realized that I had let too many of my get-to's become have-to's. For example, when it was time to put the finishing touches on my new book, I'd mutter, "Today, I have to slog through hundreds of pages of research and respond to dozens of editorial notes." When I'd leave for Europe for a speaking engagement I'd grouse, "Today, I have to fly halfway around the world."
That was not a prescription for success or happiness. Reflecting on Mark's talk, I made a New Year's resolution that I'd convert my have-to's into get-to's. By the end of January, my attitude turned around and my performance improved dramatically. Now, I savor every opportunity to write or speak—and I've never been happier with my career. You can do this, too.
If you're feeling burned out and swimming in have-to's, rescue yourself from your attitude. If you've come down with a case of the mutters—and after 2008's crazy ride, it wouldn't surprise me—make this your new year's resolution, too!
Here's the idea: Reframe your tasks into opportunities. Author and marketing expert Seth Godin also advocates this mental approach to daily "chores." He once quipped that he doesn't have to blog everyday, he gets to blog everyday. And it shows in the quality of his content (and the amount of traffic he's built up over the years).
By reframing, you can find more joy in your day-to-day responsibilities. If you think about it, most of our obligations are really opportunities that we've lost our gratitude for. We think of work as something we "have to" do, but when we first got the job, we thanked our lucky stars that we "got to" have this career opportunity.
Here's an exercise to shake up your outlook on the daily grind: Pick out three big tasks you "have to" do this week and pretend that you've been fired from them. Imagine you no longer get to manage your team at work. You no longer get to drive your son to baseball games and sit in the bleachers cheering for his team. You no longer get to attend creative meetings to hash out details on the new product. Think about it. Doesn't that make you feel a little silly for complaining about these types of "duties?"
Finally, police your language, and watch out for any negative talk about your work life that signals a breakdown in gratitude. The next time you are marching into that dreaded sales and marketing meeting, tell someone, "Today I get to meet with some of my favorite people, solve problems and find ways to be successful in our roles!" You'll be surprised what a difference it makes.
How important is attitude? Let me close with a relevant story about the importance of perspective.
Christopher Wren was a philosopher, astronomer and architect, commissioned to rebuild St. Paul's Cathedral after the Great Fire of 1666 that leveled London. To be more fire resistant, the church was to be rebuilt with brick, which is labor intensive and would require more than 50 years of backbreaking work to finish.
One day in 1671, Wren observed three of his bricklayers working on a scaffold. He approached the first one, who had a listless expression on his face, and asked him, "What are you doing?" The first bricklayer, without even looking up, replied, "I'm making a wage." Wren approached the second bricklayer on the scaffold and asked him the same question, "What are you doing?" The second bricklayer looked back at him slowly with a blank expression and muttered, "I'm building a straight wall," then turned back to his work. The third bricklayer on the scaffold seemed much more excited to be there than the first two, whistling as he worked, accomplishing more than the other two combined. Wren then asked him, "And what are you doing?" This bricklayer stood up straight and with a gleam in his eye proclaimed, "I'm building a cathedral for the Almighty."
For decades after, Wren challenged titans of industry to transform their businesses into something with purpose, like building a cathedral. His story is still told today to illustrate how perspective makes work a joy, not just a way to make a living.
TIM SANDERS is the author of Saving the World at Work: What Companies and Individuals Can Do to Go Beyond Making a Profit to Making a Difference (Doubleday, September 2008). Check out his Web site at www.savingtheworld.net.