Finding Positivity in Workplace Learning Opportunities

Instead of viewing challenges at work as obstacles, consider them to be opportunities for learning and growth. This connects to our theme this week of positivity by allowing you to see any difficult situation in your workplace as something that contributes to your overall development rather than sources of setbacks. Mentally reframing your circumstances will automatically give you a mood boost to help you get through each and every day at work. While you’re navigating each professional task, remember that you’re not going through it alone–you have your workplace community to support you. And the tips from the pros that we’re highlighting below will also give you a great foundation for finding positivity amidst the learning opportunities your workplace provides.

We love this method for finding a positive spin on everything life throws your way from the pros at Indeed: “Make every situation a lesson learned. When you finish a task or project, take a few minutes to think about what went well and what you would like to change next time. Think about the challenges you faced and plan ways to work through them to make your next project more successful. For example, if you just finished managing a project, you can think of three different strategies for future projects so you have options as you work toward your goals.” This trick takes a holistic approach to ensuring future positive experiences by encouraging you to both reflect on the past and to look ahead to what may be coming. Beyond thinking about the steps you’ve taken, and those you wish to take, we encourage you to write down your plan. Writing will allow you to engage in an active task that will help you to better remember your goals moving forward. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you can always look to outside eyes by asking your employers and coworkers for their insights.

This suggestion from Allison Renner at Lifehack also offers up ways to foster positive connections in any professional environment: “Teach others what you know. You want to accompany others when they do their jobs, so offer that opportunity to your coworkers. Instead of helping them out only when they ask, offer to teach them what you know so they won’t have to call you all of the time. It might feel good to be needed (talk about job security!), but when you have your own list of tasks to do, being called to help someone else can be inconvenient. You know what they say: ‘Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him how to fish and you have fed him for a lifetime.’” Now, we do advise that you proceed with caution on this one. Make sure that you’re not prematurely offering advice if you’re new to your position or your workplace! Instead, wait until you’ve had a chance to acclimate yourself to your professional environment, to learn its ins and outs alongside getting to know your coworkers in depth. Once you’ve gotten to a point where you can prove you’re a pro, then feel free to dispense your wisdom–but only if your colleagues agree to your offer! Otherwise, your enthusiasm to share your knowledge might be misinterpreted as a desire to show off, or leave others with the impression that you’re a know-it-all. But we know you can strike a balance. And a great way to maintain that balance is to make sure you’re also asking questions of others, demonstrating that you’re interested in learning from their expertise as much as you want to share yours. This will ensure that everyone feels respected across the board, which will strengthen your workplace community as a whole.

Especially during these unprecedented times, we know it can be easy to get overwhelmed by difficult circumstances–and we aren’t diminishing the reality of those situations. Instead, the above tips will provide you with tools to navigate through them. So make sure you’re viewing every challenge you’ve tackled as a way to form a game plan for future challenges. After all, you’ve already successfully made it through! And make sure you’re working collaboratively as you stride towards your successes, both teaching and learning from those around you in your workplace community. Doing so is a surefire way to allow your unique professional strengths to shine, which will also provide a boost to your mood! Join us again tomorrow as we finish off the week on a high note with our Feel Good Friday: Positivity edition.

Image retrieved from Pixabay under the public domain.

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