Words of Wisdom

  • book T-ROC Staff
  • calendar Mar 2, 2022
  • clock 4 mins read

You know the saying, “never mix religion or politics with work”? Well, today I’m going to cross the line… on the religious side. But I promise, no one will be offended!

A speaker at my church (Eagle Brook out of Minneapolis, MN, if you’re interested in setting up your week for success) was talking about “Normal Habits vs. New Habits” and while the message could apply to out of work experiences, it very much resonated with me from a work perspective. The goal of the message was simple: If we want to create more joy in our lives, there are three quick habit changes that we should work on embracing:

Normal Habit

  • Worrying
  • Comparing
  • Complaining

New Habit

  • Praying/Positive Thinking
  • Celebrating
  • Appreciating

Praying/Positive Thinking vs. Worrying

Can anybody out there think of a time that “worrying” helped a situation? Absolutely not. Clear your mind of painful thoughts. Here’s a personal example to illustrate just that. My husband recently bought a few snowmobiles to give us some outdoor pleasure during these cold winter months in the great Midwest. I worried about being cold, I worried about tipping, I worried about getting stranded in the middle of nowhere—I could go on and on. And I did! I spent three months worrying before the snowmobiles even made it to the cabin. My husband bought me all the gear and on the first snowfall, we headed out to the trails. I’m not kidding you when I say it took less than 10 minutes to fall in love with it all—getting fresh air, enjoying the beauty of the great Midwest, and being outside with family and friends. In retrospect, I should have spent those three months with a positive outlook, which would’ve made my husband’s purchase of those snowmobiles a much more joyous occasion. All that worrying did was take the excitement and fun out of the anticipation of that first snowfall and that first ride.

Celebrating vs. Comparing
Be proud of your accomplishments and celebrate them. We spend so much time beating ourselves up with the “would have/could have” mentality and sometimes fail to see our wins. In addition, stop comparing and celebrating the wins of your peers and co-workers as well. Getting outside yourself and celebrating others is liberating. Whether for a promotion, a birthday, or achieving a milestone, a company that takes the time to lessen the stress of its employees through celebrations can have the benefit of increased productivity in the workplace. According to a survey by Globoforce, a whopping 94 percent of employees like getting recognized for accomplishments at work. And 74 percent of the employees surveyed who hadn’t celebrated accomplishments with their co-workers said they are more likely to leave their jobs.

Appreciating vs. Complaining
We have so very much to be thankful for in this world. Appreciate your company, your co-workers, appreciate the very fact that you have a job, and—depending upon your business—appreciate the fact that you’re making a difference for other people and organizations by the services you provide. Happiness makes people more productive at work, too. In a study by the University of Warwick, UK, researchers found that a happy workplace results in a 12 percent spike in productivity. Conversely, the same study revealed that unhappy workers are 10% less productive than workers reporting average levels of workplace satisfaction.

I’m thankful to be working for a company with a culture that encourages us T-ROCers to think positively, celebrate our wins both as individuals and as an organization, and teaches us to appreciate each other for our talents and contributions. I’m appreciative of the fact that our services make a difference not only for the people we’re able to employ but for the work we do to drive sales and ROI for the manufacturers and retailers we represent.

Mary Jo Liesch (MJ) is Vice President of Business Development with T-ROC, a global retail solutions provider. To learn more about how MJ and T-ROC can work with your brand or manufacturer on innovative solutions, you can reach her at [email protected].

 

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