Attitude is Contagious

This week I am sharing two short articles instead of one.  The point of both is that your attitude has alot to do with the perception you have of how things are going.  A good attitude can make things go well.  A bad attitude can make things go poorly.   Not only for yourself but for those around you. 


The first article is a short story about a monk living between two travellers.  It is interesting to see the monk's wisdom as to how attitude can make or break the situation.  It is pasted below and linked here.

The second article is also pasted below and it comapres a bad attitude to polluted air.  A bad attitude can ruin a good work environment so please don't be a polluter.   Be a purifier.  This article is pasted below and linked here.

The Monk and the Traveler.

They say a person can pretty much determine their own attitude or outlook on life. Many dispute that fact as they feel circumstances determine those critical factors. A quick journey back to your high school days or even as recent as a previous job and you can probably recall a number of instances that may better clarify this age-old dispute. Simply take a moment to visualize two contrasting personalities who were somewhat consistent in their views of people, places, policies or politics. Take the role of the non-judgmental monk in the following scenario and see which side of the dispute you may favor as you determine which village you seek.
One day a traveler was walking along a road on his journey from one village to another. As he walked he noticed a monk tending the ground in the fields beside the road. The monk said “Good day” to the traveler, and the traveler nodded to the monk. The traveler then turned to the monk and said, “Excuse me, do you mind if I ask you a question?”

“Not at all,” replied the monk.

“I am traveling from the village in the mountains to the village in the valley, and I was wondering if you knew what it is like in the village in the valley?”

“Tell me,” said the monk, “what was your experience of the village in the mountains?”

“Dreadful,” replied the traveler. “To be honest I am glad to be away from there. I found the people most un-welcoming. When I first arrived I was greeted coldly. I was never made to feel part of the village no matter how hard I tried. The villagers keep very much to themselves, they don’t take kindly to strangers. So tell me, what can I expect in the village in the valley?”
“I am sorry to tell you,” said the monk, “but I think your experience will be much the same there.”
The traveler hung his head despondently and walked on.
A few months later another traveler was journeying down the same road, and he also came upon the monk.
“Good day,” said the traveler.
“Good day,” said the monk.
“How are you?” asked the traveler.

“I’m well,” replied the monk. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to the village in the valley,” replied the traveler. “Do you know what it is like?”
“I do,” replied the monk. “But first tell me—where have you come from?”
“I’ve come from the village in the mountains.”

“And how was that?”

“It was a wonderful experience. I would have stayed if I could, but I am committed to traveling on. I felt as though I was a member of the family in the village. The elders gave me much advice, the children laughed and joked with me, and people were generally kind and generous. I am sad to have left there. It will always hold special memories for me. And what of the village in the valley?” he asked again.

“I think you will find it much the same,” replied the monk. “Good day to you.”

“Good day and thank you,” the traveler replied, smiled and journeyed on.

Attitude is contagious – What are people catching from YOU?

By John C Maxwell

Several things on a team are not contagious. Talent. Experience. Willingness to practice. But you can be sure of one thing: Attitude is catching. When someone on the team is teachable and his humility is rewarded by improvement, others are more likely to display similar characteristics. When a leader is upbeat in the face of discouraging circumstances, others admire that quality and want to be like her.… People have a tendency to adopt the attitudes of those they spend time with – to pick up on their mindset, beliefs, and approaches to challenges.

One of my mentors, Fred Smith, once told me there are two kinds of people in any organization: polluters and purifiers.

Polluters are like smokestacks, belching out dirty smoke all the time. They hate clear skies, and no matter how clear the air is, they can find a way to poison it with gloom. When the people around them “breathe” their toxins, they feel sicker and sicker.

Purifiers, on the other hand, make everything around them better. It doesn’t matter what kind of rotten atmosphere they encounter. They take in the toxic words of polluters in the organization just as everyone else does, but they filter the words before passing them on. What goes in may be gloomy and negative, but when it comes back out, it’s fresh and clear.

When you spend time with others, do they walk away feeling better or worse? Do you clear the air, giving them a fresh perspective and positive encouragement? Or do they go away feeling gloomy? Watch how people respond to you, and you’ll know which kind of person you are.

More on attitude and teamwork can be found in Today Matters, and The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork.