Attitude is contagious

Although I have completed my MBA from a well-reputed school and am currently applying for work in different parts of the world, I have already experienced a plethora of emotions – frustration for not getting the role(s) I am gunning for, happiness for being with the family for an extended period, disappointment for not being able to leverage my people network well enough, satisfaction for experiencing a noticeable change in my pre and post-MBA thinking. When I think about these emotions, I realize that it’s all about choice, when it comes to the attitude I wish to wear. The attitude I wear not only impacts my actions that immediately follow but significantly impacts the behavior of the people around me as well.

Tomorrow, when in a leadership position, I will be wearing one or more of these attitudes in an environment where the margin for error will be much lower than what it is now. This is where choice will become critical, as it will impact not only my behavior but influence the behavior of the people around me. Everyone is in a leadership position in at least one point in his/her life, whether it’s as a father, mother, boss, an elder sibling, a respected confidant or a valued sounding board.

I strongly believe in the self-hypothesised ‘choice theory,’ that one always has at least two ways to react to a situation. In more occasions than not, the most sane option is the hardest one to pursue, but that’s just how the cookie crumbles.

From the various conversations I have been fortunate to have with people from the world-over, I have learnt that deep-seated desires are really powerful in terms of developing or moulding one’s attitude. People who strongly pursue their aspirations/dreams end up with being very content for having given it a good shot, or shots. Here, the result(s) really does (do) not matter as the person ends up learning and convincing him/herself that the option(s) has (have) been tried and tested and will or will not work.

The gist of it is that one always has a choice when one come across  a situation. Following deep-seated desires in some way, shape or form will not only instill positivity and confidence but end up teaching you something about yourself. I too am giving it a shot and every small step makes me want to take the next.