Bring Peace to Your Office: Be the Change You Want to See in Others

Personal growth can be challenging. But working around people who you wish would change often requires even more effort. You might not be able to completely avoid working with others whose habits you dislike, but you can focus your energy on being the best person you can be.

When you do the best you can, you feel good about how you’re living. By being the change you want to see in others, you make your own life happier.

Also, it’s likely that other people will see your increased satisfaction. When they do, they’ll want what you have. If you lead by example, you have a good chance at “converting” some people over to your way of thinking and acting.

Physical Changes Can Help Others Succeed

For anyone who’s surly at the office, unhealthy eating might be a cause. With this, you can set an example for your associates. That doesn’t mean always pushing the latest diet fad or harassing co-workers about their weight. Instead, live your life in a healthy, positive manner. Others may see that they can do it, too.

Try organizing healthy activities for people in the office. If you already do things as a group outside of work, you can move carefully toward more healthful activities. You don’t have to run a marathon to be healthy – it can be as simple as a quick lunchtime walk.

If you can get your co-workers moving, you can effect lasting, positive change.

Mental and Emotional Changes Bring Joy

To help your associates be more harmonious, try these tips:

1. Play background music. Quiet and peaceful music works best. The selections should be something that almost everyone will like. Also, not everyone tunes out background noise well, so the music must be soft and generally without lyrics.

2. Affirm others and speak well of them. At times, you may have co-workers you don’t care for, but there’s no reason to bad-mouth them. Find something nice to say to them or about them. If you really can’t say anything positive, simply keep quiet. Gossiping solves nothing.

3. Choose your battles. There will always be times when situations don’t go exactly as you planned, or when you have to stand up for yourself and your beliefs. You can do that in a non-confrontational way. Consider the interests and needs of the people you’re interacting with. Talk to them intelligently and be fair. Avoid attacking them personally.

If the battle isn’t one that you really must win, let it go.

Overall, when you’re more relaxed and happy, others around you will be that way too. They’ll see that they don’t need to be short-tempered or angry to get things done. Positivity is a great message to send out to your workplace and to the world as a whole. When others adopt your new attitude, you spread happiness far beyond your immediate circle of influence.

Speak and interact gently in the workplace. You know you have good intentions, but others may not. Avoid criticizing people or demanding that they do things your way. When you are peaceful and happy, others will eventually follow.