Negativity can take us unawares and become a habit, sapping your energy. It blights interactions with customers, and undermines productivity. Be mindful. Catch negative thought patterns before they catch you:

– Lack of opportunity: Hoping for life to dish up a serving of goodness on a silver platter? You might wait a long time. Don’t be disheartened comparing yourself to others. Take a breath. See if you can make your own opportunity.
– Lack of time: Everyone has the same number of hours in a day. There is plenty of time. You just need to use it wisely. If you have trouble managing time, look at ways to improve this. Make a list, prioritise tasks and see where the pitfalls lie. Good time management comes with practice and filters through to all areas of your day-to-day life.
– What’s in it for me? You may be unimpressed when asked to go out of your way for someone. Don’t think about what you’ll get out of it. A positive outlook will take you further. Get stuck in. It might turn out to be the opportunity you’ve been hoping for.
– Blaming someone else: It’s easy to play the blame game but it doesn’t get you far. By admitting and learning from our mistakes, we grow. Most successful people have failed numerous times. See failure as a hurdle to overcome; that gets you closer to your goal.

Whatever your negative thought patterns may be, identifying them is the first step to reducing their impact.