 Women
& Attitude - Surviving In The Workplace - Part 2
By Sophia Ajaz of Worthy Words Work ell, well.
So we’ve come to the final part on this two part series. Thanks for reading
the first one and waiting for the second. I won’t keep you long in deciding
what’s best for you and how you can carry forward. So, here’s for you
courageous lasses:
Self-Pitying - At times we’re self-defeating. Well, it does
happen to the best of us. But we need to review the whole situation and
tackle it to the best of our abilities. One of my colleagues, in her
mid-twenties, was losing her lush hair - it was becoming prematurely grey
and brittle. It was too embarrassing for her, being such a pretty young
woman. She began avoiding social gatherings and finally quit her job.
Self-pitying, she thought of wearing a wig, dyeing her hair, shaving her
head completely, and resorting to medicine or other treatments. But instead
of looking artificial and weirder, she decided it was time to take stock of
the situation. So she took the plunge and cut her lengthy, dying hair and
opted for a grey wavy style - that actually suited her well! She went about
confidently and received compliments for her new look. This clearly required
guts but she carried it very well with her inherent attitude. What was an
embarrassment became a positive aspect of her personality. From pitying to
positivism was only a step away - an attitude of never giving up.
Saying "NO" - Well, we all like hearing, “yes, yes, yes”, and
answering, “yes, yes, yes.” But this cannot be done all the time and it
would be foolish to expect the same. But again saying “NO” requires tact
too. Consider you are being asked to work overtime again and again, be it
weekends or nights, and you cannot say the obvious word (“NO”, of course).
So what do you do, despite wanting to have a gala weekend? Oblige once but
the next time discuss it with your manager/supervisor. If they want a good
employee, they’d agree with you. Saying “no” is always better than suffering
in a bad situation. It can also open doors of opportunities for you. Many
managers prefer open attitude and hearing “no” makes them know an employee’s
frank answer and they prefer that. So, there you go.
Enhance Your Qualities - Being punctual and being truthful are
good qualities. You know that, of course. But we don’t always follow them.
Situation demands that we deviate from the right course. We can deviate once
but it cannot become a habit. So, if you want to succeed, make being
punctual and being truthful an integral part of your habit, and more so, let
others say, “when we think of her, we think of Ms. Punctuality.” Oh girl,
what a tremendous boost to you and your positive attitude. You sure want
people to think of you in that way. Sure do! I admire your confidence, your
attitude. That’s the way to go. Remember, you have the right qualities,
enhance them, sustain them. They are an integral part of your attitude.
Like-Minded Network - Your attitude has carried you a long way in your life
and you want to have like-minded people around. Believe me, it helps
tremendously. It is an enormous gain. Like minds think alike and sure boosts
positivism. Consider, if you with your positive attitude could make others
feel good, what further good can be achieved if more like- minded forces
come together? It will be a powerful blast. Always look for like-minded
people and form a network. Positive attitude begets positive energy, so
there! Attracting and accommodating such people is part and parcel of your
attitude and when you need support, you won’t need to look far. And it cuts
both ways.
Controlling Power - You know, at the best of times, our best
laid out plans remain just that - plans. For we don’t take uncertainties
into account. We are too sure of ourselves. But we are human, first and
last. And to err is human. Despite assuring clients that we will stick to
deadlines, things fall apart and it is too embarrassing to inform the client
to the contrary. You have a reputation to protect, but remember one thing,
if you were frank with the client, s/he’ll appreciate it more than you going
around in circles and wasting more time. Once you’ve cleared the reasons for
delay, you’ve laid the foundation for a concrete way. We all have
controlling power over certain things and not everything. If we understand
this fact, we have a long way to go but in a silky way. It is another
dimension of yours.
You Are Important - Everyone is important to you, no matter
how small or how big. Wealth creates wealth but some would say, “how do I
create wealth when I don’t have a penny to my name?” It is all in your
thinking only. Even a rat (eeeee!) is a source of wealth if you can consider
it to be. Someone somewhere needs something and you are the person to
recognize and fulfill this need. The attitude of considering and making
others feel important is winning them. It is always U before I. This is a
positive attitude. A poor boy collected rats killed and thrown by his
neighbour. A little further he saw a woman waiting for food for her cat. She
paid him well for the rats. With the money, he bought pots and sold them to
people who wanted to store water. His trade grew. From “nothing” he created
wealth. Moral of this story: everything is valuable if it can be connected
to the right source.
Now, now, you’ve read enough. Its time to put it all into practice. Or shall
I say, “let’s begin” in right earnest. What are you waiting for women!
Theory is over. Let’s take some action. Good luck.
Sophia Ajaz is a journalist, writer & teacher. She is a
competent speaker & holds classes in the same. She owns Worthy Words Work.
Sophia can be reached via email at
worthywordswork@hotmail.com
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