I know as an entrepreneur I have had good days and bad days over the past 6 months. The quote: “We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” has never rang truer. As my mother always said, “if you have your health, a nice roof over your head, clean water and good food, you have everything you need.” That’s true, but it’s easy to get caught up in what’s going on around us.

Being positive is not a 24/7 thing. It takes work, processing and attitude. It also takes a mindset of seeing the best in everything around you and taking one step at a time.

6 Steps to a more positive workplace

Positivity Workbook

For life, many people keep a gratitude journal to stay more positive, but in the workplace, this may not always be the ideal way to express what you are most positive about. Many workplaces engage in group activities with their team that focus on positivity. It might be having a positive mood board or using an app to explore happiness and positivity. Other companies move towards having a positivity workbook that relies on both individuals and groups to write down positive thoughts and share them with their colleagues. Whatever works for your team to keep the spirit positive helps with the overall productivity and culture of your business.

Play music in the background

Scientific research from Mindlab International derived that workers that have music playing in the background are healthier and happier. Setting a team playlist can help your team feel lighter and more energetic, encouraging positive energy and engagement. 

Find out what your team is passionate about

Passion is a trigger for happiness and positivity. Each of your employees will be passionate about some element of their career. Ensure that as a leader you are across their work passions and encourage their ability to do more things in their roles that they are passionate about. There are apps that are helpful in documenting employee passions, time spent doing what they are passionate about, and their feelings before and after doing what they are passionate about.

Ensure that your office is light and airy

Workspaces that maximise natural light through large windows make people feel happier and healthier than dark spaces with artificial light. Natural light and the right temperature at work results in less absenteeism, reduced stress, fewer illnesses and increased employee productivity and alertness. It helps employees look forward to going to work and keeps them happier and more positive throughout the entire workday.

Meditation, Yoga and Quiet Time

Remember when you were in preschool and after lunch the teacher would always encourage you to have a sleep? The workplace is no different. While powernaps are only for tech hubs, the ability to meditate, do team-based yoga classes or just have 10 minutes of quiet time can significantly increase your ability to stay positive and focus on what is really important.

Positivity as part of your culture motivators

Ensuring that positivity fits into your brand personality and is encouraged in every interaction is pertinent to keeping a positive feel in your workplace. Team culture that deploys soft skills in cleverly teaching employees how to see things from a positive perspective is key to keeping positivity alive in the workplace.

While it is tough to stay mentally positive when everything we see online and off appears to be negative, being reminded that positivity is healthier is important.