| | | Very few jobs in a company are as lonely and as stressful at times as those with the title of “leader.” Can you be happy and lead? I believe the answer is always YES!
Several years ago I wrote a fairly popular post titled “How To Be More Happy – 5 Things Leaders Can Start Doing Now.” In it I highlight my five keys to being a happy leader
:
1. Stay away from negative people.
2. Act happy, even if you aren’t.
3. Serve others.
4. Organize yourself
5. Eat that frog! (if you haven’t heard of this saying you will want to read the post).
I want to highlight number two on that list today – “Act happy, even if you aren’t.” Abraham Lincoln once said, “Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.” and Aristotle said, “Happiness depends upon ourselves.”
If you act happy, you will eventually be happy – fake it until you make it, right? And while you are faking it, your happiness will begin to rub off on others as well which is a double bonus!
The following story I heard the other day illustrates the power of this concept...
| | | | | | | | | Your attitude determines ultimately how you lead. The following leadership story demonstrates how easy it is to find what you believe.
Once upon a time a man pulled into a gas station in a small town in the country. He asked the attendant there, “What are the people like in the next town ahead?”
The gas station attendant asked, “What were the people like in the town you just came from?” The man said, “Absolutely awful people. They were rude, inconsiderate, cold and unfriendly. They wouldn’t even acknowledge or help me.”
“Well…” said the attendant, “I’m afraid and sorry to tell you that that’s exactly what you will find in the next town too. They are the same kind of people.”
A little later, another driver pulled up to the gas station heading the same direction as the first man. He also asked what the people were like in the next town. And the attendant asked the same question, "what were the people like in the town you just came from?”...
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