Put on a happy face

I am not what you would call cheerful. I'm known for my swearing, ranting and general dislike of all who cross my path. And then people who really get to know me point out that I'm not as mean and horrible as I appear. Still, I know that I could stand to be a lot more positive in my life. I know that I should smile more and enjoy the days because we never know how many of them we have left.

But this job makes that so damn difficult.

When you're surrounded by negativity and annoyance it is really hard to be happy. When I spend almost all of my day just trying to get back home to where my happiness is, I can't seem to find any reason to smile. I soak up the negativity of others around me. And I hate that.

People accuse me of always being cranky. I'm not. I was in a good mood today. But then one by one people start being rude to me, intruding on my call when I was speaking to a client, snapping at me when I very politely asked them not to intrude on my phones calls, being loud and annoying in my lobby and just generally being miserable. And as all of those things started to happen I found it impossible to keep smiling.

It's so much easier being annoyed and bitter.

Then I reminded myself that I can go outside and have a lovely lunch. I can go get one of my favorite snacks and indulge in the pure deliciousness that is Berry Chill. I can sit with my friends in the lunch room and laugh for awhile. It is possible to find moments of happiness throughout the day.

Maybe I'll make a big sign to put on my desk. "No Negativity Allowed." Think it'll work?