Get On the Happy Bus
We’ve all heard the phrase “you are what you eat,” right? I remember working for a boss a long time ago who must have had a plate full of miserable bastard every single morning before coming to work, because he was perpetually dreary and awful to be around. To make matters worse, he really, really did a great job of spreading his misery. I think the entire office was on antidepressants by the time we all quit.
Anyway, to use another overused phrase, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” – at least, that’s the way the saying goes, right? So during these dark days I decided, with the help of a therapist, that I would figure out what I could learn about this situation. I decided that a.) I didn’t wanna ever be anything like that guy and b.) I’d rather spend my time building people up than tearing them down, myself included.
No reason I should be this way. Like all of us, I’ve had my fair share of trials in life that could justify a quite hostile attitude toward life. In 7th grade, my cute, rich, blond “friend” told me that I couldn’t come to her birthday party because I was black. When I was about 12 years old, my family was so poor that our church provided us with Christmas dinner, and that year, I had my first Christmas without Santa Claus. A former boss tried to convince me, a month after I received an award for my writing talent, that I didn’t deserve the award, had no writing talent and needed to go back to college if I wanted to ever make a living as a writer.
Working for an awful boss really taught me the most valuable lesson I’ve ever learned about being happy. My shrink at the time said to me, “Holly, happiness is a choice.” And I began to realize how I choose to think and how I choose to speak more heavily influence my life experience than any circumstance I’ve ever endured. And doing so with a sense of humor is gold.
Whether it’s your boss coming down on you, the spouse/significant other driving you crazy or the idiots in the White House – you don’t control what they do; your only morsel of control is how you react to it.
So get on the happy bus – there are plenty seats still available. And when you’re tempted to take a dose of miserable bastard and feel sorry for yourself, stop, take a few deep breaths and use a quote from my dad as your mantra:
“Like a fart in the wind, this too shall pass.”
Amen!
About the Author: Holly Rodriguez balances life as an entrepreneur with her freelance copywriting and editing business, Hot Rod Copy, with her daytime gig as a PR professional for University of Richmond.
Her writing has been featured in USA Today and several local newspapers and magazines, and she has been quoted in Better Homes N’ Gardens and Working Mother magazine.
Posted by richmond in Articles | November 8, 2007
Post a CommentComments (1)
Holly, what you wrote really hits home. Unfortunately I found that there are a lot of bosses out there like the one you described. My boss actually thinks "beating up" on the staff just makes them tougher -- like we were some piece of meat.
And just as unfortunate, it's not always easy to get away from that and not let yourself become a part of the whole unhealthy mess.
I've found out what helps one to survive in such an atmosphere is to:
1) take it for what it is -- the unhappy person has issues that are far deeper than with anything you might have done. Keep your composure but don't become a wimp (it seems to make them yell more and even start throwing things)
2) Stay away from trouble as much as possible by not engaging in trashing your co-workers and enabling the office ass-kisser. Just keep the trashing the boss with the right people -- it builds comradery).
3) Make sure you get paid well for your misery. Keep asking for (and hopefully getting) raises until you have enough in savings to quit and ...
GET ON THE HAPPY BUS!
Posted by: anonymous for a reason on February 19, 2008