NYC has a bad reputation. Some think the general population of my fair City isn’t very nice. My reply is that if you’d kindly MOVE to the side of the street so that we busy peeps CAN JUST PASS, collectively we might be a little friendlier, hon. (I didn’t mean to scream. But yeah.) So I haveta tell you, crowds on the sidewalk that block the ENTIRE sidewalk kill me. And it’s a daily thing. And it’s not just visitors. It’s locals, too. Cause New York is back to full blast. Have you noticed? Also, if you’re at a crosswalk and there are no cars coming you CAN walk. Oh yes, you can! Just watch me! You don’t HAVE to wait for the ok from the light up neon sign that grants you passage. (Just saying.) But I try not to let these minor dust ups sour my otherwise chipper outlook.
However I know some people who know some people who can find a problem for every solution. We call folks like that mood poisoners. They know exactly what’s wrong with your rather brilliant idea and they can’t wait to share it with you. They are actually excited to disburse their negative opinion and yuck your yum.
So many people just seem to be in such a bad mood so much of the time. It can’t just be me who is noticing this trend, yeah? Is it climate change? Humidity? The rising price of strawberries? Construction noise? Crazy politics? Random acts of violence in every possible city? Ongoing wars? Or endless waits for everything…
I know many folks that have office jobs and their co-workers tend to bring their problems from outside the workplace right into their cubicles, offices, and common areas… sometimes on calls where the decibel of the conversation is hard to miss. Especially in those new flexible grab-a-desk situations where you can sit anywhere on any given day. These oversharers can attempt to ruin your whole mood by spreading their unhappiness– but don’t let them.
And it will come as no surprise to you that these unhappy workers don’t exactly commit to doing their best at their jobs. Take our friend Gail for instance. She goes into work and is so busy, but makes no progress. Activity is not necessarily a predictor of success. You can spin your wheels and go nowhere, right? We’ve all been there before and it isn’t fun. Or you can be incredibly efficient and make great strides in just a few strategic steps. But what if you were allowed to reply to Gail’s nonsense by calling her out? How good would that feel??
Sometimes bad news spreads quickly and affects many. You can almost see the wisps of unrest cloud a room when management mentions budget cuts, or hear the audible grunts of commuters when the MTA threatens more price increases, or feel the rising tension in the mailroom when you and your 462 other neighbors get the dreaded letter from your management company on the same day that all homeowners are being assessed for mandatory building repairs for the next 24 months. UGH!!!
I wish there were more outlets to air our frustrations that didn’t get us in trouble. Like a no judgement noise-proof scream room at work. How popular would that be? Or a designated airport person at each gate who understands your raised voice and encourages you to shout obscenities at the top of your lungs when your flight is delayed or your luggage is lost. How about being able to record angry messages while you’re on hold with any form of customer service!! Wouldn’t all of these solutions cool some frustrations and lower the temperature on mood poisoning?
Life is rough and having patience and holding onto your sunny outlook can be challenging, especially these days. But fear not. With your smarts and can-do attitude you can glide through with nary a scratch on your cool exterior. You might even get a chuckle out of those red faced yellers and teach them a thing or two. So be the antidote for mood poisoning today by sharing your smile.
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