365 Days of Living the Dale Carnegie Principles
Day 10. April 4, 2011
Preface: About midday today I realized I needed to start writing down all the possible blog topics for today’s Carnegie entry. It really was an authentic Monday.
If I hadn’t taken the Dale Carnegie course, today would have been the perfect storm. I think everyone and their brother, sister, mother and neighbor and dog decided to wait until today to need a piece of my time the moment I walked into the office.
Instead of reacting or thinking everyone had lost their minds—I took a deep breath. I focused on prioritizing the tasks that were thrown at me and I began to chip away with earnestness and enthusiasm.
Picture me sitting in my chair—completely relaxed, whistling to my favorite songs on the radio as I worked diligently at my computer. So much for the perfect storm!
A productive, pleasant day at work
I could have sat in my office, reacting to the snippy emails and urgent requests. I could have worried about the mountain of work that is accruing – but instead I reminded myself of Dale Carnegie’s principles from How to Stop Worrying and Start Living:
Don’t fuss about trifles.
Use the law of averages to outlaw your worries.
Learn to relax at work.
I didn’t let anyone get under my skin today. Period. I controlled my happiness by relaxing and focusing on doing my job with enthusiasm. I also reminded myself of the law of averages—I have completed mountains of work in the past, I can certainly do it again.
So, the next time you feel stressed, try to relax—even if it’s just by taking a deep breath. Remind yourself that the law of averages proves you’ll get past this moment just as you have in the past. And do everything you can to not let your energy get wasted on trifles. And if all else fails, do what I do… whistle while you work.
The Smiling Daffodil 