According to a recent article written by L. John Mason, author of Guide to Stress Reduction and founder of the Stress Education Center, 1 in 4 employees are angry at work. Workplace violence costs $4.2 Billion annually, with 111,000 reported incidents. A sample incident? In May, a 19-year-old flight attendant set fire in a restroom during a Northwest/Compass Airlines flight from Minneapolis to Regina, Saskatchewan because he was mad at the airline for making him work that route.

Yikes!

Mason’s article lists the warning signs. Here at Everything Attitude, we’d rather focus on the solutions.

I know it can be hard to keep a positive attitude, especially if you work with an idiot. But you have to tame your tiger, or it will eat you alive. Retaliating is easy. Self-control involves committing yourself to thinking before you respond. It means responding in a healthy way, instead of reacting and creating regret. People of self-control respond in a way that benefits them and the situation.

A few weeks ago, I was delayed on an outbound flight from O’Hare aiport due to mechanical problems with the plane. Right after the agent made the announcement abut the delay over the intercom, a little bald-headed guy walked up to the counter and starting screaming at the agent. I thought his head was going to pop off. And guess what? The plane didn’t take off any sooner due to his outbursts. This guy lost it for no good reason. He didn’t benefit himself or the situation.

Demonstrating self-control and diffusing your ticking time bomb requires emotion management. Define some things that cool you down and use those tools next time you get worked up. Listen to music, go for a walk, drink a glass of water, call someone. Lighten up and try to see the humor in challenging situations. Choose to let it go, or at least walk away from it for a little bit.

I’m not saying to never get mad. Things will happen and we will get upset. Author Barry Ng agrees, suggesting that ”anger at work is unavoidable, especially in really stressful environments.” The key is emotion control. You can’t let the emotions of your wrath rule your actions and words.

Back in May one of the worst earthquakes in decades struck central China, with 9,000 people killed in collapsed schools, nearly 2,000 children orphaned by the tremor, and a deadly toxic chemical leak. Today another strong aftershock rocked China. Social media has been crowdsourcing and reporting news by the minute.

A recent poll of 4,300 Chinese Quake survivors conducted by newspaper China Youth Daily and news portal Sohu.com, showed that 88 percent thought that the recent China earthquake had “changed” their lives. 82 percent of those polled report that they plan to “cherish life more and create more value for society” as a result of the quake. Over 70 percent plan to do more to help the needy. A recap of results:

Over at Schreiner’s Media Landscape, they suggest that China’s earthquake is karmic - and wonder if the quake can improve their country’s attitude. Seems so, Schreiner.

After natural disasters, attitude, culture, and fatalistic beliefs can affect how survivors perceive risk and recover. Devastation can leave people with strong emotions and a sense of uncertainty. On a more micro level, uncertain times, personal trauma, and crises can shake your attitude.

Cultivating an attitude of resilience can help us cope. Resilience is ordinary, not extraordinary. It starts with having caring and supportive relationships with family members, friends, and other connections. Encouragement and reassurance bolster a person’s resilience. But resilience is a trait that can be learned.

Some of the ways you can build your resilience?

• Try to see beyond today - and focus on future circumstances.
• Accept circumstances that cannot be changed.
• Develop realistic, measurable, bite-size even babystep goals.
• Take decisive actions, rather than detach yourself.
• Surround yourself with encouragers - life is impossible if you journey through it alone.
• Be an encourager - if you feel you don’t have anyone in your life, then go out and be a support to someone. It will return to you in ways you can’t possibly imagine.
• Acknowledge your own strength and resourcefulness.
• Maintain an optimistic outlook by visualizing a better future.
• Meditate or write - to better understand and accept your feelings.
• Stay flexible - and realize that resolution or outcomes may not be as you hope or plan.
• Look to self help groups, online resources, and books for additional strength.

99.9% of all challenges come without warning. In 1990, my family’s town (Plainfield, Illinois) was wiped off the map by a microburst — a huge storm wherein the sky opens up and air is pushed down. When it hits the ground it spreads like a tornado and destroys. Our town was declared a federal disaster - 28 people lost their lives, thousands were injured, and many lost their homes. The storm came without warning - no siren, no breaking news. And that’s the way many challenges come. They don’t set up appointments. They just come, leaving us feeling hopeless and helpless. We want to give up.

Here is the secret - you can make it. Don’t give up or lose hope. It’s okay to feel the pain and look for the meaning in the experience, but don’t stop living. This is your opportunity to have your life deepened in ways you may not yet be able to imagine. Whatever you are going through or have gone through - you can make it.

SoulsilenS, a self-described “conscious rock group” that writes songs about human feelings and good intentions, is kicking off a World Tour for their debut album to deliver great music and promote the PRO-GREEN movement.

While rock-n-roll has often been about attitude, music’s impact on attitude and regulating mood inspires intriguing discussion.

Music is often used in advertising to enrich key messages - and is believed to be one of the most stimulating components in t.v. and radio commercials (Hecker 1984). Music positively arouses consumer emotional states (Stout & Lockney, 1988). Exciting music can heighten emotional response. Calm music can decrease anxiety and help you tame your tiger. Music therapy has been used effectively to combat depression, for stress management, for meditative healing, to improve behavior in Autistic children. Believe it or not, children spontaneously create songs and make music (2-6 songs per hour) at age 2 (although by age 5 word language takes over the world of sound in most children).

If you want to change your attitude, change your music. Listen to music that is appropriate for your desired feelings. Upbeat music for energy, slow ballads to help you relax. Better yet, choose your own personal theme song. I have one that I play before I speak at events and before important meetings or media interviews. It gets me going. Sometimes I even sing it in the shower (heck yeah, I’m off-key, and I’m proud of it).

And crazy as it sounds, singing doesn’t have to be in private. I was once in the crowded Newark Airport, getting a little stressed out looking for the rental car desk. Off in the distance, I heard something extraordinary: one guy singing. He was in charge of giving people information - where to go and how to get there. I walked over and asked how to get to the rental car place. He sang me the directions. What an experience! Filled with enthusiasm. I smiled, laughed, and walked away feeling good. Singing a direction or question may just get you a better response.

Janice Harris talks more about music therapy over on her Music Therapy Show blog.

Don’t be fooled into thinking something this simple can’t be powerful. A simple song and the right theme music can kickstart your attitude and change your life.

This week we debut our premiere issue of Attitude Digest, a quarterly magazine about attitude enrichment, employee motivation, and team building. We created Attitude Digest for managers and business executives who want to motivate employees and increase chances of success in the workplace, relationships, and life.

What makes Attitude Digest unique? The magazine is published in an “A.D.D.-friendly” format. Which means it is highly approachable and streamlined, designed to be easily digested in bits and pieces with short, entertaining articles, brief reviews, and bulleted main ideas. Attitude Digest editor, Jocelyn Godfrey, has 12 years of experience contributing to national magazines, ghostwriting and book editing.

You can subscribe right now to Attitude Digest http://www.everythingattitude.com/store.magazine.html.for $59.00. The first 1500 subscribers will also receive my latest book, “Who Put a Lizard in My Lasagna,” and a motivational video/DVD (a $99 value).

Ivan Misner, over at Networking Now blog (on the Entrepreneur.com blog network), has an interesting post today about solutions-focused attitudes. Too many folks in this world, says Misner, have a problem-focused attitude, which invites resistance and stunts growth.

Do you have a problem-focused attitude or a solutions-focused attitude?

People with Problem-Focused Attitudes focus on:

• What’s wrong
• What needs fixing
• Blame
• Control
• The past
• Deficits and weaknesses
• Complications
• Definitions

People with Solutions-Focused Attitudes focus on:

• What’s wanted
• What’s working
• Progress
• Influence
• Collaboration
• Resources and strengths
• Simplicity
• Actions

In business, executives are trained to problem solve. Think about all the problem-solving tools they use: cause and effect diagrams, flow charts, risk analysis, USP analysis, Porter’s Five Forces, systems diagrams, even SWOT analysis. Business literature has long suggested that problem-solving ability is one of the four-dimensions of leadership. But executives could greatly benefit from being more solutions-focused. All it takes is a little reframing. Instead of asking “why didn’t we hit our targets?” they could ask “what do we need to do next time to hit our targets?”

Solutions-focused executives are better able to create lizard experiences at work. What’s a lizard experience? It starts by using the best of who you are to create the best of what you want. You focus on what you want instead of the negatives. You focus on your assets, your opportunities, your strengths, your resources, your attitude. The more lizard experiences you create with your team and for your customers or clients, the more business you will generate. The more your sales and profits will soar. Your company’s bottom line will increase, turnover will decrease, and your employees will become more connected and passionate.

The next time you find yourself focused on problems and how to fix things, step back and ask yourself if you need a solutions-focused attitude adjustment.

I admit it, I’m a big NASCAR fan. As much as I get psyched up about the hard driving action, Nascar driver attitudes on and off the track can be offensive. Over at LisaM321’s blog, she’s worried that Kyle Busch’s post-race win boasting will lead to Tony Stewart bad attitude traits. And NASCAR is notably littered with bad attitude rockstars. They can’t control their temper. They make crazy moves on the track.

Do you have to act like a jerk to lead and win races? Do you have to be a driver that fans love to hate?

Maybe not. Danica Patrick believes the “right attitude” allowed her to become the first woman to win an IRL IndyCar race in the male-dominated world of motor racing. And a ton of folks are saying that NASCAR needs Danica Patrick. FOX race analyst Jeff Hammond led Darrell Waltrip to two of DW’s three Winston Cup championships as his crew chief. And he has recently reported on Darrell racing at Darlington, suggesting that the intriguing and challenging racetrack “is all about attitude.”

Taking the checkered flag in NASCAR and in life requires a positive attitude. And demonstrating self-control requires good emotional management. I’m not suggesting that you suppress your negative emotions. I’m only suggesting that you relieve your negative emotions in a more constructive way. It can help you prevent a disastrous finish. A few tips for NASCAR drivers and for everyday folks like you and me:

• Practice Patience
• Recognize the elements that push our buttons (change, challenges, unexpected events, negative people) and inspire us to respond
• Let it go, and choose to make every situation better
• Renew your mind and body so you can get to a place where your thinking is better
• Don’t sweat it. You can always rally to overcome an early spin that could have knocked you out of contention

Poor Mayor of Oaklawn, Illinois, Dave Heilmann. Back in September 2007, Oaklawn created a memorable and quirky public service stop sign campaign, adding comical slogans the likes of “…and smell the roses,” and “means that you aren’t moving” to the bottom of STOP signs. The City of Oaklawn created the unique signage to in an effort to increase jaded motorists’ attention and inspire them to pause, if for nothing else, to read the phrases. The signs were the idea of the City President, and local residents were encouraged to submit their own ideas. Found throughout the city, the signs garnished attention with the press.

This week, dry personality and humor intolerant IDOT (the Illinois Department of Transporation) squelched the creative slogan stop signs. IDOT suggested the signs violated the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (the instructional bible for all things transportation safety-related).

Kudos to Mayor Heilmann for attempting to come up with a unique and eye-catching way of slowing speeders. It’s too bad that Oak Lawn has yet to publish statistics on whether the signs reduced accidents or stop sign running. We can’t wait to see these numbers.

In the meantime, we are awarding IDOT (the Illinois Department of Transportation) with Everything Attitude’s Worst Attitude of the Week Award. Life is short, so lighten up, IDOT. Humor creates positive human connection and saves us all from terminal professionalism. Ahh the price of uniformity!

When federal or local government regulations supress creativity, they decrease public awareness, empathy, responsiveness, and potential accountability. We need to fight censors and the mechanization of culture that surpressses creativity. Hang in there, Mayor Heilmann. Find the opportunities in your adversities. And find comfort in your biggest fans (those who are supporting you and Oaklawn’s ingenuity):

- John Howell and Cisco Cotto
- My Crazy Hobby Blog
- Illinois Reason Blog
- My Hero of the Day
- Southtown Star

I’m always on the lookout for stories of real people who realized tat they could change their life through attitude. These stories are constant reminders that what I strive to communicate truly is powerful.

This week, I came across this great post on a blog titled “ Antique Mommy .” This post titled “ A Decision ,” spoke of a time when this particular blogger was feeling down and out. As she put – she was drowning in her sorrow and didn’t feel like life would ever be good again. It wasn’t until she heard a story from her father that she made the conscious decision to turn her life around.

It’s true –life can be pretty bleak if you only focus on the bad and you let a negative perspective take over. But what’s amazing about being human is that you can choose at any moment how you will perceive things. It doesn’t mean that bad things still won’t happen, but you can certainly choose how you react to them.

My decision came when I was feeling down on my luck and a friend told me that “luck” had nothing to do with it. He told me that it was me. Not the easiest thing to hear – in fact it irked me a little. However, once I chose to listen to my friend, I realized that he was right. The power to change my life was in my hands – and changing began with attitude.

I’d like to hear your stories, everyone. When did you make your decision?

Hey Attitude Kickers!

May is already gearing up to be a busy month for me. On May 15, I’ll be releasing the first issue EVER of my new magazine “Attitude Digest.” I’m really excited, as it’s going to share tons of information on how to “kick in your attitude” on a daily basis.

The magazine will include sections on health, relationships, team-building, and leadership — and the important role that attitude plays in all these areas. The magazine will include articles from not only me, but also other experts who understand the power of attitude. Attitude Kickers will also be given the ability to participate through monthly contests.

I’d love to hear from fellow Attitude Kickers about their perspective and stories on attitude. Who knows it might be featured in an upcoming issue. If you have something that you would like to share send it my way!

Two year subscriptions are $59 and include 8 editions of “Attitude Digest,” and a copy of “Who Put a Lizard in My Lasagna,” with an accompanying DVD. For more details visit: http://www.everythingattitude.com/store.magazine.html

This week as I was traveling, I picked up an issue of Fast Company to read on the plane ride. I came across an article titled “The Power of the Prize.” It caught my attention because I love contests - as evidenced by my upcoming “2008 Best Attitude of the Year” Contest.

The article outlined new research that suggests that companies can use contests to help spur business innovation and R&D. Most of the examples in the article were about “externally broadcast contests” – contests that tapped into customers and asked them to help create unexpected, workable business solutions. Alan Lewis, who runs internal and external developer contests at eBay, is quoted in the article as saying “…the top things (you get from external contests) are going to be higher quality than what you’d get if you say to employees, ‘You’re responsible for five innovative ideas a quarter.”

Hogwash. While I agree that contests can be great ways to create positive customer experiences and help generate unexpected ideas, I don’t agree that the best innovation lies outside your company. If it does you are failing to effectively lead your team. And I’m not alone. “I’m Not Actually A Geek” blog agrees with me in this post suggesting ways that companies could better maximize innovation from the inside-out.

It isn’t easy. You have to roll up your sleeves and apply a little elbow grease to inspire internal innovation among your employees. But if you kick in your team’s attitude, you can inspire exceptional innovation. Your team will have your back. And internal contests can be used for team building, employee morale, and sparking creativity. There are many companies out there doing it…

- Pelican Products, a firm specializing in watertight protective cases, held an internal contest by which factory workers win points and earn prizes for maintaining certain levels of productivity, enforcing safety procedures and meeting other criteria. The company made sure that the prizes were items that the employees actually wanted to win! Quite the concept! The result? Decrease in both its workers compensation and employee turnover.

- Even large corporations are getting involved with their employees. On April 17, McDonald’s hosted its Voice of McDonald’s II, an employee singing contest. While singing may be appear in the average McDonald’s worker job description, the contest does something very unique. It celebrates the employee and puts them out for the world to see! Who doesn’t want to be celebrated?

The key takeaways? Host a contest for your employees! Some ideas? Ask employees to create a commercial and the winner gets a promotion. Or the top salesperson wins dinner and a stay at a local hotel. Use your creativity and your employees will be committed to your companies success, and more likely to deliver remarkable innovation.