The CEO Difference: How to Climb, Crawl, and Leap Your Way to the Next Level of Your Career

CHAPTER 3Be Optimistic and Easy to Get Along With

THE ONLY things you can control in this world are your attitudes and your effort. You have little or no say over the craziness of your colleagues, boss, the government, or your family, but you can take charge of your own actions and how you interact with others. As a thinking adult, your outlook on life is managed by you, not by others, although they will try hard to do so. Don’t let them. You are your own boss in this matter, so be a good one.

Why is this good-natured attitude a differentiator? Consider the following: in a 1957 study, 35 percent of Americans said they were happy people. According to R. Murali Krishna, MD and president of the Oklahoma State Board of Health, a similar study conducted ...