Whatever

Over the holidays, I went to a movie rental store in search of some fun family entertainment. Upon entering the store, I greeted the clerk..."Happy Holidays!" I offered to which he replied "whatever." Whatever? Needless to say, I was somewhat surprised by his lackluster response. I know that times are hard and that it is indeed a challenge some days to stay positive, upbeat, and a happy camper. Having said that, it would seem that no matter what you do for a job, if you have one, it might possibly warrant something better than whatever when responding to a customer's greeting.

What does whatever mean, anyway? According to Dictionary Online, one of the definitions of whatever is: "used to indicate indifference to or scorn for something, such as a remark of suggestion."

Whether you have a job, or you don't have a job, there is at least one thing in your life that you have absolute and complete control over and that one thing is your attitude...

A   always your choice; you alone get to choose your attitude, 24/7.

T  telegraphs a message, either positive or negative, to your audience and serves as a permanent take away for your listeners.

T    teaches potential buyers something about you and your product.

I    imparts an immediate impression to a hiring manager, recruiter, decision-maker, colleague, or customer -- an impression that will either support you or one that will sabotage your efforts, no matter what your qualifications.

T    tags along with you, here, there and everywhere you go; tell yourself that you are going to do everything within your power and control to show the world that you have a positive attitude in 2009.

U    underscores the uniqueness of you when it's good and undermines your chances of success when it's bad.

D    depends upon you and defined by you, day in, day out.

E    expresses a glimpse of you through each and every word you speak, gesture you make, and action step you take.

As my client who recently lost her job told me the other day, she'd never known any good to come from "stinkin' thinkin" so whatever she could do to help herself move forward with an attitude of gratitude, that's what she planned to do in 2009. Whatever your attitude, it's yours to change and yours to keep as another new year is upon us.

posted by: billiesucher

Comments

[Phil Gerbyshak]

Whatever? Why is this person still with a job, when so many are without? Pathetic, to say the least.

Thanks for the lesson in attitude and the reminder to get past the stinkin' thinkin' and move forward! Nicely done!

[CMG]

Here's a link to another article about attitude and its effect on your life.

http://www.collegerecruiter.com/career-counselors/2008/03/attitude_is_everything.php

[billiesucher]

Phil, I hadn't heard the term "stinkin' thinkin" until my client said it; I do agree -- move forward! Thank you for your comment and Happy New Year!

[billiesucher]

CMG - thank you for the link to the article over on College Recruiter -- indeed, Attitude is Everything! Best to you in the New Year.

[Jessica Howard]

Hello Billie,

Great post!

Even if we are well beyond the clerk level in our careers, this incident reminds us how our attitude affects those around us: clients, co-workers and employers.

There's a good article in the New Scientist about how moods, both positive and negative, spread through friends, acquaintances and people we don't even know. Based on the findings of the Framingham Heart Study, it highlights the power of our outlook and how we can use it to our advantage:

"By being aware of the effects of social contagion we may be able to find ways to counter it, or use it to our own benefit. 'There's no doubt people can have some control over their networks and that this in turn can affect their lives,' says Nicholas Christakis, a medical sociologist at Harvard Medical School."

Here's a link to the article:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20126881.600-how-your-friends-friends-can-affect-your-mood.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news

Jessica Howard

P.S.: I referred to your "Whatever" anecdote in my blog post titled Back to Work: Five Ways to Stay Motivated.
http://www.upmo.com/blog/back-to-work-five-ways-to-stay-motivated

[billiesucher]

Jessica, thank you for the link to the excellent article; also appreciate your mention about Attitude IS Everything in your blog post today! Wishing you a great and happy New Year!

[Josh Bjorkman]

You should consider the point of view the person behind the counter. I worked for 2 years at Hollywood video and remember that more than 70% of the people I've dealt with are anything but polite no matter how friendly you present yourself as. I'd love to be friendly and have positive reactions from people, unfortunately most people from my experience just don't seem to care. You should elaborate on how to do deal with not so friendly customers and how to turn it into a enjoyable customer experience.