Changing Attitude

I've gotten to the realization that as far as work is concerned, I desperately need to change my attitude...it's definitely dragging me down. I have a job that I have been on for 18 years, sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad, the same with any job one has been on for 18 years. I like what I do (accounting), and I like the people, but I absolutely hate the politics, and I especially HATE when the people I like play the politics.

Okay, so it's a job, you leave at the end of every day, and you go home. It's so easy for people to say "leave it at the office". However, when you are at your desk for 8-10 hours per day, then you have a 1 hour commute home, what more do you think about but your job. You think about your day while you are on that BART train, and you think about the things that went wrong (first), then if you can get to the things that went right that's good. We get too bogged down with what went wrong. And these days when you are trying to juggle 15 things in the time it takes to juggle 7, you are stressed to the max before you even leave the gate. During the 8-10 hours you are at the office, you see people who are friendly, people who are not friendly, people who play the games, people who have a brown stained nose, people who you can't wait to see tomorrow. And during that day, there have been ups and downs. The downs take over the ups because everyone is so stressed, or in the mode of playing games, or just plain rude, there is no time for the ups anymore. You have been struck down and taken over by those nasty feelings. You have been sucked down into the abyss by those game players, those butt kissers, those people who robb you of your nice side, because that is the majority of people these days. And it's not just at work...but I digress.

So I am at the age now where I cannot just decide to "quit" my job because something doesn't go my way (I've only done that once, by the way). I am at the age where I have to lay low, not cause any ripples, let it slide off my back, but doggone it's so hard to do. I am not a liar, or a cheat, or a thief, but it seems like these are the only people going anywhere. I am so disgusted with people's attitudes (including mine but only because it is incapacitating me), and people's rudeness. The mindset of folks these days is "ME, ME, ME" and they are going to get there any way they can. Just getting onto the freeway in the morning is a feat in itself; navigating your way through a grocery store isle is like avoiding roadkill; and trying to find someone with a pleasant attitude ANYWHERE is considered a coupe de grasse (or however you spell it).

Anyway, I need to curb my grouchiness, my bad attitude towards people at work and people outside of my personal and family circle, and be calm and let it all slide right off; otherwise, I'm going to stress myself out too much. I do find myself walking around with a frown on my face (not my fault) more than I care to, so I think it's definitely time to change my attitude. Think I can do it? We'll see soon enough.