Remember the schoolyard taunt, “What you say is what you are!”? It usually followed a mature exchange of insults, often beginning with “cooties,” and progressing to “You’re just dumb!” Thankfully, the recess bell often intervened in time to prevent meltdown, but “what you say is what you are” was usually the beginning of the end.
There’s a slightly different and far more useful version of that phrase that you might consider posting over your desk. “What you think is what you are” can be a reminder to think of yourself as a professional, a gentle nudge to get off the pity party train, or a nag to lose the complaining spirit. It can even be the jolting realization that if what you’re thinking right now is what you are, you don’t really want to go there.
Finish the article at my primary blog, Do What Matters, Make it Pay.