HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Have a great attitude - The Flu is not the only thing you catch at school. Turns out you are just as likely to catch someone’s negative attitude. Yes, the latest research demonstrates what we’ve all known to be true, emotions are contagious. Researchers call them emotional contagions and they impact your school work, productivity, teamwork, and performance in significant and profound ways.

As we know all too well, one negative teammate can pollute an entire team and create a toxic environment. One negative coach can make life miserable for his/her team. Complaining can act like a cancer and spread throughout the entire team and eventually destroy your vision and goals. And pervasive negative attitudes can sabotage the morale and performance of teams with great talent and potential.

That’s the bad news... but there’s also good news.

Positive emotions are just as contagious as negative emotions. One positive coach can rally a group of willing people to accomplish amazing things. One coach who stands and says hello to each player entering the field can positively infect every person who walks in your dugout. One positive teammate can slowly but surely improve the mood and moral of her team. And pervasive positive attitudes and emotions at work can fuel the morale and performance of your team.

You are not just a creation of your culture but rather you are creating it every day through your thoughts, beliefs and actions. What you think matters. How you feel matters. And the energy you share with others, whether it’s positive or negative, really matters.

You can be a germ and attack your team's immune system or you can act like a dose of Vitamin C and strengthen it.

So the next time you head into school with a bad attitude you might want to stop before you walk in the door and consider what your mom would say if you had the Flu. She would tell you to stay home until you are healthy and not contagious. And in that moment, as you stand at the door you have choice: You can go home so you don’t infect anyone with your bad mood, or you can choose to get healthy right there, change your attitude, and decide to be positively contagious.

You are not an island unto yourself. You are forever contagious and you and your emotions impact the world around you.

Have a great 2017 and stay positive everyday of the year!