Woe Is Me.

Woe is me

Feeling beaten down? You can keep UP by starting with an attitude check.
By Dave Grusenmeyer

     “The weather is terrible. We can’t get into the fields. All the crops are drowning. Everything is against me. I can’t do anything right. I’m doomed. Even my dog thinks I’m ugly.”
    We all know people who focus, even obsess, on things that go wrong and that they can’t control. Human nature, it seems, has the knack to drag us into a spiral of negative feelings and hopelessness.
     Once begun, the slippery slope leads to the quicksand of self-doubt where we wallow, focusing on our weaknesses. We fret. We concentrate on the things we can’t control. We immobilize ourselves from taking action on the things we can.
     Can’t you just hear your family or coworkers saying, “Get a grip. Get an attitude adjustment.”
     But they won’t, so it’s up to you to focus on things you can control, to make contingency plans and to progress in areas where you can. This will help keep your attitude positive.
     Take our poor dairy farmer and his litany of bad things beginning with the weather. A successful attitude — when he gets one — would sound like this:
     “I can’t work in the fields, but this gives me extra time to be sure all our equipment is ready. Line up some additional part-time help so we can move quickly when the weather does break. And since quality feed may be limited next winter, I ’ll use this time to look now for some good quality feed I can buy if necessary.”

Easy for you. Success is 80% attitude and 20% aptitude. In other words, our attitude is far more important than skills and ability.
     Your response is your choice. Given the choice, a positive response and positive attitude is always best.
     You wake in the morning and say, “This is going to be a lousy day.” Going to the barn, you think about all the things that went wrong yesterday and everything that will likely go wrong today. What kind of day are you going to have? Probably lousy.
     If you wake saying, “This is going to be a great day.” If you focus on what was learned from yesterday and how things will be much better today, you’re more likely to have a good day.
     Often in life, you get what you expect. When you truly expect the best, your mind focuses on the best and that’s what you end up getting.
     Changing an attitude isn’t easy, just as changing any habit takes time and hard work. To get you on the track to an attitude brush-up, here are five practices to implement.

5 steps to a positive day
     1. Never talk negatively about or to yourself or others, even if you ’re having a bad day. It only makes you and others around you feel worse.
     2. When you hear others speak negatively, interject some optimistic thoughts and comments to improve attitudes. The only attitude you can change is your own, but upbeat attitudes are contagious.
     3. Be direct with people who        consistently complain. Tell them exactly what words or behaviors cause you to perceive their attitude as negative. Avoid them when possible or help them develop a positive outlook.
     4. Use positive self-talk and positive

Good to be me
It’s difficult to maintain a positive attitude and outlook if you don’t have a positive self-image or high self-esteem.
    Here’s an exercise that can help you develop and maintain feelings of self-worth. This is valuable for any-one, but especially so for young people.
    On a sheet of paper number 1 through 20. Next to each number write one positive statement or trait about yourself. It can be a personal characteristic, an important value you hold, a skill or talent you have—anything positive and desirable.
     If you have trouble completing all 20 lines, don’t stop short. Ask a close relative or friend for help. They see positive aspects within us that we don’t always see ourselves.
      Review your list frequently, especially during difficult or down times. It will affirm your worth, bolster your self-image and help you maintain a positive attitude.

self-imaging.
                 •Think, “I can” rather than “I can’t.”
                 •Look in a mirror and tell yourself, “I can do it ”and “I have what it takes.”
                 •Never refer to yourself in a negative context.
      5. When things get discouraging and all else fails, take a break to get away from the situation. This may be nothing more than a quiet moment, a walk, calling an upbeat friend, reading yourself an inspirational book or article —anything to divert your attention. Or you might take a bigger step and get away from your dairy for a few days.
      We all lapse into a negative attitude from time to time. The important thing is to cancel the cycle of negativity and get your attitude and outlook turned in a positive direction as quickly as possible. You have a choice. What will it be?

Dave Grusenmeyer is a human resource management specialist with PRO-DAIRY at Cornell University.

Focus on what you can control
These three steps can help you develop the habit of focusing on things you can control. It also provides you with a plan to gain better control of problem areas in your life and your business.

Step 1 Identify troublesome or problem areas. Write them, one each, at the top of a sheet of paper.
Step 2 On the page below each statement list all the things that influence the area and that you have some control over.
Step 3 Next to each item over which you have some influence, write exactly what you will do to exercise more control.

1. Low milk price
2. Milk quality
3. Develop standard operating procedures for milking. equipment.
      Work with vet to develop better mastitis prevention, detection and treatment procedures.
      Develop safeguards against contaminants getting in milk.

Feeding for optimum production and components
   Test feeds for nutrients and moisture.
    Work with nutritionist to fine tune ration.
    Provide more advance training for feeders.

Percent of milk production actually shipped
   Improve herd health to minimize the number of cows whose milk is dumped.
    Establish protocols to minimize milk leaks and accidental dumps down the drain.
    Establish protocols to minimize the chance of antibiotic contamination.

Crop harvest delays

Equipment-related delays
    Use weather-delays for equipment maintenance.
     Establish routine maintenance schedules for all equipment.

Labor-related delays
    Line up part-time “emergency” labor.
     Cross train employees on key jobs.

Weather-related delays
    Use a reliable weather forecasting service.
     Improve field drainage where necessary and appropriate.