It's no secret that dealing with the public can be a very challenging job. Unhappy or dissatisfied customers can ruin your entire day and create large amounts of unnecessary stress. Unfortunately, there is no magic formula to please every single person all of the time. However, there are several things you can do to help keep yourself upbeat and positive while you're swimming in a sea of negativity. I teach my students in all of my seminars that the employee who can keep their mouth closed is the employee who stays employed. Listed below are 10 steps that you can apply throughout the day in order to maintain your composure in negative situations. I hope you find them useful and share them with friends or co-workers. 1. Always visualize a large $ stamped on your customers forehead if they are unhappy. This will help you to remember that your customer is paying your bills and feeding your family and the outcome of this interaction may or may not cost you your job. Remember a happy customer equals your pay check. 2. Skip the news before work, and on your commute listen to soothing music or motivational CDs. How you spend the first couple of minutes of your day usually predicts how the rest of the day will unfold. Therefore, skip the news if possible. The news is always full of negativity. It's always better to listen to pleasant relaxing music or motivational CDs before you begin your day. These will fill your mind with the required positive motivation to help you tackle any problem person or situation. 3. Constantly challenge yourself to find something to like about every customer. While this may seem difficult, if you try hard enough you can find something to like about everyone you come in contact with; even if it's the color of their tie. During an encounter with this person keep your focus on the 5% you like about them, and your focus off the 95% you dislike. 4. Use Daily Affirmations to support yourself such as: * "I'm doing the best I can" * "I am a winner" * "I trust myself" * "I can handle any problem" * "I like myself" * "I deserve this job" While this may seem over simplistic, do not over look its merits. Repeating positive affirmations have become a very valuable tool not only in the workplace, but in the clinical and medical fields. Just like listening to motivational CDs; affirmations will fill your mind with positive messages helping you to effectively tackle any problem person or situation. Affirmations help keep your mind focused on a future positive outcome rather than the negative situation at hand. 5. Always reward yourself for a job well done. When you've had a successful day, or if you successfully made it thru a difficult day it's important to pat yourself on the back. You deserve it don't you? After a tough week or month spend more time with family or friends. Go out for dinner or get a massage. These are very nice ways to demonstrate self-appreciation. 6. Keep a Glory File of thank you letters and every compliment you receive and review it often. If you happen to receive thank you notes and compliments, a "Glory File" is a wonderful idea. You can review it during a tough week and it can serve as a "pick-me-up." A glory file can help you feel better about yourself if you're feeling down. It can remind you that you are appreciated and give you the motivation to keep going. 7. Avoid gossiping about negative customers. Gossiping about negative customers will only intensify your own anger and negativity. The gossip causes you to relive the negative experience as if it's still happening. This will cause your stress levels to rise and your productivity to falter. It's important to master the skill of letting the negativity go as soon as the customer leaves your space. If not, that customer will own and control your power. You sold your soul to the customer without making a profit! 8. Avoid complainers, criticizers, and gossips in your office. In a recent seminar a participant told me that if he avoided all the complainers, criticizers, and gossips in the office he would have no one to talk to. Regardless, as mentioned in numbers 2 & 4, this type of negativity fills your mind with emotions that will cause your behavior and productivity to falter. You're also associating with a group that never rises higher than their current position. "Birds of a feather flock together." Be an eagle! 9. Make a list of reasons you must appreciate your customers and thank them. "Thank you for paying my salary." "Thank you for helping me pay my mortgage." "Thank you for helping me put food on my table." "Thank you for my new car." "I appreciate you giving me the privilege of serving you." "I feel lucky, honored, and blessed to have a job at all." "Thank you for choosing me to do your business with." Most of all, never for one minute believe that your employer pays you. Your employer only supplies the check. Your customer fills in the blanks. 10. List 20 things you're grateful for in your personal and business life and review it often. Remember you will be dealing with crazy people all of your life. It's important to perfect your coping skills now then the pressure will affect you less and less. Eventually you will be able to rise above it all, and the crazies will leave you feeling indifferent and calm. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4785690