***Don't Let the People You Work with Kill Your Dreams

Someday you will own your own company, build a fortune in real estate, or head up a major corporation. On that day you will have the luxury of surrounding yourself with people who support you and share your dream. That is someday, but what about today? Chances are that you are working in a job alongside people who have no interest in supporting your dream. They might even be acting in ways that sabotage it.nnMaybe you have an authoritarian boss who gives contradictory directions and plays one employee against another. Bosses like that are playing a mind game to keep proving how much they are "needed". Or perhaps you are stuck in a work team that spends more time talking about problems than solving them. Unlike you, they don't want to get the work done so they can move on to more important things.nnSo you start to get angry. You want to pursue your dream, but every day people keep putting up speed bumps. Your stress is building to the breaking point.nnHow can you turn the situation around? You need to take action. Recent studies at Ohio State and other research centers have proven that stress turns into healthy energy when people identify positive goals in stressful situations and act decisively to reach them.nnThink of a baseball player who is batting with two outs and the bases loaded. Very stressful. But that player has identified a simple goal: get a hit. That clear goal lets him become energized by the stress, not torn down by it. Inside, he knows that if he does get that hit, he might help his team get to the World Series or earn more money next year. So the immediate goal plays a larger part in success. It all fits together.nnYou can apply similar thinking to dealing with irritating people at work if you pursue goals like these every day:nnGoal #1nnPlay your own game. It is your life, and you can refuse to let difficult people pull you too far off course. Take courses, read books, learn, build your network, and take positive steps every day to reach your dream. That's a goal that can turn anger into positive energy.nnGoal #2nnAllow negative people to defeat themselves. Don't get drawn into public conflicts with erratic people who are blocking you. When you adopt a calm attitude toward them, you look more and more capable and they look worse and worse. Better yet, your professional detachment lets you focus on your goals.nnGoal #3nnIdentify a personal goal in all work situations. If your company is about to install new computers, can you use that project to learn new skills that will help you on your road to success? If a customer calls to complain, can you solve his problem and cultivate him as a useful contact outside your organization? Thinking this way lifts you above the petty skirmishes and makes your day job part of your long-range plans. Remember, even dead-end jobs offer training, travel, or the ability to build contacts with important people. Refuse to become mired in the negatives of the job and keep looking for the gold.nnYou have the power to keep your dream alive, even when people seem determined to stall you or waste your time. Stay focused on your dream and keep moving forward. You will soon leave them behind on your road to success.