Choose Your... Coffee?

Have you ever heard of the phrase "choose your attitude?" Chances are the answer is an overwhelming "YES!" Your supervisor or peers may hammer this idea into your head on a regular basis. Over the past 3 weeks, we have been in Administrative Faculty training within our department at Virginia Tech. It has been great, and I am learning new processes and ways of carrying out my job. What I haven't mentioned is that there are another 4 weeks of training before residents begin to arrive. Talk about a lot of information, right?

During some of the longer sessions, I have noticed myself spacing out; 30% of this is due to the information and the other 70% is due to my admitted short attention span. Sitting for more than 1 hour in the same place is more than enough time for me to begin losing focus. Yesterday was my favorite day during training, and that is me not being facetious. This can probably be attributed to the fact that we were actively involved in creating our schedules for when the staff arrive and finalizing our Community Learning Plans.

Something that I have noticed about myself during these past few weeks: If I do not get coffee in the morning, I turn into grumpy Gus extraordinaire. Yesterday I met with my supervisor at 8:00 AM (yes, it was Friday), grabbed coffee (many, many cups) and breakfast, and that really transformed my day and my attitude. The day was also accomplished, as I was able to complete a number of items on my personal and professional "to do" lists.

So, you are reading this and are probably trying to figure out the moral of the story. Well, let me tell you without further delay. The moral is to find that one thing that will boost your morale no matter what. For me, the slightly bitter, yet smooth taste of this liquid nicotine is what carries me during these long and unavoidable days. I plan on conducting a study on how other perceive my attitudes on days when I drink coffee versus days I do not drink coffee. Results to come.

Always know, I choose my attitude by choosing coffee.