Ready for a different kind of work week? I'm not referring to the National Holiday that's breaking up the week into two parts, but rather to the opportunity to make the next five days incredible. Or maybe, for the "glass half empty" set, to make this week more enjoyable than last.

If you're like me, much of the time when I have challenging weeks, I've brought it on myself. There are at least five major pitfalls I have to avoid to keep my week on track. See if you need to avoid these traps:

1. Avoid Making Life "All About Me"

If you want to make an impact on people, you have to make sure that their deal is more important than your deal. Sure, you can influence people because you have a bigger title or you're writing the check, but that kind of influence doesn't last. To make an impact, don't just act like someone else matters; you must make sure that they DO matter!

2. Avoid Whining & Complaining

Whining is the precursor to, and a more subtle form of, complaining. The habit is unbecoming in children and flat out intolerable in adults. (I've really got to stop!) For me, whining goes away the second I back up and find a broader perspective. I am SO incredibly blessed. So what if the heat is severe enough to melt my face off? I live in an air-conditioned home, drive an air-conditioned car, and have plenty of clean water to drink. Those facts alone shut me up, when I think of them. The challenge is making sure the whining or complaining stops before it gets started. A bad attitude that's already coming out of the mouth is difficult to turn around !

3. Avoid Burning the Midnight Oil

Nothing ruins my week quicker than poor sleeping habits. I seems to forget this truth once or twice a month. Instead, I try to be SUPER productive by ignoring my body clock's demand for 8 hours of sleep and staying up really late. This never works out well. Not only do I get cranky and irritable, but my ability to concentrate disappears. I realize it's counter-intuitive to say this, but sometimes the MOST productive thing to do is to take a nap.

4. Avoid Always Going For The Win

Our backyard is terraced with a series of rock walls between the different levels. When our dog, Mack, was a puppy, he nearly killed himself keeping up with the kids as they jumped from level to level. He took every risk and tumbled constantly on his head. Mack proved, time and again, that just because he COULD make these maneuvers, didn't mean that he SHOULD. I think about this at work all the time. For someone like me, the "Win" is always appealing. In fact, the win-lose scenario usually is an option WAY before finding win-win. Stepping away from win-lose (especially if I get the "W") takes enormous restraint. However, finding solutions that benefit all parties requires time and creativity but ultimately makes me enjoy my job MUCH more. Having a good week then, isn't just about racking up wins, but about finding great solutions even when that may feel like temporary losses.

5. Avoid Demandingness

I'm not sure there's a better image of being spoiled and demanding than Veruca Salt from Charlie & The Chocolate Factory. "I want it and I want it NOW!" was her constant refrain. Veruca's ugly behavior is easy to see because it's extreme. However, I can be similarly demanding. One of the surest ways I can ruin my week is to think that family, friends, jobs, companies, that slow driver in front of me, owe me something. Where do I get that expectation? I think it probably starts with #1 on this list. However, the "why" doesn't matter, the cure to losing my demanding disposition is to, instead, adopt an grateful attitude. Who can I sincerely thank this week? Ultimately, showing gratitude to people near me will cause other frustrations to fade away.

What do you have to avoid to keep your week on track? What did I miss?

Avoiding Five Pitfalls That Will Ruin Your Week