Not everything goes as smoothly as we want it to be in this life. There will be times of joy and times of sorrow. But what determines your fate is not the weight of the challenges you face, but your attitude in dealing with them.
This reminds me of a story.
There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head. Well, she said, "I think I'll braid my hair today." So she did and she had a wonderful day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on her head. "H-M-M," she said, "I think I'll part my hair down the middle today." So she did and she had a grand day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head. "Well," she said, "today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail." So she did and she had a fun, fun day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head. "Yeah!" she exclaimed, "I don't have to fix my hair today!"
If you are to meet yourself, would you like YOU? Would you want to change something about your attitude? What advice could you give yourself?
Habitual bad attitudes are often the product of past experiences and events. Common causes include anger, fear, low self-esteem, resentment, stress, and an inability to handle change. It takes serious work to examine the roots of a harmful attitude, but the rewards of ridding yourself of this heavy baggage can last a lifetime.
Here are 8 strategies from my attitude tool kit to improve your attitude:
Have the proper mindset
Life is a matter of choices! Having a proper mindset means being fully aware of your mind patterns. Your mind patterns were developed since your childhood. And most of the time, you are controlled by your mind. Therefore, your attitude is also controlled by your mind.
If you want to develop a positive attitude, start by becoming more aware of your mind patterns. Be an observer of your mind. When you become an observer, you're in control and you'll be able to notice what your mind says (both positive and negative). Therefore, when you notice your mind saying something negative, you can intercept it and replace it with positive thought.
Live life NOW
Learn from your past, look forward to the future but more importantly learn to live fully in your present moment. Don't cling on your past or wish you could have this or that. Appreciate what you already have NOW. Express gratitude for everything you have now. HERE and NOW are your life! Once you have accepted that, you can become more positive and appreciative of life. You will do and live your best in your present moment. Only then, you can move forward in life with positive attitude.
The Power of Visualization
Studies of the psychology of peak performance have found that most great athletes, surgeons, engineers and artists use affirmations and visualizations either consciously or subconsciously to enhance and focus their skills. Nelson Mandela has written extensively on how visualization helped him maintain a positive attitude while being imprisoned for 27 years.
“I thought continually of the day when I would walk free. I fantasized about what I would like to do,”
He wrote this in his autobiography. Visualization works well to improve attitude!
Always have ENTHUSIASM
Enthusiasm is a vital tool for staying motivated. Enthusiasm is to attitude what breathing is to life. It enables you to apply your gifts more effectively- when you sell a product, pitch a business, meet your partner, teach your children, meet new friends, go on interview, meet new business collegues. It’s the burning desire that communicates commitment, determination and spirit. Enthusiasm means putting yourself in motion. It’s an internal spirit that speaks through your actions from your commitment and your belief in what you are doing. It is one of the most empowering and attractive characteristics you can have.
Associate more with positive people
I'm sure you have heard this saying:
"Birds of the same feather flock together."
If you flock together with negative people, you will become negative. On the other hand, if you associate yourself with more positive people, they can also influence your characters and attitude. You will become more positive as well.
Genuinely compliment others
You don't need to do this excessively. Just do it in a natural way by focusing on the positive side of other people. A few kind words spoken to another person can really make his or her day. Doing so will make you more likable as well.
Smile and say thank you more
Wherever you are and whatever you do, look for opportunity to offer sincere appreciation to your friends, family members, peers, team members, bosses or any other people you interact with everyday. Smiling and saying thank you more often not only can make you feel good but also cause those around you to become more positive.
Live a healthy lifestyle
One of the best ways to move to a more positive and motivated frame of mind is to exercise. A regular exercise routine can provide relatively quick positive feedback in the form of weight loss, muscle development and a sense of doing something positive for yourself.
You will all be judged on your attitude on all these and more, throughout your entire life. So if you have a glowing positive attitude, people will enjoy being around you. How much high chances of success would you have, just by having a positive, glowing approach! Develop your positive attitude daily and make it become second nature to you. This will give you more happiness in life!
Before I will end this article, I will leave you with this quote! Live by it, and you'll surely stay on track! ;)
"Watch your thoughts, they become your words.
Watch your words, they become your actions.
Watch your actions, they become habits.
Watch your habits, they become your character.
Watch your character, it becomes your destiny!"
What is in your attitude tool kit? Let me know in the comments. I'd love to hear from you!
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