Positive Attitude

Do you have a positive attitude?

William James of Harvard University says, “the greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes.''

Attitude applies to every sphere of life, including your personal and professional life. This is the foundation of success regardless of your chosen field.

Most of your attitudes are shaped during formative years by three determining factors:

• The environment you are groomed in
• Your experiences
• Your education
• Being caring, confident, patient and humble, are the personality traits of people with a positive attitude. Such individuals anticipate positive outcomes.

Your positive attitude is your best guide on the twisting roads of life as it:

• Increases productivity and fosters teamwork
• Solves problems and improves quality of work
• Leads to a congenial atmosphere
• Breeds loyalty and increases profits
• Leads to better relationships with your employer, employees and customers
• Stress is reduced and you contribute more to the society.
• It makes for a pleasing personality

Don't become your own enemy

You become your own enemy by having a negative attitude. Such an attitude leads to:

• Broken friendships, jobs, marriage and relationships
• Bitterness and resentment
• Life tends to be purposeless
• Health is badly effected
• High stress levels are formed both for the person and others
• Creates negative environment at home and work too

How to develop a positive attitude

Sometimes we get comfortable with our negativity and refuse to develop a positive attitude by:

• Not being aware of the principles that build a positive attitude
• Not cultivating discipline and dedication for those principles.
• Thinking of positive things puts us in a positive frame of mind. To maintain a positive attitude we need to consciously practice the following steps.

Step One: Look for the positive

Most people find what they are looking for. There is something positive in every person and every situation. You may have to look deep for the positive because it may not be apparent.

You need to think only of the best, work only for the best and expect only the best. Spend as much time on improving yourself that you have no time left to criticize others. `Be too big for worry and too noble for anger.'

Step Two: Make a habit of doing it now

A complete task is fulfilling and energizing. An incomplete task drains energy like a leak from a tank. To build a positive attitude we have to get into the habit of living in the present and doing it now. Life is not a dress rehearsal. We have got only one shot at this game called life.

The saddest words in life are:

“I might have been”.

“I should have”

“I could have”

“I wish I had”

‘'If only I had given a little extra.''

Step Three: Develop an attitude of gratitude

Count your blessings, not your troubles

Take time to smell the roses. Often we are so focused on complaining about things we don't have that we lose sight of the things we have. When something goes wrong in your life, close your eyes and think of the worst that can happen. Like you being in prison or being robbed of all you have. Open your eyes and thank your stars for not being in such a situation.

Step Four: Build a positive self-esteem

Self-esteem is the way we feel about ourselves. A good feeling within helps our performance goes up and our relationships improve. To build positive self-esteem you could do something for others who cannot repay you in cash or kind.

Step Five: Stay away from negative influences

Negative people drag you down. Others judge you by the company you keep.

Smoking, drugs and alcohol can make you lose your inhibitions.

Negative movies and television serials have a bad influence on the values and attitudes of the young.