Opportunities Today :- July 2006 Issue

Take charge of your attitude

 

 
Your mental attitude - the way you think, feel and believe determine your destiny. Take charge of your attitude!

 

I consider myself to be a fairly positive person, as do most of my colleagues and peers; however, after recently listening to a motivational talk on “Thinking Positively,” I was prompted to do some serious self-examination. What I soon discovered was though I generally project a positive attitude on the outside, the inside is at times a different story altogether. There appears to be a committee of gremlins who like to get together every now and then and have a field day with me ... taking delight in creating and repeating terribly, nasty inner dialogue, statements like: "How could I be so stupid! It's not good enough! I'll never be able to do this." Do any of these sound familiar?

 
Well, it's time to break-up this committee and take charge of my attitude! The following are six tips I'm currently applying to maintain a positive attitude and keep me thinking positively. I invite you to consider how they may be of benefit to you.
 
1. Associate with positive people. Avoid toxic people: people who are negative, who complain all the time, and who rain on your parade. Toxic people do not serve your best interests.
 
2. Clean up your self-talk. Use positive language. Substitute words such as no, can't, and not able with affirmative statements: I can do this. I am in control. Today, I've decided to … I want to. I am receiving. Try it; you'll be pleased with the results!
 
3. Maintain an attitude of gratitude. By appreciating the simple things in life, it's amazing what a positive effect it can have on your attitude. One thing I strongly recommend is having your own “attitude of gratitude journal.” Each day list a minimum of 5 things you are grateful for. The sky's the limit! For example, one of my day's entries included: the fabulous sunshine, enjoying a heart-to-heart talk with my daughter, the delicious meal my sweetheart cooked for us, writing a new article, and gaining a new client for my communications business.
 
4. There are no failures - only lessons. So, learn as much as you can. Ask yourself, “What have I learned from this that will make me more successful the next time?”
 
5. Practice visualization. See yourself achieving your goal. Make the picture big! Stand in it! Feel it! Were you aware that your brain can't tell the difference between what's real and what's not? This is what makes visualization such a powerful tool!
 
6. Smile! When you smile, it tells your face, which tells your brain, which tells your conscious and unconscious mind. It also releases endorphins in your brain, leaving you with an overall feeling of well-being and contentment. And who doesn't like to feel good?
 
Remember, you are the sum total of your thoughts. Decide to be positive. Commit to be your own motivator! No one can do it for you. It's time to take charge of your attitude!

by Leona Hamel
 
About Leona Hamel, ATM-S,CL
Passionate about human connection, Leona is both a communications coach and relationship coach. As President of StageCoach Consulting, she works with serious success-minded individuals who want to maximize their relationships and achieve their business goals through effective communication skills. For more information, please visit http://www.leonahamel.com