You can never, and I mean never underestimate the power of a positive attitude. I’m not talking about rehearsing positive affirmations to conjure up a positive mindset. I’m literally talking about your attitude. There is a fundamental difference between a positive attitude and thinking positive thoughts. Keep in mind both are very important, but let’s explore the difference.
The subtle difference between a positive attitude and positive thinking
According to Wikipedia, the psychological meaning of attitude:
In psychology, attitude is a psychological construct, a mental and emotional entity that is inherent in or characterizes a person. Attitudes are complex and can be an acquired state through experiences. It is an individual’s predisposed state of mind regarding a value and it is precipitated through a responsive expression towards a person, place, thing, or event (the attitude object) which in turn influences the individual’s thought and action. Attitude can be formed from a person’s past and present.
A positive attitude is a framework from which positive thinking can naturally flow. In other words the distinctive difference between the two lies in the definition of a positive attitude. When you have a positive attitude, you tend to react to situations and circumstances from a positive point of view versus a negative one. You don’t ignore life’s troubles. But when faced with a situation, the first or at least your second thought would be: Hmmm, maybe something good can come of this. Or, surely this is not the end of the world. Or, we can and we will overcome this situation. You look for and expect the good things to come your way. You are constantly on the lookout for the silver lining in the midst of the clouds
Most people are capable of having a positive attitude when things are going well. The real test of a positive attitude lies in how you react when things are going poorly. That is what determines the strength of your moral fiber. An appropriate positive attitude means feeling optimistic in difficult times. Having the ability to count your blessings. Look for the good.
I’m not suggesting that this type of attitude is always easy, but what I am saying is that it’s worth focusing on as your curate your wonderful life. So the good news is that you can actually improve your attitude over time.
Below are seven simple yet effective ways to help you create a positive attitude.
Get passionate About Self Awareness and Your Thought Life:
So many characteristics, both positive and negative, rise and fall on just how self-aware we are. How aware are you of the 50,000 to 60,000 thoughts that come into your mind on any given day? What do you do when a negative thought comes trickling in? You may not be able to scan all 60,000 of those thoughts, but if you start becoming more aware, you catch quite a few before they take root and do serious damage to your thought patterns. Remember, self-awareness is a muscle that grows with time and practice. Being on the lookout for those pesky negative thought is no different. As you begin to exercise this muscle, those negative thoughts will become fewer and fewer.
Choose to be Enthusiastic:
You can actually choose to think more enthusiastically. Enthusiasm is like a match that we can strike under our own life that can cause a passionate fire to spark. Light the flame. Then become passionate simply by practicing the art of acting passionately. Before you know it your thoughts and actions will skyrocket your level of enthusiasm.
Unclutter Your Distracted Negative Mind:
On the one hand, you might say you want to be “more positive”. But, yet you constantly feed your negative mindset demon a constant diet of bad news, controversial political garbage, and gossip. The very fuel that your negative mindset demon craves and you wonder why you can’t be more positive. It’s largely because you’re addicted to trash. Plain and simple! Your negative attitude has become a soul-sucking habit. Because you lack self-awareness (see above), you don’t recognize it as such. Instead of looking deep within, you blame your attitude on how you were raised or the neighborhood you grew up in. So many of the very people you look up to came from far worse backgrounds than you but somehow mustered up the ability to become positive. Attitude is a choice. Although many factors can influence it, the biggest factor is you and what you decide to do with what “happened to you”
Bring The Good New
No one ever made a friend or accomplished something meaningful by constantly transmitting bad news. If you want to clear the room, just start complaining about literally everything that’s going on in the world. Sure we need to be aware of what’s happening around us, but, do we need to be uber aware? Good news, will and spread enthusiasm for living. Try to make the people you talk to feel better than they otherwise would.
Start Developing a Plan
Think deeply about the areas of your life that might need a facelift. These are the areas that more than likely are causing those repetitive negative thoughts. Focus on one area at a time and try to think of ways to mediate the problem. This shift in mental energy will actually increase your creativity and your problem-solving ability. Instead of meditating on the problem, take baby steps towards a solution.
Talk Good to Yourself
Negative self-talk is the mother of negativity. It’s a deeply ingrained habit that can derail your wildest dreams. It goes something like this: “Keisha what are you doing?, OMG I can’t believe how much weight you’ve gained, You idiot, can you do anything right? This sounds crazy, doesn’t it? But how many people, maybe you included, go around talking to themselves, berating themselves with negative comments. The negative self-talk will get you into so much trouble because it crushes your self-esteem. After all, shouldn’t you be your biggest cheerleader? Check yourself the next time you’re tempted to go there.
What did you say to yourself today? Did you moan and groan about everyone, including yourself to yourself?. What we say is 100% reflected in how we feel. Replace negative self talk with positive self-talk. You might be uncomfortable initially telling yourself that you’re awesome. That’s fine. Just remember you’re the same person who was completely fine-looking in the mirror and calling yourself fat. As you can see, something is wrong with this picture
Let Your Light Shine By Loving Others
Bring encouragement, optimism, and hope to all that you meet. Help others feel comfortable in your presence. Spread joy and goodwill. Be genuinely concerned about the dreams and desires of others. Be understanding, caring, accepting, nonjudgemental and forgiving. Become more concerned about helping others achieve their individual desires and ultimately making the world a better place. Trust me, this is an awesome antidote for all of the negative chatter. And at the end of the day, you will be well on your way to creating that positive attitude that your soul desires.
As always,
Be well + prosper!
Elaine
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