How many times did you hear, ‘You better check that attitude’ when you were a teenager? But if you think about it, no matter your age, we all have an attitude. We all approach life, people, or situations with a certain way we are going to handle it. Since we all have an attitude, good or bad, how important is a good attitude in a successful life? I am so glad you asked!
Attitude is Everything and a Bad One Can Really Impact Your Success
There are many factors that determine our success in life and some of those factors are out of our control, however, attitude is within our control. You have probably met people who feel like there has been some sort of a force field that has held them back their entire lives – roadblocks that were never surmountable. It’s a pretty good bet that the force field is their own attitude.
- What Is Attitude?
Attitude is an all-encompassing term that defines your outlook and approach to life. It includes your inner thoughts and outward expressions. In the end, attitude determines everything you say and do – and what you say and do determines your success.
Attitude determines whether or not you pursue the opportunities you are given. Those with a pessimistic or self-defeating attitude won’t pursue the opportunities that are placed in front of them, thinking that failure is the only possible outcome. Those with a positive, hopeful attitude, though, will aggressively pursue every opportunity they are given, always entering it with an attitude that success will come. Attitude is part of a cycle. Think about it like this: those with a negative attitude are caught in a cruel cycle where poor attitude leads to failure and each failure leads to a poorer attitude. For those with a positive attitude, this cycle is just the opposite.
- How Does Attitude Affect Your Life?
Attitude also determines how you relate to other people, and your relations with other people are one of the driving factors in whether or not you are successful. People are drawn towards those with positive, friendly, and inspiring attitudes. Think about it…don’t you prefer to work with positive people? When there’s a ‘Debbie Downer’ in the office, people tend to keep their distance. You’ll get more people on board any idea you have with a positive attitude.
- Is Talking to Yourself OK?
We all have a choice as to how we talk to ourselves. We can choose an inner dialogue of self-encouragement and self-motivation, or we can choose one of self-defeat and self-pity. Each of us encounters hard times, hurt feelings, heartache, and physical and emotional pain. The key here is to realize it’s not what happens to you that matters; it’s how you choose to respond. Positive self-talk pumps up your self-esteem and confidence and negative dialogue with yourself produces low self-esteem and stress.
- One Bad Apple Does Spoil the Whole Bunch
Recent studies have looked at what happens when just one so-called ‘bad apple,’ a person demonstrating negativity and conflict, was introduced to an otherwise highly-functioning, productive group of people. The results were internal conflicts that tended to spread up through every level of the group, decreasing the group’s ability to grow and adapt in a positive way. Just one person can cripple an entire group of people.
*Making a U-Turn to a Better Attitude
The only thing worse than having a bad attitude for ten years is having one for ten years and one day, but you can change and here’s how:
- Repeat positive affirmations to yourself.
- Concentrate on smiling often during the day. It makes you and others feel better.
- Make exercise a priority for not only your body, but for your mental health.
- Watch your words and carefully choose positive thoughts to share with others.
Our lives aren’t a dress rehearsal; we only get one shot at this life and there’s no sense wasting it in bitterness and self-defeat. Instead, focus on building a positive, confident, and inspiring attitude. It’s guaranteed to add to and improve your own life and the lives of everyone you come in contact with, personally and professionally.