Attitude has been called the Magic Word, and the most important word in the world as far as the results we get from life are concerned. Earl Nightingale says, "It is our attitude toward life which determines life's attitude toward us." That is the Law of Attraction, you get back what you put out. Attitude is a choice. Yet, most people’s attitude is being controlled by the media, by other people, or the conditions and circumstances in their life. One’s attitude has a huge effect on the quality of life lived. But what actually is attitude? It is the composite of your thoughts, feelings and actions. It’s the thoughts you choose, the nature of a thought then determines your feelings, which are then expressed through actions. Your attitude is determined by the nature of the ideas that you choose and permit yourself to get emotionally involved in. The physical expression is automatic. Earl nightingale says: “Our environment, the world in which we live and work, is a mirror of our attitudes and expectations.” He’s saying that we create our environment by the actions that come from our emotionalized thoughts. When you look at what’s going on in someone’s life, and observe their results, you can tell what they're thinking. Viktor Frankl is an author who describes his life in the Nazi death camps in his book, Man’s Search for Meaning. He says, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.” This is coming from someone who saw and experienced the horrors of the Holocaust firsthand, who was able to survive because he chose his attitude, even in the direst of situations. How much easier it should be for us to choose an attitude that will lead to the results and life we want! Some examples of common positive attitudes are humor, belief in yourself, success, optimism, happiness, faithfulness, being thoughtful, just to name a few. Ralph Marston says, “Excellence is not a skill, it’s an attitude.” My favorite attitude is gratitude. You can’t be thinking gratitude and have negative thoughts. Negative attitudes would be pessimism, jealousy, hostility, sarcasm and laziness. All attitudes, positive and negative, are choices. What we think, what we feel and what we do form our attitude. We have the power within ourselves to shift our thinking, to control the outcome we truly desire, when we have an improved positive attitude. The author William James is quoted saying, “The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.” You’ve probably heard the saying, when life hands you a lemon, make lemonade. That is the attitude that good can be found in everything. And that is something that I strongly believe. It may not be evident immediately, but you can look for the good in every situation, regardless. What if everyone had this attitude: “I believe the world is plotting to do me good today, I can’t wait to see what it is!” Just imagine how things would be different. It will require a change of habitual thinking, but with awareness and persistence you CAN make the shift. Remember to choose the attitude that will bring you the results you want. By shifting our thoughts, we can strive for an attitude of positivity that moves us toward the life and happiness we really desire and truly deserve. Photo by Nicole Pearce on Unsplash
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