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The Value of a Positive Attitude
A positive attitude is a key part to determine your success---it is. Believing you can succeed and treating the people around you with a positive attitude as well are both important to helping you find the success you want. However, you'll be hard pressed to find success even if you have the most sunny optimism if you don't focus in with some hard work, build your knowledge, plan for what you want, and build other foundational pieces of success.
Here are seven ways to build up your positive attitude. Practice them, young man!
Make lists of your own positive attributes. Better yet, see if you can get a friend to help you by making a list for you – I made a list like this for a friend once upon a time. Then, keep this list somewhere and look at it regularly. Remind yourself that you have a lot of positive attributes, and think about how you can do things so these attributes are accentuated.
Don't dwell on your failures. We're all going to fail sometimes. While it's useful to reflect on them a bit, it's not healthy to dwell on them. Identify mistakes made, figure out how to correct them, and then move on. You're not defined by your failures.
Make lists of the successes and positive attributes of those around you – and remind them of those successes when you can. Make a list of all of your regular coworkers and contacts and list a few positive attributes about each one – their knowledge, their insight, their communication skills, their logical skills, and so on. Then, be sure to focus on those skills – the good things they bring to the table – with every interaction.
Avoid thinking negatively about others – if you find yourself going negative, look for their positive attributes. No one's perfect. Sometimes people are going to rub you the wrong way. Other times, they'll do something not up to snuff, or they'll engage in behavior you don't agree with. Don't focus on that. Instead, think about their positive attributes – and let them know you see them in a positive way. Knowing that others see you as positive and look up to you is often a big push to get people to act in a positive fashion.
Never speak negatively of others. It's often tempting in the lunchroom to engage in snarky talk and office politics. Avoid it at all costs if you can. You're a lot better off interjecting with a "Hey, they're not all that bad..." and a positive comment than to pile on the negativity. If you can't say anything positive, don't say anything at all.
Surround yourself with positive people. If the people around you are constantly negative in their comments and actions towards others, it's time to look for a different circle. Focus on building friendships with people that engage you (and others) in positive ways.
Reduce your time spent in activities that make you feel bad about yourself. Then, fill that time with activities that are positive. For example, if you spend hours each night watching television programs that make you feel bad about yourself at night when you climb into bed, look for other forms of entertainment – uplifting and educational programming. Or, turn off the television entirely and engage in exercise or other activities that increase a positive feeling about yourself.
