How many times have you been told that you need a positive attitude? Whatever!
First, what the heck do you need it for?
Secondly, what exactly is a positive attitude?
Well, newbie, whether you like it or not, your brain is where the real magic happens.
Whether it’s learning a new skill, having great sex, or reading a book. Your brain has the power to make you or break you. Sorry, just being honest.
Let’s talk about the obvious
You know you’re getting close to a positive attitude when you discover things like:
- positive thinking
- optimism
- not giving up
- having purpose
- accurate thinking
Although one cannot find a definition for ‘positive attitude’ in a dictionary, a positive attitude is the right mental attitude in any given situation. To fully appreciate how to define a positive attitude, it’s helpful to explore the elements that create a positive attitude.
Positive thinking
Self-talk is the stream of thoughts that course through our minds every day.
What the heck are you doing? Why am I in NP school anyway? Why can’t I stick to a diet? Awww, isn’t that puppy cute?
These unbidden thoughts can be negative or positive, contributing to a positive or a negative attitude. Some self-talk comes from the areas of logic and reason within the mind; other portions of self-talk are robed in misconceptions due to a lack of or wrong information.
That being said, it’s pretty obvious:
Negative thoughts will lead to a pessimistic outlook or negative attitude.
Positive thoughts will lead to optimism or a positive attitude.
Optimism
Do you see the glass as half full or half empty? Answering this question will help you understand the realm of optimism.
Your point of view allows you to look for solutions to the problems or look for reasons that the problems cannot be solved. Optimism says “there is a way to solve this problem; I just haven’t found it yet.”
A positive mind will find the way to get it done; a negative mind looks for ways it cannot be done.
Not giving up
Bad things happen to everyone, but we get to choose the response to everything that happens to us.
Success in achieving your goals is not always realized instantly, but having faith in the outcome can make a difference. Faith is the awareness of and belief in the universal powers that keep your heart beating and allow you to wake up every morning.
Going after what you want, having tenacity, getting your grit on . . . can lead you right down the positive attitude path.
Purpose
NP newbie, you are in charge of your destiny – no one else!
Success and progress to achieve your goals in life begin and end in knowing yourself and where you are going. What are your burning desires? What ideas and plans dominate your thinking and hold your consciousness captive?
Figure out what you live for and spend 5 minutes every morning visualizing that life. Close your eyes and think about what you’re doing and experience how you’re feeling in that best life of yours. Can you feel that purpose moving you toward a positive attitude?
Your purpose, when lived out in your conscious mind through repeated emotional efforts can be taken over by the subconscious . . . thoughts become actions, actions become results.
Thinking accurately
Your thoughts have the power to direct your actions and your actions have the power to determine the course of your life. Wowza! That’s some deep truth! Go back and read it again, I’ll wait . . . deep, right?
A positive attitude allows you the choice to rid yourself of thoughts that damage your mind and gather thoughts that empower you – this allows you to control your emotions.
You do not have to allow any thoughts into your brain – political, religious, opinion, etc. – until they have been analyzed and accepted by you. Persons who think accurately will separate the facts of information they receive into two groups: important and unimportant. They will discard what doesn’t suit their life purpose, what doesn’t feed their optimism, and what doesn’t contribute to their positive mental health.
So here’s the take away
We won’t have a positive attitude 24/7, that’s not realistic. Whew! Feel better now? But . . . keep reading . . .
But . . . if you have children, if you struggle with negativity, if you feel like your life is floundering then you should know that checking your attitude is important. Actually, it’s always important.
You can’t bury the negative crap and thoughts and hope for the best.
Eventually the negativity will explode all over your kids and your life in a gigantic way.
And then, just like breakfast dishes that are left in the sink all day, you have to clean it up whether you like it or not.
If you want that positive attitude, it may be time to have a heart-to-heart with yourself. Time to take a look at all the stuff inside, pitch the rotten and make posters out of the good. And when you do, take off those rose-colored glasses. If you see a negative thought, name it . . . claim that sucker then throw it out of your life.
From the day my daughters started talking I’ve always told them, if you can’t be honest with yourself, how can you be honest with anyone else?
Leave me a comment and let me know how that honest little talk with yourself goes.
You got this, you amazing NP you!!
Cheers!
