Consciously Choosing a Positive Attitude
Do you consciously choose your attitude each day? If you're like most people, probably not. Most of us tend
to let our circumstances choose our attitude for us. We're in a good mood as long as we get up on time, the kids
cooperate and get to school on time, the car starts without a problem, we don't encounter any traffic jams on the
way to work, the boss doesn't yell, our workload is manageable, etc. This system can work fine as long as
everything runs smoothly in our lives.
But that's not always the case, is it? Situations don't always adhere to our expectations. Accidents happen.
Delays happen. Spouses and bosses can be difficult to please. Vehicles break down. Kids may resist our efforts to
keep the schedule running smoothly. What happens to our attitude then? If we don't make the effort to consciously
choose a positive attitude, we run the risk of developing a negative one at random.
How would our lives change if we consciously chose a positive attitude each day? For starters, we'd feel much
happier about our lives. We'd feel more motivated about pursuing our dreams because we'd believe in the
possibilities for making them a reality. We'd be able to enjoy the time spent with our friends and families more,
because we'd want to share our joy with others.
We'd feel strong and empowered in our ability to do anything we set our minds to. We'd be able to overcome
challenges with ease because we'd have a strong belief in our own skills and abilities. We'd be able to love deeply
and completely without fear of rejection or betrayal. We would pause to enjoy the smaller, more precious moments in
life, without feeling pressured to do more, be more, or prove our worthiness.
Wow, it sounds awesome, doesn't it? Is it really possible to feel that way all the time? Yes, but probably not
in the way you're imagining it. Just because we choose a positive attitude doesn't mean that our lives will
transform into smoothly-flowing works of art and stay that way forever.
Choosing a positive attitude is a process. We don't just choose it once and expect everything to be perfect from
that moment on. We will still experience setbacks, delays, accidents, frustrations, arguments, fatigue, and fear.
The secret is how we choose to react to these experiences. Do we want to let them ruin our day, or do we choose to
pick ourselves up and look hopefully to the future again? We do have the power to choose.
You may be asking what the point of a positive attitude is. If we'll still experience negative circumstances,
why bother with choosing a positive attitude? Ah, that's the true beauty of the creative process. What we choose to
focus on the most, we create in our lives.
By choosing a positive attitude each day, we are actually attracting more positive experiences, and reducing the
likelihood of negative experiences. You may have noticed that each experience often determines the quality of the
next experience, causing a chain reaction in our lives. If one little thing goes wrong, it can throw off our plans
for the rest of the day. In this context, it's easy to see how a positive attitude would be powerful. Rather than
allowing one little thing to ruin our day, we would be able to shrug it off and continue on without a hitch.
Over time, this resiliency begins to strengthen and empower us, which will show through in our demeanor. We
begin attracting people and experiences that more closely match our attitude, and our lives eventually transform
into more positive, fulfilling expressions of joy.
And it all begins with a little thing called attitude! Again, this is a process, so go easy on yourself if
you're trying to adopt a more positive attitude. Simply focus on developing a stronger awareness of your attitude
moment to moment in your daily experiences, and begin choosing a more positive one more often. It takes time to
realize the full benefits of this type of mindset, but it is time well-spent.
Before you know it, you'll be one of those people you used to admire for their tenacity and strength, and your
life will transform in amazing ways.
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