Your attitude matters! Did you know that? You probably didn’t know how much it mattered. In this post, we will explore 6 aspects of how attitude is important and some practical ways to help you when it comes to improving your attitude and your life. This information comes from an email Newsletter I sent out over the summer. So, if it feels like you are reading different emails, that’s why!

Check Your Attitude!

You’ve heard the saying, “Attitude is everything.” If attitude is everything, then we have a problem! It might not be everything, but we all know it’s important!

You may have found me because you were struggling with dishonesty or were looking for ways to improve communication in your marriage or because you just didn’t know what to do in your relationship. You may have been following me for a while or just recently found me. Whichever way you came to me, I am glad you did! You get the benefit of getting better every day! The information I share can be applied to all aspects of your life.

In this email, I want to introduce a topic we all know. It’s the topic of ATTITUDE!

You might be asking, “WHY?”

If you’ve been dishonest, it’s going to take a different attitude to change. If you have struggled in your marriage, your attitude about your situation may need to shift so you can find a different, more healthy way to connect and communicate.

Whatever your situation, your attitude matters!

It’s not everything, but it is important. It can be the difference between success and defeat, as we might say in sports.

Harnessing the Power of Positivity

I told you before, “Attitude matters.”

I wanted you to take that to heart!

Now I want to show you why it matters and how to use it in the next few emails!

Story: A few weeks ago, I started to try to teach my kids about attitude. I made up a little devotion. I got their attention by using some interesting word pictures. Let’s just say I was feeling pretty good about myself. It didn’t stick. END OF STORY!

As a parent and someone who has a degree in education, you would think that my work with them would be great. Well, it’s proving to be difficult. They forget so easily. But maybe that is kids for you.

They don’t understand well why attitude matters. When I let them know that it is GOOD to do something HARD, they ask, “Why?” Then, when I try to give them the answer, they don’t listen very well. I hope they learn the concept quickly, but that’s not the issue.

I think one of the major issues with their lack of understanding is that, in their world, feelings run everything. If they feel it, they think it’s true. Their emotions drive them, as it does with most children.

Our job as adults is to teach them how to put aside their emotions and live by what’s TRUE.

Adults struggle with this too. Lying, affairs, overeating, addiction, and many other struggles we adults have are directly related to us not enjoying the feelings we feel.

That’s why I want to explore the truth of how a positive attitude can help and has transformative power!

A positive attitude isn’t just about having a sunny disposition. It’s about viewing challenges as opportunities, embracing setbacks as learning experiences, and maintaining hope and enthusiasm even in difficult times. If you think about how you have overcome things, it’s more about what you focus on than what you feel. This is true right. So, to harness the power of this truth, here are a few tips to cultivate a positive attitude:

1. Practice Gratitude: Start each day by listing three things you’re grateful for. This simple habit can shift your focus from what’s lacking to what’s abundant in your life.
2. Surround Yourself with Positivity: Spend time with positive people who uplift and inspire you. Their energy can be contagious!
3. Reframe Negative Thoughts: When negative thoughts arise, try to reframe them in a positive light. Instead of thinking, “I can’t do this,” think, “I can learn to do this.”

Remember, a positive attitude can GREATLY improve your overall well-being (PHYSICAL HEALTH, MENTAL HEALTH, SPIRITUAL HEALTH AND MORE) and resilience (HOW LIKELY YOU ARE TO KEEP MOVING FORWARD DESPITE THE CIRCUMSTANCES).

KEY: Start with small steps of positivity, and note how it transforms your life!

Attitude: Your Secret Weapon for Success

We all want to be successful. Who wouldn’t want to be? Sometimes we limit ourselves. Other times we are just fearful or scared or just don’t realize that we can be successful.

If success in what you do (anything you do) is important to you, then attitude is the secret sauce to getting the success you want. It’s the juice to help you overcome!

Story: I have been successful in many things in my life, but I struggle sometimes. As a therapist, I have the ability and knowledge to do conferences and teach workshops. I have education and experience that 95 percent of people don’t have when it comes to my professional field and work.

However, can I be vulnerable with you for just a second? I struggle with believing in myself sometimes. I battle with self-doubt. I started to think about what it would be like to be in front of people. Then my thoughts lead to wondering if I know enough and if others will think I don’t know what I am talking about. This all leads me to…not doing workshops and conferences. Sad isn’t it? I limit myself by thinking things that aren’t true and by having a terrible attitude about it.  END OF STORY!

Limiting beliefs and a bad attitude can crush your ability to succeed!

Let’s explore how attitude can help you succeed and be a weapon you can use when needed.

Attitude can be a powerful driver of success. Success isn’t solely determined by skills or intelligence. Often, it’s your attitude that makes the difference. Here’s how:

1. Perseverance: A positive attitude fuels perseverance. It helps you keep going even when the going gets tough, turning obstacles into stepping stones. Your attitude can be the fuel that keeps you going and gives you the mindset that you can keep going!
2. Open-Mindedness: An optimistic attitude fosters open-mindedness. You’re more willing to explore new ideas and take calculated risks, which are essential for growth and innovation. You will be able to see more options and come up with creative ideas to find success.
3. Building Relationships: People are naturally drawn to those with positive attitudes. It’s easier to be around people who are positive and to follow people who have good attitudes. This can help you build strong, supportive networks that are crucial for personal, relational, and professional success.

Cultivating a success-oriented attitude involves setting clear goals, maintaining a growth mindset, and celebrating small victories along the way. You can do it!

Overcoming Negative Attitudes

A negative attitude can wreck things: your marriage, your career, your relationship with your kids, and even your vacation.

We’ve all experienced someone who has had a negative attitude. It’s frustrating. Is it important to have a positive attitude? Yes! But I, nor you, can’t force one! What do we do?

We discussed success in the last email. Success is desired and important! We covered that your attitude is the weapon that can help you succeed. However, sometimes we have a habit of a negative attitude that is hard to break. Let’s look at how we can overcome it!

Story: I recently decided to go back to counseling for some happenings in my life that were out of my control. Being a counselor myself, I struggle with feeling like another counselor can help me. But true to what I tell my own clients, I told myself to stick with the process.

After a couple of sessions of processing, sharing my story, and exploring my feelings and behaviors, I started to make sense of my thinking. I realized I was focusing on a lot of things out of my control. Most of them were negative things in my life. I had started to feel consistently anxious which I had rarely felt much in my life.

After taking the time to find out what was causing my anxiety (my negative focus on all the bad things), I started to force myself to keep my eyes on the truths and good things in my life.

I have a great family and a loving spouse. I have great friends and an awesome church. My life is better than I am allowing my mind to give me credit for. And most of all, I have a God who loves me more than I can imagine and has been so good to me. It’s taking me a few weeks to consistently change my thought process, but it’s helping my attitude and I can see the results!

END OF STORY!

Negativity can be a significant barrier to achieving your goals and enjoying life. Here are some strategies to transform negative attitudes:

1. Identify Triggers: Pay attention to situations or thoughts that trigger negativity. Awareness is the first step towards change. Since negativity can be a habit, we can think of it as an addiction. What is the first step in the 12 Steps that addicts learn when they start recovery?“We admitted we were powerless…and our lives had become unmanageable.” That’s a BIG epiphany! To come to a place where you are willing to admit you don’t have the ability by yourself to fix something. It takes being aware enough to admit something like that. Then change is possible!
2. Challenge Negative Thoughts: When a negative thought arises, challenge its validity. Ask yourself if it’s based on facts or assumptions.The Bible says: “Take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5
3. Practice Self-Compassion: Be kind to yourself. Understand that everyone has bad days and makes mistakes. Use these moments as opportunities for growth rather than self-criticism. Find ways to sprinkle a little fun and joy in your life. Your purpose is to be a light to this world, but if you are stuck in the muck of negative thinking, your joy is being sucked dry!

By consciously working to shift your perspective, you can gradually replace negativity with positivity, leading to a more fulfilling and joyful life. This is the way to change how the brain processes information. You can change it, but it takes dedication, time, planning, and discipline!

Attitude and Mental Health

(Boost Your Mental Health with the Right Attitude)

Okay, okay. It’s been a few weeks, but I am still here. I just wanted to see how you would do without me. Also, the summer became a lot more busy. You probably did pretty well because I know you are motivated and dedicated. However, there is more to attitude than what we discussed before. So I thought I’d send some more support and help.

Just because you now know how to have success with the right attitude and how to overcome a negative attitude, other things can get in the way. Sometimes we aren’t motivated to do the work. Or stress may be holding you back. You might even be feeling apathetic or just not sure. Anxiety or worry may be stopping you from putting yourself out there.

Attitude and Mental Health are Closely Linked!!

This is right up my alley! Your attitude and mental health are linked more than you know. What if you changed your attitude? Would you feel different or do differently? Let’s say you just decided today you were going to have a different attitude. An attitude that reminds you that you are important and God loves you. I bet your hope and motivation would increase.

What’s the opposite of hope?

Depression

Maybe you woke up depressed today. People who are depressed feel like nothing can be as bad as what you are facing right now. Yet, that type of thought process and attitude would not be helpful.

What if you decided to try a different attitude and focus? Maybe your mental health is so bad you really struggle to change your attitude. See how both attitude and mental well-being feed off each other? Your attitude can make you feel bad, or your feeling bad can give you a nasty attitude.

Needless to say:

Your attitude plays a crucial role in your mental well-being.

You need some ways to maintain a healthy attitude despite your mental well-being.

Here are some ways to foster a healthy attitude, even when you don’t feel like it:

1. Mindfulness: Practice mindfulness to stay present and fully engage with the current moment. This helps reduce stress and anxiety.
2. Self-Affirmations: Use positive affirmations to boost your confidence and self-esteem. Remind yourself of your strengths and accomplishments daily.
3. Seek Support: Don’t hesitate to reach out for support when needed. Surrounding yourself with a supportive network (true friends, caring family, supportive co-workers) can significantly improve your outlook and mental health.

A healthy attitude fosters resilience, helping you navigate life’s challenges with greater ease and grace, despite how you feel. I want you to continue to grow and live a wonderful life! So…

The Ripple Effect of Attitude

(How Your Attitude Impacts Others)

“You are rarely aware of this! The waves that your attitude can generate have a much farther reach than you can imagine.”

I’ve been emailing you some information about attitude. I don’t know if you bought in or tried to use some of the tactics we’ve talked about, but I am absolutely sure that all of us need to refocus our attitude more than we do.

We discussed how our attitude affects our mental health last time. I hope that you were able to understand the impact your attitude has on how you feel and think every day and make some shifts. Shifting is the key! It gets you the results you want. You don’t want to be sad or angry or fearful or anxious. What you focus on can have a huge impact on how you feel.

We have discussed the concept of Attitude at length and this will be the last installment of this focus for now. I will create a page on my website that will combine all that you have gotten out of this and you can go and find it at the link at the bottom of this email. Don’t be afraid to email me or ask me questions.

To finish up, I want you to know that your Attitude affects everything else. It has ripple effects.

You are rarely aware of this! The waves that your attitude can generate have a much farther reach than you can imagine.

Example: The other day I was helping my son with math. He tends to not write down the problems. He believes he can do them in his head. However, he keeps getting it wrong. I told him he needed to write it down in a pretty firm voice. He said, “But I stink at math anyway.” I felt sad and annoyed (That’s the Human in me!). I made my tone stronger with emphasis. He asked, “Why are you mad at me?” I said, “I am not. I just know you can do better, but your lack of effort due to what you believe about your ability upsets me.”

Do you see how his attitude affected me and how I responded? Not that that’s a good example, but you hopefully get the point. His attitude also affected how much effort he was willing to put into the work. He doesn’t think he is good at math, so he doesn’t actually try. My attitude made him think I was mad and he felt I was disappointed in him. That didn’t really increase his motivation, did it?

THE POINT:

Your attitude doesn’t just affect you; it impacts everyone you interact with.

My hope has been that we have been able to provide some help to you as you continue to grow and become the person you want to become. This is about you and your hopes and dreams. So below we provide you with some tidbits that you can put into practice.

Here’s how you can create a positive ripple effect:

1. Lead by Example: Demonstrate a positive attitude in your actions and words. Others are likely to follow your lead when you are positive and calm. Who wants to be around someone who is always negative?
2. Offer Encouragement: Encourage and uplift those around you. A simple word of support can make a significant difference in someone’s day. Start today and try to do it once a day for a week. Record those interactions and how you feel. Record what the result was. You might be surprised by the end of the week.
3. Practice Empathy: Show understanding and compassion towards others. This fosters a supportive and positive environment for everyone. Listen attentively and try to validate someone else’s experience. You may not like it, but it’s not your experience. You may not agree with it, but by empathizing with them and listening well, they will feel better and not feel like you don’t care.

By consciously maintaining a positive attitude, you not only enhance your own life but also contribute to the well-being of others.

Conclusion

Your attitude drives a lot. It can affect your day. Many things can affect your attitude, but you have tools. We have given you some above. Don’t let your own attitude keep you from succeeding in your life. A little shift in how you perceive things and think about things can make big waves in your life. Take one thing and start today to improve yourself so you can reach the goals you are hoping to reach.