Positive Attitude and its Importance

IMPORTANCE OF ATTITUDE : 

Have you ever wondered why some individuals, organizations, or countries are more successful than others? It is not a secret. These people simply think and act more effectively. They have learned how to do so by investing in the most valuable asset--people. I believe that the success of an individual, organization or country, depends on the quality of their people.

William James of Harvard University said, "The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind." Experience has shown that human resources is the most valuable asset of any business. It is more valuable than capital or equipment. Unfortunately, it is also the most wasted.

YOUR ATTITUDE CONTRIBUTES TO SUCCESS

It applies to every sphere of life, including one's personal and professional life. Can an executive be a good executive without a good attitude? Can a student be a good student without a good attitude? Can a parent, teacher, salesman, employer, employee be good in their roles without a good attitude? The foundation of success regardless of your chosen field, is attitude. If attitude is such a critical factor in success, shouldn't you examine your attitude toward life and ask how your attitude will affect your goals?

Our attitude determines how we look at a setback. To a positive thinker, it can be a stepping stone to success. To a negative thinker, it can be a stumbling block.  

THE CONSEQUENCES OF A NEGATIVE ATTITUDE

 Our life is an obstacle course and we become our own biggest obstacle by having a negative attitude. People with a negative attitude have a hard time keeping friendships, jobs, marriage and relationships. Their attitude leads to 

• bitterness 
• resentment
• a purposeless life 
• ill health
• high stress level for themselves and others

They create a negative environment at home and work and become a liability to society. They also pass on their negative behavior to others around them and to future generations.

WHEN WE BECOME AWARE OF OUR NEGATIVE ATTITUDE, WHY DON'T WE CHANGE?

Human nature generally resists change. Change is uncomfortable. Regardless of its positive or negative effect, change can be stressful. Sometimes we get so comfortable with our negativity that even when the change is for the positive, we don't want to accept it. We stay with the negative. 

During childhood, we form attitudes that last a lifetime. Undoubtedly, it would be a lot easier and better to have acquired a positive attitude during our formative years. Does that mean if we acquire a negative attitude, whether by design or by default, we are stuck with it? Of course not. Can we change? Yes. Is it easy? Absolutely not.

There are primarily three factors that determine our attitude. They are:

1.Environment

Environment consists of the following:

• Home: positive or negative influences 
• School: peer pressure 
• Work: supportive or over critical supervisor
• Media: television, newspapers, magazines, radio, movies 
• Political environment

2.Background

• Cultural background 
• Religious background 
• Traditions and beliefs 
• Social background

3. Experiences

 Our behavior changes according to our experiences with people and events in our life. If we have a positive experience with a person, our attitude toward him becomes positive and vice versa. 

 HOW DO YOU RECOGNIZE PEOPLE WITH A POSITIVE ATTITUDE? Just like an absence of ill health does not equal good health, an absence of negativity alone does not make a person positive. People with positive attitudes have certain personality traits that are easy to recognize. They are caring, confident, patient, and humble. They have high expectations of themselves and others. They anticipate positive outcomes. A person with a positive attitude is like a fruit of all seasons. 

THE BENEFITS OF A POSITIVE ATTITUDE

These are many and easy to see. But what is easy to see is also easy to miss. To mention a few, a positive attitude 

•  increases productivity 
•  fosters teamwork 
• solves problems
•  improves quality makes for congenial atmosphere 
•  breeds loyalty 
•  increases profits 
•  reduces stress 
• helps a person become a contributing member of society and an asset to their country 
•  makes for a pleasing personality 

How do you build and maintain a positive attitude?

Become aware of the principles that build a positive attitude Desire to be positive Cultivate the discipline and dedication to practice those principles 

Step 1: Change Focus, Look for the Positive 

Even in paradise, fault finders will find faults. Most people find what they are looking for. If they are looking for friendship, happiness and the positive, that is what they get. If they are looking for fights or indifference, then that is what they get.We need to become good finders. We need to focus on the positive in life. Let's start looking for what is right in a person or situation instead of looking for what is wrong.

Step 2: Make a Habit of Doing It Now 

We have all procrastinated at some time in our lives. I know I have, only to have regretted it later. Procrastination leads to a negative attitude. The habit of procrastination fatigues you more than the effort it takes to do it. 

Step 3: Develop an Attitude of Gratitude

Count your blessings, not your troubles. Take time to smell the roses. It is not uncommon to hear that someone, because of an accident or illness, became blind or paralyzed but won a million dollars in settlement. How many of us would like to trade places with that person? Not many. We are so focused on complaining about things we don't have that we lose sight of the things we have. There is a lot to be thankful for. 

Step 4: Stay Away from Negative Influences

Today's teenagers learn from adult behavior and the media. They face peer pressure. Peer pressure is not just limited to teenagers, it is also prevalent in adults. It shows a lack of self-esteem when people do not have the courage to say "No, thank you," and stay away from negative influences.

Step 5: Start Your Day with a Positive Thought

Read or listen to something positive first thing in the morning. After a good night's sleep we are relaxed and our subconscious is receptive. It sets the tone for the day, and puts us in the right frame of mind to make every day a positive day. In order to bring about change, we need to make a conscious effort Andre committed to make positive thoughts and behavior part of our lives. Practice having positive thoughts and behavior daily until they become a habit. 

When someone says, "I can't do it," there are two possible meanings. Are they saying they don't know how to or they don't want to? If they don't know how to, that is a knowledge issue. If they are saying they don't want to, it may be an attitude issue (they don't care) or a values issue (they believe they should not do it). 

Positive thinkers are like athletes who, through practice, build an inner reservoir of stamina that they draw on in competition. If they don't practice, they have nothing to draw on.

Start by doing what is necessary, then what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible. --St. Francis of Assisi