Having a positive attitude can mean the difference between living a life full of joy and happiness and living a life full of depression and misery. Your attitude will determine what you will experience in life regardless of the actual circumstances. If there is one thing you can work on that will change your life, it is your attitude. This article will discuss the importance of developing a positive mental attitude as well as give you some tips on how you can develop it.
Reality can be a difficult concept to grasp. How is it that two people can have the exact same experience yet one person comes out of it loving life while the other comes out of it resenting life? There was a story of two brothers who grew up in a home with an abusive father who drank all the time. It would be no surprise if both of these boys grew up to be alcoholics themselves with a hatred for life. One of the two brothers did just that. He followed his father’s footsteps. However, the other brother grew up completely the opposite. Because he experienced that childhood, he made up his mind to be a caring and loving father because he didn’t want his kids to go through what he had to go through.
So what made the difference in the outcome of these two men’s lives? It came down to attitude. You see, it’s not what happens to you that will determine how your life will turn out; it’s what you do about it that will determine your life. The reason for having a good attitude is that your decisions and actions will be different than if you had a negative attitude and will therefore experience a different outcome a result of those decisions.
If you can understand this, then you will understand that you are in essence in control of your life. You can’t control outside circumstances and events but you have total control over your actions and what you decide to do with those circumstances. Your decisions determine your destiny but it’s your attitude that will determine your decisions. This is why having a positive mentality is so critical if you want to experience a happy life.
How to Have a Better Attitude
The first thing you will want to do is to acknowledge that you are in control of your decisions and actions. Let’s say someone cuts you off on the freeway. You can do one of two things. You can get mad or you can by glad that you didn’t get into an accident. These two decisions can have completely different outcomes.
When you are going after a goal and things don’t turn out the way you want them to, you will to decide whether to feel sorry for yourself or to press on. By having a positive outlook about life in general, you will be more likely to make the decision that will eventually lead you to accomplishing your goals. Setting goals and reaching them isn’t always easy. In fact, most of the time, it’s hard. Whether or not you achieve that goal will heavily depend on your attitude.
Now that you know you are in control of your decisions and actions and how having the right attitude can help you make the right choices, here are some things you can do to develop a better attitude.
Read positive books and messages. There are a ton of different positive books out there that can help you see life in a different perspective. You can even read positive quotes or even listen to audio programs on the subject. One really well-known book is, “The Power of Positive Thinking” by Norman Vincent Peale.
Another powerful step you can take is to start surround yourself with people who are positive. It’s true that you become who you surround yourself with most of the time. When you hang around with people who have a positive outlook on life, their thinking will rub off on you. They can also help to encourage you to reach for your goals instead of put you down like many other people will. By constantly feeding your mind with positive material, you will develop a strong, positive attitude and once you have that, your life will never be the same again.