Our attitude is one of the first things people notice about us-and while we may not be able to change our attitude. With proper training, a positive attitude can be acquired. If our attitude is bad, it can be better; if it’s good, it can be even greater. Here are six tools to use in taking control of our approach to life and to make our more successful in reaching our goals.
A. To use affirmative
Affirmations, repeated over and over, can reprogramme us to positive thinking. We should remember Muhammad Ali? He told everyone, “ I am the greatest!” and few would disagree. The slogan of Nike, “ Just do it!” has become a favourite affirmation of athletes around the world.
B. To find our purpose
Relying on outside motivation is like listening to a marching band. While it’s playing, the music will get us on our feet, but once the music stops, we sit down. The strongest for of motivation is internal. We need to discover the things inside us that inspire passion. Once we find them, we should share our purpose with those who might help us. We should write down what we want to do, and for whom. We should also make a chart of how we intend to pursue our vision.
Laila, a single mother, was motivated by her daughter. As a child Sharmin had trouble in school, especially in maths. Kids laughed at her and she was called stupid. She got degree from secondary school, but drifted from one unchallenging job to another.
But after she became a mother, everything changed. Sharmin enrolled in a remidal maths course because she loved her daughter and feared she wouldn’t be able to help her with homework. Sharmin earned an A, which inspired her to set a higher goal. She decided to go to university, where she ended up tutoring other students in maths. She graduated with a degree specialising in computer science and was hired by a high-tech firm.
Because of love for her daughter, Sharmin put her attitude into action, overcome her face of failure and created a better life for her family.
C. To harness the power of visualisation
Professional athletes spend a lot of time on their mental training. They not only visualise their goals, they also imagine exactly how their bodies will feel when they are performing most effectively. Research shows we can learn from this type of mental visualisation. In his book, Scared Hoops, Jackson said he does 45 minutes of visualisation at home before each game to prepare his mind.
Nelson Mandela has also written about how visualisation helped him maintain a positive attitude during his decades in prison. “ I thought continually of the day when I would walk free. Over and over, I fantasised about what I would like to do,” he wrote in his autobiography.
Why is it we don’t feel odd when we visualise failure? How often have we worried about failing....... and gone out and done it? How many negative messages do we send to ourselves everyday? “What a dumb mistake!” “I’m not smart enough for the job.” “ I knew I wasn’t good enough for the promotion.”
It takes the same amount of effort to create positive visualisation and affirmations as it does to create negative ones. But the negative ones hold us back, while the positive ones move us forward.
D. To connect with a positive greeting
There is power in words, so we should use words that lift us our attitude and the attitudes of those around us. Too often people greet each other with no energy. When asked how we are, we say, “ I’m OK,” or “I’ll survive.”
But we can have a positive impact on another person’s life with just a few encouraging words. I was alone in a rail station one night when I heard some whistling a cheerful tune that lightened my mood. I saw the happy whistler was a cleaning rubbish bins. I smiled and asked her how she was doing.
“Brand new!” she chirped. “Every day I wake up is a brand new day for me, and for you too”
I was struck by her enthusiasm and her obvious sense of pride in the job she was doing. It wasn’t the job that made her feel so great. It was her attitude. And she brightened my day simply with a positive greeting.
We don’t have to feel super fantastic everyday. All we have to do is feel it today! if we don’t feel it, we tell people how we want to feel, and it won’t be long before we do.
E. To tap our enthusiasm
Enthusiasm makes us able to apply our gifts more effectively. Enthusiasm makes sharing what we have inside with others. It keeps us working on a period after we’re ready to quit. It gives us the courage to take the risks needed for success. It’s the fire in the that says, “ Don’t wait!”
F. To lighten up with humour
Humour is a great producer of positive energy. We should learn to lighten up: it’s an important step to staying motivated-because motivation is not permanent. We need to do something everyday to maintain our energy, our focus and our enthusiasm.
A. To use affirmative
Affirmations, repeated over and over, can reprogramme us to positive thinking. We should remember Muhammad Ali? He told everyone, “ I am the greatest!” and few would disagree. The slogan of Nike, “ Just do it!” has become a favourite affirmation of athletes around the world.
B. To find our purpose
Relying on outside motivation is like listening to a marching band. While it’s playing, the music will get us on our feet, but once the music stops, we sit down. The strongest for of motivation is internal. We need to discover the things inside us that inspire passion. Once we find them, we should share our purpose with those who might help us. We should write down what we want to do, and for whom. We should also make a chart of how we intend to pursue our vision.
Laila, a single mother, was motivated by her daughter. As a child Sharmin had trouble in school, especially in maths. Kids laughed at her and she was called stupid. She got degree from secondary school, but drifted from one unchallenging job to another.
But after she became a mother, everything changed. Sharmin enrolled in a remidal maths course because she loved her daughter and feared she wouldn’t be able to help her with homework. Sharmin earned an A, which inspired her to set a higher goal. She decided to go to university, where she ended up tutoring other students in maths. She graduated with a degree specialising in computer science and was hired by a high-tech firm.
Because of love for her daughter, Sharmin put her attitude into action, overcome her face of failure and created a better life for her family.
C. To harness the power of visualisation
Professional athletes spend a lot of time on their mental training. They not only visualise their goals, they also imagine exactly how their bodies will feel when they are performing most effectively. Research shows we can learn from this type of mental visualisation. In his book, Scared Hoops, Jackson said he does 45 minutes of visualisation at home before each game to prepare his mind.
Nelson Mandela has also written about how visualisation helped him maintain a positive attitude during his decades in prison. “ I thought continually of the day when I would walk free. Over and over, I fantasised about what I would like to do,” he wrote in his autobiography.
Why is it we don’t feel odd when we visualise failure? How often have we worried about failing....... and gone out and done it? How many negative messages do we send to ourselves everyday? “What a dumb mistake!” “I’m not smart enough for the job.” “ I knew I wasn’t good enough for the promotion.”
It takes the same amount of effort to create positive visualisation and affirmations as it does to create negative ones. But the negative ones hold us back, while the positive ones move us forward.
D. To connect with a positive greeting
There is power in words, so we should use words that lift us our attitude and the attitudes of those around us. Too often people greet each other with no energy. When asked how we are, we say, “ I’m OK,” or “I’ll survive.”
But we can have a positive impact on another person’s life with just a few encouraging words. I was alone in a rail station one night when I heard some whistling a cheerful tune that lightened my mood. I saw the happy whistler was a cleaning rubbish bins. I smiled and asked her how she was doing.
“Brand new!” she chirped. “Every day I wake up is a brand new day for me, and for you too”
I was struck by her enthusiasm and her obvious sense of pride in the job she was doing. It wasn’t the job that made her feel so great. It was her attitude. And she brightened my day simply with a positive greeting.
We don’t have to feel super fantastic everyday. All we have to do is feel it today! if we don’t feel it, we tell people how we want to feel, and it won’t be long before we do.
E. To tap our enthusiasm
Enthusiasm makes us able to apply our gifts more effectively. Enthusiasm makes sharing what we have inside with others. It keeps us working on a period after we’re ready to quit. It gives us the courage to take the risks needed for success. It’s the fire in the that says, “ Don’t wait!”
F. To lighten up with humour
Humour is a great producer of positive energy. We should learn to lighten up: it’s an important step to staying motivated-because motivation is not permanent. We need to do something everyday to maintain our energy, our focus and our enthusiasm.
