It only seems appropriate that the word “attitude” begins with ‘A,’ which puts it at the beginning of the list. Without question, our attitude is the single most important factor in how we live our lives and how we view and approach the situations we encounter on a day to day basis.
Put quite simply:
Your attitude will always magnify whatever agrees with it, and minimize whatever doesn’t.
In other words, if we have a negative attitude, any bad thing that happens to us will seem that much worse. I’m sure you’ve heard someone say, “Well, that figures,” whenever something goes wrong. That simple phrase tells you that they may have a habit of focusing on, and even expecting, the negative. If something good happens to them, they consider it an accident, or they’re focused on something bad they know is going to happen next, or they’re expecting some “catch,” instead of simply enjoying the good thing that just happened.
On the flip side of that, when something bad happens to people with positive attitudes, they will generally brush it off, choosing instead to focus on the good things in their lives. Or, they’ll try to find the “silver lining” in the situation. They find a positive in most situations, and see every good thing that happens to them as an affirmation that more good things happen than bad.
A positive attitude will help you get through those rough times in your life, and give you the strength to get back up and try again when something goes wrong in the pursuit of your goals and dreams. Everybody falls down once in a while. A positive attitude makes it easier to get back up and give it another shot.
Researchers are even looking at health benefits a positive attitude may provide. Among them:
- Increased life span
- Lower rates of depression
- Greater resistance to the common cold
- Better cardiovascular health
- Better psychological health
- Better coping skills during stressful situations
Charles Swindoll once said, “I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it.” Let’s face it: We can’t always control what happens to us. But we can control how we react to it and how we think about it. Think positive!
I’ll admit, it isn’t always easy to keep a positive attitude, especially when it seems like one thing after another is going wrong. Sometimes it takes real mental and emotional effort to find that silver lining or believe something better is just around the corner. But if you can make that effort and develop a positive attitude, I think you’ll find it’s worth it.
You can do it.
Here are a few of Amazon’s best sellers on the power of a positive attitude:
Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude – Napoleon Hill (print)
The Power of Positive Thinking: 10 Traits for Maximum Results (print)
Attitude is Everything: Change Your Attitude…Change Your Life! (print)
The No Complaining Rule: Positive Ways to Deal with Negativity at Work (print)
Official page of fantasy author, G. David Walker 
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