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5 keys to creating a more positive attitude

Guest post by: Victoria Cook

Article Overview: Attitude is everything. Create a positive attitude for yourself and start accomplishing more!

5 keys to creating a more positive attitude

I was reminded about the importance of choosing a good attitude at a High Tea and women's networking event I attended earlier this year. The feature speaker, Laurie Nelson from Family Services, did a great job of sharing some benefits of a positive attitude and how to work towards creating one. Here are the 5 key highlights I took away from her talk: You'll feel better

A positive attitude makes you feel better, more energetic, and people are more drawn to being around you. Some studies have shown that a positive attitude can help fight disease. Laurie quoted that optimists are 55% less likely to die than elderly pessimists. Even if these statistics are only half true, it would still be worth choosing a positive attitude!

We believe what we repeatedly hear

Laurie reminded us that our brains are wired to believe what we repeatedly hear, whether it's positive or negative. That's why affirmations are a great way to work on changing our attitude. Affirmations can be used to positively influence negative feelings, thoughts and emotions.

OK, if you were watching late night TV in the 90's thoughts of Al Franken's Saturday Night Live character, Stuart Smalley, are probably coming to mind, "I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me!"? Sure, he provided a great chuckle, but say that sentence aloud in front of your mirror every day and see what kind of changes it can make in your confidence. As a bonus, I bet it makes you smile! Maybe that's not the right affirmation for you, but you get the idea!

Affirmations really do work. They change us on a cellular level. They serve as visualizations for what we want to do in our own life and set the intention to reach it. When repeated, they help us focus and create a sense of expectation about accomplishing what we confess. It creates stronger beliefs and helps rewire our brains to I CAN and I WILL if said regularly with a strong belief. Language is very powerful and we believe what we continually say.

Change YOUR tune

Garbage in, garbage out!! Affirmations are a terrific way to put more good stuff in. Here are 5 elements of a good affirmation to help you in creating your own:

1. Affirmations must be specific & measurable (just like a good goal)

2. Make it personal ("I..." or "I am...")

3. Use the present tense

4. State your affirmation in the positive for a positive outcome

5. SUPER CHARGE your affirmation by adding EMOTIONS and feelings

Don't forget to write them down and say them aloud!

Choose happiness...

Make a habit of associating with happy successful people. Just like our Moms told us, "You become like those you associate with!"

While we can't change some of our situations, we CAN choose how we respond to them. Reframing less desirable circumstances in a positive way can help us learn from the experience and look for hidden opportunities.

Your Guilt-Free Assignment (should you wish to accept it)

Pick one of the goals you've been struggling to achieve and see if you have any attitudes or beliefs that could be holding you back. Once identified, use the 5 elements above and create your own affirmation to counter that belief. Commit to choosing happiness and reciting your affirmation at the beginning and end of each day. Let me know how it's going after a few days or a week.

If you are still struggling, let me know. I have a few more tricks up my sleeve for turning around affirmations that aren't quite working for you.

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Article Tags: attitude, balance, guiltfree, Victoria Cook



Related Forum Posts
Re: What can You Learn from a Jobless and Homeless Woman? - Alan, I definitely agree that a person needs all of those things. I think for me, it was the positive attitude that was the most important. If I woke up with a "defeated" attitude, I knew I had to do something to snap me out of it quickly. Either read a few chapters from a Zig Ziglar book or the Bible. I'm sure everyone has their own little routine.
Re: What can You Learn from a Jobless and Homeless Woman? - [quote="mbrand2222":3fggv9uf]Alan, I definitely agree that a person needs all of those things. I think for me, it was the positive attitude that was the most important. If I woke up with a "defeated" attitude, I knew I had to do something to snap me out of it quickly. Either read a few chapters from a Zig Ziglar book or the Bible. I'm sure everyone has their own little routine.[/quote:3fggv9uf] Hi Mary, That's a great routine. I think for me, I know what I want so much so that I'm not going to let anyone get me down. I try to stay positive in every situation, business related or not. It helps with life in general. Nothing good can ever come from being negative all the time. I've seen what it can do, and it's ugly. Also, I think a positive outlook provides opportunities that otherwise would go unnoticed if a person is negative about a situation. You'd be surprised how more open-minded one can be and be provided with "light bulb" ideas in the worst of times. I've been there.
Re: How do you create a million dollar idea? - I was listening to a talk show and they were discussing how popular the new movie "New Moon" (I think that's it....a vampire series) had become and they were saying how you never know what's going to trip a person's trigger and that you usually stumble upon a hit almost by accident. Same thing with certain toys. They never know which ones are going to be a hit until they release them....like the new fake hampsters. I think this is so true. You just have to keep a positive attitude and try to think like the consumer you are trying to target. I'm not sure there's a set formula for creating a million dollar book, toy, tool, etc.
Re: Winners vs. Losers - Thanks Evan May I add Winners have a passion for success Winners have positive mental attitude Winners are committed Winners see problems as opportunities Winners love the challenge (of difficulties) Losers Easy to recognize - I try to avoid them; attitude, commitment, body language, participation, procrastination, fear, ....
Re: What makes a good sales rep? - Hello, Topeyinka: Thanks for starting this thread. It will be informative and inspiring! I think one mark of a good sales representative is perspective with a positive attitude. I number of years ago, I heard a similar story about those same two salesmen you just mentioned. This story focuses on the power of perspective with a positive attitude. The first shoe salesman said, "There is no market here. Nobody wears shoes." The second shoe salesman said, "The market is [u:28onyj2m]unlimited[/u:28onyj2m] here! Nobody wears shoes!" GT :-]


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