A LITTLE BIT OF ATTITUDE  – Carmel Rowley

Today I’m tired, there’s been lots of juggling in my life of late, the property being sorted, my website wearing me down and to top it off all the continuous planning for the production of my latest book. But today I dropped the ball and decided to stop and regroup. I did this while watching a very dark and murderous midday movie. I should have turned it off, I normally avoid that type of movie but it got me thinking …

Every day we’re faced with the decision about how to approach any given situation, in other words – our attitude. We express our attitude in our words and actions. Whether we are a glass half full or a glass half empty type of person, we all have the ability to choose our personal attitude.

The Macquarie Dictionary defines attitude as, “disposition or manner with regard to a person or thing, position of the body appropriate to an action, emotion etc.”

So, attitude is a mental state relative to what we believe and how it affects our  lives. It’s quite easy to gauge whether a person likes or dislikes something or if they are annoyed or happy. I’ve also noticed how specific attitudes can become a habit, we can either lean towards an optimistic or pessimistic viewpoint.

Attitudes are also greatly influenced by the people around you, which means your attitude is contagious.

“The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.” William James

I’ve found one of the best ways to develop a happy mental attitude is to surround yourself with optimists, those positive people who work hard at attracting like-minded people. The people who have developed an attitude of I can do that combined with a resilient nature to propel them forward. Decades ago I found that if I began to condition my thinking, my attitude improved, which greatly accelerated my success.

Author and mentor to many Charles Swindoll wrote a wonderful paragraph about attitude in his book, Strengthening Your Grip.

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company… a church … a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have and that is our attitude we are in charge of our attitudes.”

We really do have a choice about our attitude. It’s so easy to complain about everything, be critical and complain about what happens to us. I’m the first to admit how hard it can be to be happy and have a positive attitude all the time. But I do know with some determination one can change their attitude and look towards happiness. Just think about being that person who assists in spreading a happy attitude. It’s something to think about and while you’re thinking, make sure you smile and enjoy a laugh everyday.