This is an article on Attitudes by Bonnie and Gary Nelson, who are the directors of Nelson Buchanan & Ostergard Pte. Ltd., a management development and training company. I thought this is very relevant and inspiring piece of article which we can constantly remind ourselves and practice it conscientiously.
ALL ABOUT ATTITUDES
The key to dealing successfully with change is ATTITUDE, that is, one’s attitude towards personal and professional change. Amidst global competition, fast-paced innovations and rapid market developments, both individuals and organizations have to cope with stress and pressures in order to achieve their goals. A positive attitude is crucial as it can influence your beliefs, perceptions and behavior towards situations.
On the surface, attitude affects the way you communicate your mood to others. When you are optimistic and anticipate success, you convey a positive attitude and people usually respond favorably. When you are pessimistic and expect the worst, your attitude is often negative; people tend to avoid you.
Inside your head – where it all starts – attitude is a mindset. Think of it as your mental focus on the outside world. Like using a camera, you can focus or set your mind on what wither as opportunities or failures. A cold winter day is either beautiful or ugly. A departmental meeting can be interesting or boring.
The process of viewing and interpreting your environment – perception – is a mental phenomenon. So it is within your power to concentrate aspects, of your environment and ignore others. Put simply, you take the picture of life you want to take.
Similarly, like a magnifying glass, you can magnify the good news and feel better or make a habit out of focusing on difficult situations, thus exaggerating your problems.
A better approach might be to imagine having a set of binoculars. Use the magnifying end to view positive things and whenever you encounter negative elements, use the other end to make them appear even smaller.
An attitude is never static. It is an ongoing and dynamic process which is sensitive to change. Unless you are on constant guard, negative factors can slip into your perspective and overshadow the positive. The challenge then would be to push the negative factors to the outer perimeters of your thinking and not let it become you disposition.
Of course, no one can be positive all the time. Excessive optimism may be considered “plastic” by friends and business associates. A truly positive attitude is never an act. Moreover, when things get tough, such an attitude may be impossible or even inappropriate. The “we shall always overcome” perspective is more determination, often based upon rightful indignation, than a positive attitude.
When things are going well, a positive attitude becomes self-reinforcing and easy to maintain. But life is such that something will always happen to test your positive mindset.
Winners are those who can regain their positive attitude quickly. The secret of successful athletes, salespeople and performing artistes is the ability to combine high expectations with quick recovery from setbacks.
Refusing to become angry or distraught can motivate you to assemble the facts, talk to others, determine your options, and then come up with the best solution, your attitude can help you live up with a problem more gracefully and neutralize its negative number impact.
So how does a positive attitude help in today’s world of constant change? A positive mindset is tipped in favour of creative activity rather than boredom; joy over sadness, hope over futility.
It is a state of mind which can be maintained only through conscious effort. When you focus on the possibility of victory, your senses become sharper; enthusiasm is released, and you come closer to reaching you potential.
In today’s world we are faced with societal and professional changes that lead to health issues, stress and depression. We must be positive contributors to ourselves, our families, communities and professions. A positive attitude is fundamental to our happiness to our happiness, health and success.
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