How to Develop a Positive Attitude

How to Develop A Positive Attitude

Your attitude will make or break your day.

But you can’t leave your attitude’s discretion up to chance when you wake up in the morning.

Rather, you have to be intentional about maintaining a positive attitude.

This is easier for some than it is for others, but it is entirely possible to control your attitude.

Let’s dig into how to develop a positive attitude.

How to Develop A Positive Attitude

Take Responsibility

First things first.

If you want to have a good day, that decision (yes, it is a decision) lies squarely in your hands.

Your attitude is your responsibility.

No other person or outside forces have the power to control you.

If they do, it’s only because you let them.

Have you ever read Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl?

If not, I highly recommend you do.

It’s about Viktor’s time in a concentration camp in Nazi Germany and how he held on to a positive attitude and outlook on life during one of the darkest moments in history, when there was truly next-to-nothing to live for, short of liberation.

I read this book when I was in the deep throes of depression and it allowed me to understand that it is possible to control your thoughts, regardless of your circumstances, and the realization the ball was in my court to make that happen.

It might be easier said than done, but it is possible, nonetheless, and it starts with the understanding that you must take responsibility to see it happen.

Related:

• Change Your Brain, Change Your Life
• 4 Keys to Cultivate Abundance Thinking
• 3 Ways to Expand Your Thinking Capacity
• How to Live an Intentional Life
• 7 Excuses You Need to Stop Making

Intentionally Address What Triggers You

I’m usually a happy-go-lucky person, but occasionally, I’m triggered by something that makes my pleasant attitude take a deep-dive into the depths of the irritable unknown.

For example, backed-up traffic sets me over the edge.

I used to have a 35-minute drive to work on a highway that always has construction, accidents, you name it.

Sometimes, I’d leave early, and to no avail there would be new construction or an accident and traffic would be at a stand-still.

I’d then show up late to work, despite my best efforts to leave early, and my whole day would be thrown off.

I’m always on time, and I can’t stand being late.

Game over, all before even arriving at work.

Traffic is inevitable, so I had to come up with a solution to keep me sane when this situation arose.

I found it in podcasts-especially personal development-focused ones.

Listening to podcasts in my car became my new thing.  My car ride went from being a waste of 35 (or more) minutes to a time when I could listen and learn.

It now had a purpose.

My irritation with traffic decreased significantly.

I encourage you to identify your triggers.

What sets you over the edge?

Figure that out, and then be intentional in coming up with tactics you can use to prevent a bad attitude from even happening when those triggers arise.

Related:

• 11 Ways to Live with Intention
• Today Matters
• How to Stop Feeling Overwhelmed
• 5 Ways to Increase Your Energy
• How to Change Negative Thinking in 3 Steps

Act Like the Person You Want to Be

You know at high school reunions how there’s always those few people that underwent a significant transformation since their high school days?

They walk into the reunion reception, and everyone’s jaws drop?

The plain jane that turned into a beauty queen.

Sports jock who is now bald and overweight.

Class nerd who became the CEO of a billion-dollar company with a supermodel wife.

Their transformation was the result of them seeing who they could be.

Understanding that you can become someone else-that you have the power to decide who you can become-is the catalyst for change.

If you desire change, you have to start with your mind.

You have to believe it before you will see it.

I love this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson:

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”

A change in attitude starts from within.

Related:

• Girl, Stop Apologizing
• The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth
• 6 Ways to Improve Your Life Right Now
• Scarcity vs. Abundance Mindset
• 4 Fears Holding You Back and How to Overcome Them

Value Interactions with Others

“You can’t dislike people and have a good attitude at the same time.” ~John Maxwell

In every office environment, there’s the token Negative Nancy.

She’s always complaining and gossiping about people behind their back.

I used to tune this out, but I always wondered, “how does this person expect to have a good day and be happy with an attitude like that!?”

It’s as though some people just don’t even want to be happy!  They want to be miserable and bring everyone else down with them.

Or so it seems.

Your interaction with others will dictate your attitude.

If you want to have a bad day, complain and gossip all you want. Your attitude will feed off the negativity.

Negativity begets negativity.

Be intentional about treating people well (even the Negative Nancy) and notice how improved your attitude becomes and sets the tone for your day.

When you treat people with kindness, it’s a snowball effect that allows for more uplifting moments and a better day.

Related:

• How to Increase Your Value
• 3 Mindset Makeovers to Make Today
• How to Live an Offense-Free Life
• Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself: How to Lose Your Mind and Create A New One
• Grow You (Virtual Coaching)

Develop an Appreciation for the Little Things

“Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.” ~Coach John Wooden

Appreciation is a matter of perspective.

I’m easy to please and I like to think I’m great at appreciating the little things.

Some of my favorite things in life include:

• Sipping my morning coffee (I like it black) while engaging in my morning routine.
• Sitting out on the porch with my husband listening to 90’s music.
• Playing video games on our 130-inch projector screen (it’s seriously a treat for me).
• Cutting up veggies and preparing a salad.
• Crossing items off my to-do list.

If you can’t appreciate the little things in life, how can you expect to maintain a positive attitude?

Some people always complain about every little thing: The weather (it’s too hot, then it’s too cold), their coffee wasn’t what they ordered at Starbucks, and someone cut them off on their way to work.

If this is you, I want you to intentionally focus on finding the little things in your daily life that make you smile.

At the end of every day, take 5 minutes to jot down 5 little things you were grateful for.

Do this every day until your attitude starts to improve.

Then, keep doing it.

Related:

• 3 Morning Routines You Need to Stop Doing
• 10 Simple Habits for A Better Day
• 3 Ways to Practice Gratitude and Feel Better Today
• The Five-Minute Journal: A Happier You in 5 Minutes A Day
• Gratitude Journal

Before You Go

Your attitude is your responsibility.

If you don’t like the way things are going in your life, honing in on correcting your attitude is a great place to start.

Do you struggle to maintain a positive attitude?

How do you get over the pitfalls of a bad attitude?

Let me know in the comments below.