‘Positive Mental Attitude’. Chances are you’ve heard this phrase time and time again – but what does it really mean? Why is it so important?
Focusing on What we CAN Control
A positive mental attitude is the belief that having an optimistic outlook, no matter on the situation, will lead to positive changes and achievements within your life. We all know that we can’t control absolutely everything that life throws at us, or the actions of those around us, but we can control how we react.
The Positives
In order to gain and maintain a healthy and optimistic mindset, we must focus on the good things no matter how big or small they are. Training yourself to find the good in everyday things unconsciously pushes you to a more positive mindset, which in turn allows you to achieve more. If you find yourself getting overwhelmed, write a list of all the good things that have happened in your week, things you are looking forward to and prioritise time to achieve them. Whether this is taking ten minutes out of your day to walk down to your favourite cafe to treat yourself to a coffee or making time to call a friend, your day is likely to go a lot better with a positive outlook.
Starting the Day off Right
Here at ActionCOACH, we spend the first 15 minutes of our day, every day, focusing on our affirmations. This is a simple yet effective task which helps to develop our positive mental attitude for the day ahead. Examples of affirmations could include:
“I am strong”
“I am confident”
“I am successful”
“I am determined”
“I can do this”
Repeating these affirmations until you believe them each day will unconsciously change your behaviour and attitude in a way that reflects your affirmations – leading to positivity and achievement in your life.
Normalise Failure
It’s normal to face failure – and they way we view them determines how we react when we are confronted with them. If you look at failure as a negative thing and something to be avoided, it is time to reframe you mindset around them. Looking at failure as something to learn from for the future will not only ensure you don’t repeat your mistakes, but also push you even further towards success.
The Takeaway
A positive attitude can change everything. Changing the way we view challenges, failure and things that are out of our control can increase the level of achievement we reach in both our personal lives and our work ones, as well as our overall health and mindset.