Our attitude affects everything in our lives. Our work, play, relationships, dreams, success, all of it. A bad attitude keeps us from the happiness and fulfilment we desire. A good attitude energizes us to achieve our goals. A great attitude changes our lives, and the world. But it's not enough to simply wake up and say, “today’s going to be a great day.” Attitude is a series of choices. Choices you made yesterday, last week, even years ago. When is the right time to teach your child the power of positive attitude? Now and always.
1. Energy. Nothing affects our energy like our attitude. A bad attitude will often leave us sad and depressed and make us feel too tired to do the things we want to do. But a great attitude makes us leap out of bed, ready to be the best we can be and live life to the fullest.
2. Food for thought. Every good thing in this world was created by people who believed the future could be bigger than the past and had an attitude that made them believe they could help make it happen.
3. It’s what you really want. Improving your attitude can only make you a-better-version-of-yourself. Deep down inside, this is something we all desire. Deep down inside, you want to improve your attitude. What are you waiting for?
4. The basics. What we do, who we hang out with, when we wake up and go to sleep, and what we eat, are all choices that affect our attitude, and are all choices that we control. Other people don’t determine our attitude, we do. And our choices do.
5. Friendships. Who you hang out with affects your attitude more than anything else. Spend time with friends who help you to have a better attitude. Few things can change your life so completely or so quickly.
6. The impact of attitude. Like so many other positive attributes, a good attitude is infectious. You can make a difference in this world simply by working on your attitude. Negativity spreads negativity. Positivity spreads positivity. Which do you want to spread?
7. Where to start? Improving your attitude will be hard, and it’s not always clear what you should work on first. Talk to a trusted friend or family member. Other people see things in us that we aren’t aware of or won’t admit to ourselves. This kind of honesty from your loved ones might sting a bit at first, but it will teach you a powerful lesson and give you a place to start.
8. One day at a time. Attitude cannot be changed in one day, but it can be changed one day at a time. Figure out what things help you improve your attitude and then do one thing every day to become the-best-version-of-yourself.
9. Laugh a little! We all have bad days, and this is totally natural, but there is nothing quite like the power of laughter to turn bad days into good days and a bad attitude into a great attitude.
10. Tracking your progress. Keeping a journal is a great way to track your progress. You have good days and bad days, and that’s okay! Writing about your good days and bad days can help you reflect on what went well and what didn’t, and help you identify patterns of actions, people, and choices that help you have a great attitude.
Our thoughts, words, actions, choices, friends, habits, and many other things affect our attitudes, which in turn affects every other aspect of our lives. Talk to your child about attitude. If he or she doesn’t have one, get him/her a journal to write in to so they can track which parts of their lives help them have a great attitude and which don’t.
The more we improve our attitude, the more life opens up for us and the more our dreams seem within reach. Teach your child the power of a great attitude.
Other Resources on this Topic:
1. 10 Things To Teach Your Child About Attitude