Science of success : Attitude
- Part 3 -

L Biren Singh *

7. Build and maintain a positive attitude :

(i) Look for positive : You need to become a seeker of good. You need to focus on the positive in your life. Start looking for what is right in a person or situation instead of looking for what is wrong.
(ii) Make a habit of doing it now. If you want to build and maintain a positive attitude get into the habit of living in the present and doing it now.
(iii) Develop an attitude of gratitude : Gratitude reflects humility. It keeps a person grounded. Count your blessing and not your troubles.
(iv) Get into continuous Education programme : Knowledge is potential power, wisdom is real power.
(v) Build high self esteem : Self-Esteem is that we feed about ourselves. When we feel good, the world looks nice, productivity goes up and our relationship are a lot better. The reverse is just true.
How do you build high self esteem : If you want to build high self-esteem quickly, one of the fastest ways are to do something for those who cannot pay in cash or kind.

(vi) Stay away from negative influence : Smoking, drugs and alcohols.
(vii) Learn to like the thing that need to be done. Does an athelete always like to go for practice, probably not. But he does it anyway. Something need to be done whether we like them or not. For example, mother caring for their young. This may not always be fun and may even painful, but if we learn to like the task, the impossible becomes possible.

(viii) Start your day with something positive : Read or listen to something positive thing in the morning. In order to bring about change, we need to make conscious effort and be committed to make positive thought and behaviour part of our lives. Practice having positive thought and behariour daily until they become habit.

8. Can attitude be changed ? Yes, we should try to understand from the followings :

(i) The key to having a good attitude is the willingness to change.
(ii) Evaluate your present attitude.
(iii) Realize that faith is stronger than fear.
(iv) Verbalize to an encouraging what you want to accomplish each day.

Eliminate these words completely :

1. I can't
2. I doubt
3. I don't think
4. I don't have the time
5. May be
6. I am afraid of

Make these words a part your vocabulary

1. I can
2. I will
3. Express the best
4. I know
5. I will make the time
6. Positively
7. I am confident
9. (i) Take action on your goal each day
(ii) Have the desire to change
(iii) Develop good habits

The following steps will assist you changing bad habits into good ones.

Step 1 : List your bad habits
Step 2 : What was the original cause.
Step 3 : What are the supporting cause.
Step 4 : Determine the positive habit to replace bad one.
Step 5 : Think about good habit, its benefits and results.
Step 6 : Take action to develop this habit.
Step 7 : Daily act upon this for reinforcement.
Step 8 : Reward yourself by noting one of the benefits from good habit.

10. Continually choose to have a right attitude.

(i) Early stage : The first few days are always most difficult. Old habits are hard to break. You must be on guard mentally to take the right action.

(ii) Middle stage : The moment good habits begin to take roots, options open that bring on new challenges. During this stage, new habits will form that can be good or bad. The good news is that the more right choices and habits you develop, the more likely other good habits will be formed.

(iii) Later Stage : In this stage, complacency is the enemy. We all know someone (perhaps) who lost caught only to fall back into all eating habits and gain it back. Don't let down your guard until the change is complete. And even, be vigilant and make sure you don't fall into all negative habits.

11. (i) Your attitude matters for success. All birds find shelter during a rain. But eagle avoids rain by flying above the clouds. Problems are cmmon, but attitudes makes the difference.

12. 8 Steps to change attitude

Step 1 : Change focus, look for the positive. Someone once asked Mr Car- negie how you dealt with people. Andrew Carnegie replied “Dealing with people is a lot like digging for gold.”

(a) Be an optimist : How can one be an optimist. Be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. Talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet. Make all your friends feel that you appreciate their good qualities and strengths.

Look at the sunny side of everything. Think only of the best, work only for the best and expect only for the best. Be an enthusiastic about the success of others. Forget the mistakes of the past and press on the greater achievements of the future. Give everyone a smile. Spend so much time improving yourself that you have no time left to criticize others.

Step 2 : Make a habit of doing it now.

(a) If you want to build and maintain a positive attitude, get into the habit of living in the present and doing it now. A completed task is fulfilling and energizing; an incomplete task drains energy. If you want to build a positive attitude, learn the phrase “DO IT NOW” and stop the habit of procrastination. Benjamin Franklin said “Never leave till tomorrow, which you can do to day.”

Step 3 : Develop an attitude of gratitude. Gratitude reflects humility. It is a great philosophy to live by, never forget what others have done for you and never remember what you have done for others.

Step 4 : Get into a continuous Education Programme.
(a) True education is training both the head and the heart.
(b) Knowledge is not power : We are often told that knowledge is power. Not really knowledge is information. It is potential power and it becomes power when it is acted upon. Knowledge is potential power and wisdom is real power.
(c) Feed your mind : Just as our bodies need good food everyday, our minds need positive thoughts everyday. Positive thinkers regularly build a reserve of positive attitude by constantly feeding their minds on pure, powerful and positive thoughts on a daily basis.

Step 5 : Build high self-esteem : Self-esteem is the way we feel about ourselves. When we feel good, the world looks nice, productivity goes up and our relationship are a lot better.

Step 6 : Stay away from negative influences : A person's character is judged not only by the company he keeps but also by the company he avoided. If you associate with achivers you will become one. If you associate with thinkers you will become one. If you associate with negative people, you will become one.

Step 7 : Learn to like the things that need to be done. “Start by doing what is necessary, then what is possible and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” — St. Francis of Assisi.

Step 8 : Start your day with something positive. Read or listen to something positive first in the morning. After a good night's sleep, we are relaxed and our subconscious mind is receptive. It sets the tone for the day and puts us in the right frame of mind. to make the day a positive day.

In order to bring about change, we need to make a conscious effort practice having positive thoughts and behaviour daily until they become a habit.

13. Attitude Quotes :

(a) A bad attitude is like a flat tyre. If you don't change it, you will never go anywhere.
(b) An ideal attitude is to be physically loose and mentally tight.
(c) People may not hear your words but they feel your attitude.
(d) Our lives are not determined by what life brings us but the attitude will bring to life.
(e) For success, attitude is equally as important as ability.
(f) Don't mix up my personality and my attitude, my personality is me and my attitude depends on you.
(g) Our attitude towards other determines their attitude towards us.
(h) Excellence is not a skill. It is an attitude.
(i) The only difference between a good day and a bad day is your attitude.
(j) Your attitude, not your aptitude will determine your altitude.

Concluded....