Will things get better or worse?
Is the world a safe place or filled with danger?
Should you begin with trust or wait for others to prove themselves?
Can one person make a difference, or is it futile to think so?
The answer depends on your outlook, the way you see things
Your outlook, in turn, shapes your attitude.
Investing in skills
People spend time, money and energy acquiring numerous career and business skills; Skills to move up and prepare for upcoming assignments and responsibilities.
A wise investment, however incomplete when done in isolation, i.e. focusing only on skills while ignoring the development of their attitude.
Here are a couple of questions worth thinking about;
- Does your current outlook serve you or hold you back in life?
- What does your attitude to work and life say about you?
Reflecting on the above can bring awareness and insight into your presence, your impact on others, and how you are perceived.
Fountainhead of growth
Your attitude can be the fountainhead of your achievement, growth and success, or it can be a trapdoor locking you into suffering and misery.
You come across people who encourage different viewpoints, treat others with respect, demonstrate patience, take the initiative, and are responsible, supportive and persistent.
You also encounter folks who avoid responsibilities, are pessimistic, judgmental, insensitive, intolerant, rude, abusive, manipulative or suspicious.
Attitudes that reflect self-awareness, upbringing, values and experiences,
as well as their way of coping with whatever is happening in their lives.
You may feel inspired by one set of people and disappointed by others.
Attitudes are contagious
An optimistic, proactive attitude will do wonders for your career and well-being. It can make you more energetic, likeable, easy to get along with, confident, accomplished and appreciated.
A cheerful, pleasant attitude helps you stand out from the thousands who see life as a dreary, miserable, helpless journey. It will also help you get past the hurdles that life is very likely to throw at you, time and again.
By choosing to be responsible, accountable, resilient, persistent, non-judgemental, positive, energetic and professional, you can unlock great power to accomplish your goals and build a successful future.
Developing an empowering attitude is easy with firm commitment and conscious effort –
1. Identify your core values and create a life vision
Values are crucial in decision-making; time and effort spent understanding what’s important to you and identifying your core values can give you a more profound sense of meaning and purpose. Aligning your actions also ensures values are honoured, and you feel fulfilled.
Your vision will depict how you wish to live and what you want to accomplish. It will clarify the milestones that matter, the people, experiences and knowledge you want in your life.
2. Define attitudinal traits needed to honour that vision
As you define your dream and vision, you will realize who you need to be to live that quality of life. You will get clear on the approach you need to take, the choices and decisions you must make, and the traits you need to develop to become the person you seek to be.
3. Practice those traits diligently.
Knowing is not enough. To bring your vision to life, you must demonstrate a bias for action and start practising those traits one day at a time, day after day, until it becomes second nature.
Practising chosen traits can be one of the most valuable investments you can make for yourself, for the rewards will come throughout your life.
4. Proactively seek and work on the feedback.
Embrace being a work in progress, don’t seek perfection; chase excellence. Reach out and ask those around you for feedback. Understand what you are doing well and what you could do better.
Act on that feedback to amplify your strengths and enhance areas of development. This constant and never-ending improvement will shape your character and make you adaptable and agile.
5. Note down fears and behaviours that derail you.
Like most others, you, too, are likely to have behaviours that stop you from being all you can be; this can be in the form of irrational fears, limiting beliefs or unspoken rules that, in reality, are not needed.
Every choice is born out of awareness; becoming aware of how you hold yourself back allows you to choose alternate, empowering thoughts, behaviours and actions.
6. Get coached to overcome the derailers and develop confidence
Sometimes, derailing behaviours can be deep-rooted and difficult to overcome. Seek support where needed, and reach out to trained professionals for coaching or counselling as may be appropriate.
7. Show up in a manner that energizes you and others.
Energy and attitude go hand in hand; the more optimistic and cheerful you choose to be, the more alive you feel. Your energy and enthusiasm, in turn, influence others to feel positive, active and excited.
8. Inspire, teach others
An excellent way to continue learning and deepening your knowledge is by choosing to teach others what works and what you know.
As you go on the journey to enhance your attitude, make others aware of its importance, and show them how they can improve theirs and also how they will eventually benefit.
A better world
Imagine a society where people are more aware, conscious, responsible and supportive. You can play an essential role by leading this conversation, making an effort to help others improve, and believing you can change the world for the better, one person at a time.
In closing
You are the architect of your attitude, and it impacts your reputation
So, choose wisely and mindfully. Build it one day at a time
Make a difference interaction by interaction; let your attitude inspire greatness in yourself and those around you.
Points to ponder
- What does my current attitude reflect about me?
- Who do I admire? What makes them stand out?
- What changes in my perspective could make me more successful?
- Who or what can help improve my attitude?
- What one small action can I take daily to enhance how I show up?
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