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When you see the world through a negative attitude:

You tend to be problem-oriented. This means that when presented with a challenge, a difficulty, a problem, or even a tragedy, you’ll ask “why is this happening to me?” You will more likely to say No, I Can’t. And, you will have a negative influence on those around you as they see you as an anchor that stops them from finding a solution and as someone who doesn’t handle adversity well at all. 

Successful people understand that a positive attitude is what makes things happen in their world.

You say you want to be a more positive person. You want to see problems as challenges. You want to stop blaming others for your problems. You just don’t know how to change your thinking.

The change begins when you’re willing to see yourself, in action, as a negative person. Make a conscious effort to become aware of when you are negative. Here are some examples that may help you recognize when you have a negative attitude:

When you dwell on problems, you say things like:

“I’m sooooo sick!”

“I know I’m going to get sick (fall, not wake up on time, etc.).”

“Why does everyone have to drive like that!?”

“What an idiot!”

“You wouldn’t catch me doing that.”

“They’re ALL like that”

“I never get a break!”

“When is it MY turn?”

“No way I can do that”

“How’d they get so lucky?”

“It won’t work for me”

“See, I screwed up … again”

Any of these sound familiar? 

When someone says that TikTok is what is working you’ll review your current customer base, see if they’re active on TikTok, and note it on your idea pad. When the Facebook ads campaign runs its course and you’ve made the sales you forecasted you’ll review to determine if you should continue with them, add another campaign on a different platform, or move to a different platform.

With outsourcing, you will know what needs to be done, how often, and your budget to get it done. Based on profitability, not on time or dislike for doing the work, you’ll decide whether or not moving to different outsourcing partners or platforms is warranted. 

A successful person is a responsive person. They understand that they are in control of their emotions, their thinking, their actions. And, when they are presented with a problem, a challenge, or an opportunity they take the time to think through the situation so they can act in a way that results in a positive outcome – for themselves and the people around them. 

You can become a Responsive Person by deciding what your attitude will be from this point forward. Just as you did when you decided you would become a person with a positive mental attitude. Commit to thinking before acting. 

Become aware of how you react when presented with new situations and stop yourself from saying or doing anything. Take that moment to breathe deeply and think through what is happening. Think through your decision – what will happen if you say no? What will happen if you say yes? Is it possible to wait 24 hours before making the decision? If not, then is it possible to wait an hour? Give yourself time to think through the actions and options and then make your decision based on what you know. 

It’s right about now when many people will say “But, I’m a Do Whatever It Takes Kind of Person!”

Being resilient and willing to do whatever is necessary to keep your word, finish a project, honor a contract, and stick to your plan is what a successful person does. Anyone who thinks that “do whatever it takes” means to jump in without forethought or planning is setting themselves up to fail. 

Action Steps

1. Commit to becoming a person with a positive mental attitude. Say it out loud. 
2. Starting now, when you hear yourself saying something negative stop, breathe, turn it into a solution-oriented statement.
3. Commit to responding and not reacting using the same technique of stop, breathe, think through what is happening.