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Creating Success One Thought at a Time

Just like anything else in life, there are two sides to your attitude too. You can have the wrong or the right mindset for success. You can quickly become aware which attitude is active in your life.

Who Should Read “Change Your Attitude”? And Why?

Change Your Attitude is an enjoyable and practical read full of exercises and proposed activities. The authors have successfully written and engaging book that stands out from the long line of motivational books.

Although few of the presented ideas and recommendations are new, it shows that is based on a vast amount of research. The authors reference various articles, books, magazines, which support their writing.

We recommend this book to anyone that enjoys the motivational genre, and to all those people who need a little push to change their lives finally.

About David Macpherson & Tom Bay

David Macpherson works at the Franklin Covey Co as a senior consultant. Tom Bay is a speaker focusing on the areas of motivation, team building, life management and responsibility.

“Change Your Attitude Summary”

Any thoughts that materialize in your world as harmful actions such as isolation, hurting people, emotional abuse, etc. are examples of the W.R.O.N.G attitude. Five characteristics consist destructive attitudes.

First is worrying about things that are beyond your control. You have to understand that the only thing you can control is yourself and your actions. Worrying about uncontrollable things will drain your energy, that you need for handling the things you do control.

Second is jumping to conclusions without hearing out all sides of the story. The third is overreacting. Stay away from drama and think twice if the problem at hand is that worrisome. Next is neglecting areas of control. As it was mentioned before, instead of focusing on uncontrollable events, focus on areas you can change.

Don’t fixate on one area, and don’t transfer your responsibilities to your friends, family or colleagues. Moreover, last is giving up too soon. When you give up, you do not even give yourself the chance to win.

Did you recognize some of these behaviors in yourself? Don’t worry. Changing your mindset is not that hard – activating the right behaviors requires the same amount of energy, as enabling the wrong ones does. So, what are the key characteristics of the R.I.G.H.T. Attitude?

First, get a grip on reality, and decide which things you can control and change, and which fall outside of your circle of influence. Take risks and realize that what happens to you does not determine your overall success in life – your response does.

Next, understand the power of imagination. Your nervous system cannot notice the difference between something real and something imagined. So, make visualization your daily practice. Furthermore, set goals. Choose what you want to accomplish, and act on it.

Don’t stop at just imagining – you need to take action to achieve your wanted result.

Another critical thing to note is that you should not only think about developing positive thinking habits. Instead, focus on your way of life. Your choices need to reflect your willingness to change. Make sure you surround yourself with humor and laugh a lot.

Also, start exercising and keep a healthy diet. Your body is the temple of your soul. Take care of it, as much as you take care of your mind. Moreover, lastly, value your time. Enjoy the present, since tomorrows are uncontrollable, and use each moment to expand your knowledge and experiences.

You only have one life and a limited amount of time, so start using it wisely, and begin genuinely living right now.

Key Lessons from “Change Your Attitude”

1.      Set your goals
2.      Keep a journal
3.      Make time for positive thinking

Set your goals

Choose what attitudes you want to practice and make a list of them. Decide which one you want to develop first and establish it as your destination. Think of it as a journey – you know the target, and now you have to move towards it.

No destination is reachable without action. So, first set the goal, and then immediately fuel it with action.

Keep a journal

Keeping a journal and writing down your thoughts and your experiences can help you reflect, and notice your weak spots. Then, you can start working on them, so the same “negative” experiences and thoughts do not show up again in the future.

How to structure the journal? Well, you can start with writing down your goal and the reason you have for wanting to change.

Then, it would be useful if you brainstormed the steps you could take to arrive at your “destination.” Be careful not to focus only on the issues with the present behavior. Positive thinking is vital, so be sure to include some real-life success stories you may have heard of witnessed.

Make time for positive thinking

Studies show that a particular attitude needs a minimum of 21 days of deliberate practice before it becomes a habit. So, make time to work on your positive change. Work on one goal at a time. Don’t try to become “the best person in the world” at once.

Also, do not expect to see changes straight away. You have practiced your negative attitudes your whole life probably, so you cannot expect them to disappear instantly.

During the process, when you notice yourself going back to your old ways, don’t beat yourself up. Instead learn to compliment yourself for your effort, for your will to change and for all the positive aspects you can find for yourself.

Stop accepting the negative self-talk as fact. It would be a good idea to post positive affirmations somewhere where you can see them, like your bathroom mirror or the refrigerator. Even if you do not believe your positive statements, your subconscious will pick them up.

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“Change Your Attitude” Quotes