Much has been written and spoken about attitude. In fact, you can find literally “tons” of information on the right mental attitude, the positive attitude, the winning attitude, etc. So what makes this article different?

Like everything in life, having the right attitude takes practice. Your attitude is the key to success in all aspects of your life, such as your health, wealth creation, relationships, success at work, and enjoyment of everyday life. Your attitude is more than just a decision to “think happy thoughts,” though thinking happy thoughts is certainly the key to developing a positive mental attitude.

My assumption here is that you are reading this because you already understand the importance of your attitude. You also understand that there is a difference between choosing to have a positive attitude and the difficulty of maintaining a positive attitude.

Your body requires proper care and nutrition to achieve and maintain good health. You just can’t eat a nutritious meal, take a vitamin, and have a big day of exercise to be healthy. This applies to your attitude as well.

Developing and maintaining a positive, healthy, and productive attitude begins with the choice to change your attitude. The decision to have a great attitude is the starting point, and that decision is a daily decision, even a moment-to-moment decision. With all that life throws at us each day, the single decision can be difficult. Here are some tips on how to properly care for and nurture your attitude.

1. Be grateful. You and I have circumstances in life that affect us every day. Most of the time we let negative circumstances get the better of us and our positive mental attitude takes a beating. Take a moment, several if necessary, and reflect on what you have to be grateful for. If you are having trouble getting started, let me suggest that you go to a mirror, get very close to it, and breathe on it. If a fog appears in the mirror, you’re in good shape… you’re alive. Next, think of other things you are grateful for, even the simplest things, like your family, your job, the fact that you get to read this. Each of these are true blessings and for every blessing you can think of, there is someone who does not have such a blessing. There have been countless studies investigating the link between good health and a grateful attitude. In a story that aired on CBS Radio Network’s The Osgood File, Dr. Michael McCullough, of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and Dr. Robert Emmons, of the University of California, Davis, said their initial scientific study indicates that gratitude plays an important role in feeling well-being of a person. Develop an attitude of gratitude.

2. Have faith. Research has shown that 97% of the things people worry about never happen. The remaining 3% are things that are mostly out of our control, so there’s nothing we can do about it anyway. A small portion of that 3% are the direct or indirect results of the decisions we make, so learning to make better decisions is the key to avoiding worries that we can control. Have faith in yourself and the decisions you make regarding the things you can control. Have faith in the One who created you and know that He is taking care of you. Have faith that good things await you and focus your attention on the good and not the bad. Life is made of opposites. Sir Isaac Newton’s Third Law of Motion states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Faith has an opposite called fear. Both work equally well. When you allow fear to dominate your thinking, you literally bring negativity into your life. Bad things happen, even if you don’t want them, because you are operating from fearful expectation. Faith, on the other hand, brings positive things into your life. There isn’t enough room to listen to fully explore the deeper meaning of the effects of faith and fear. Let me sum up the concept of faith this way, expect good things and good things will happen. Develop an attitude of faith.

3. Protect your mind. Look at the influences in your life. Decide which of these should be removed or at least minimized. According to AC Nielsen Company, the average American watches more than 4 hours of television per day. That comes out to over 9 years by the time I’m 65! Most of what is available to watch on television has very little positive value. Do the TV shows you watch leave you feeling energized or deflated? If what you see, hear, and read brings you down instead of up, you need to stop letting those things enter your mind. Like it or not, they have a profound negative influence on your attitude. The same is true with the people in your life. Do you know someone who lights up the room when you leave it? Do you associate with someone who constantly has bad news to share or some negative information about another person to expose? Avoid them like the plague! These people will only cause a negative effect on your attitude. Eliminate everything possible that affects you negatively. This can be difficult at first because negativity is very addictive. In the end it’s like taking poison little by little, so get rid of it! Develop an attitude of discernment.

4. Feed your mind. You don’t have to look far to find uplifting, inspiring and motivational literature to read. If you don’t have time for much reading, find audio versions to listen to in your car while traveling from place to place. Music has the power to go beyond your conscious mind to the depths of your subconscious mind. A good rule of thumb for selecting the music you listen to is to ask yourself, “Do I feel better or worse after listening to this?” Consider whether the television shows you are watching are feeding your mind with positive information. Find and engage in conversations with positive-minded people. If you notice a conversation taking a negative turn, throw in a positive comment or thought to get it back on track. Develop an attitude of mental nutrition. This leads to the following process The proper care and feeding of your attitude.

5. Change your speech. Do a Google search on the phrase “power of words” and you’ll find 116 million results. The same search on Yahoo returns 122 million results. Words have power. Choose your words carefully. They can be used to build or tear down, and as you already know, the words you say influence everyone who hears them. Your words originate in your mind so it is necessary to mentally speak to yourself with positive words. Keep them positive. By consciously changing your speech, you subconsciously change your attitude. You will be surprised how this little piece of advice will bring about positive changes in your relationships with others, but more importantly, the changes that will occur within you and in your own thoughts. Develop a positive speaking attitude.

6. Give to others. Whenever possible, give someone else something that they may not have. A simple gift that you can give to anyone, at any time, at no cost or loss to yourself, is a smile. Years ago, I adopted the motto of “Leave Them Better Than You Found Them,” which can be as simple as opening the door for someone, smiling, offering a nice comment, and many other simple things. Of course, I recommend donating to charity, but what I’m talking about here is giving of yourself in some small way that makes someone else’s day brighter. In turn, you feel better doing it. Develop an attitude of giving.

7. Illuminate. Start by being friendly to everyone. Nobody likes a bitter person, so relax and become someone who is easy to be with. People tend to like people they like. Learning to love others will relieve a great deal of tension and stress in everyday life. Interestingly, if you follow the tips above you will be surprised at how this develops naturally. By becoming someone others want to be close to, you bring benefits to both them and yourself. You will soon find that those around you will begin to animate and model after you, even though they may not realize what is happening. Develop an attitude of kindness.

These tips on Proper Care and Feeding of your Pout will get you on the path to keeping your Pout running smoothly. Just like taking care of yourself physically, you must take care of yourself mentally. It’s easier than you initially think, but it requires effort on your part. If attitude is everything, then without a doubt we have to learn to take care of our own. You will be healthier for it.

Copyright 2005 Rory Elmore