As we dive into this topic of attitude, it would serve us well to become conscious of the following definitions:

  • Attitude: A settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something, typically reflected in a person’s behavior.
  • Law of Rhythm:  This law embodies the truth that everything is moving to and fro, flowing in and out, swinging backward and forward. It shows us that there is always a reaction to every action.

Physically, you can think about the seasons on Earth; the rising and setting of the sun and the moon; the ebb and flow of tides.

You are not going to feel good all the time; no one does. If you did, you wouldn’t even know it because the low feelings are what permit you to recognize and enjoy the high feelings. 

From time to time, it may seem like everything is going wrong. When you are on a low swing, things will appear that way. Realize you are not always on a high, and you are not always on a low. 

My father taught me that to be successful, I needed to understand the role that attitude played in my life.

Keeping your attitude on the right track is more than just one-and-done. Considering and adjusting your attitude all day, every day must become a part of how you live in order to build your success story.

When Dad found his mentor Earl Nightingale’s Lead The Field program, the first lesson on ATTITUDE got his attention. He was just coming to understand that he had a conscious choice over his thoughts – and as he was learning… his attitude, too.

Earl considered attitude “the magic word” because of the pivotal role attitude plays in shaping one’s life. 

I watched Dad teach and record lessons on attitude through the years, constantly adjusting his language to make the lesson clear so anyone could apply it. I believe that is why my father had such a large following. He looked for and found ways to explain complex concepts so anyone could understand them.

So, I will explain this lesson in the way it was taught to me by my father. He began teaching me this lesson when I was in primary school.

Dad learned from Earl that our attitude is an equation: 

Let’s break that down in further detail:

1. Thoughts — Your thoughts and beliefs originate in your conscious mind. You are always building positive or negative ideas from the energy flowing into your mind, and you can make a conscious decision to look for the good and maintain a positive attitude, which helps you see opportunities in difficulties and keeps you on a positive attitude track.

2. Feelings – The language of your subconscious mind. Your attitude is affected by how your thoughts make you feel. When you attach emotions to your thoughts and create an image, you feed that image to your subconscious mind, which will not reject it. To maintain a higher, more positive vibration, avoid getting emotionally involved with negative ideas. An excellent way to do this is to come back to your gratitude. Expressing gratitude for the positive aspects of life will shift focus away from negativity and help you maintain a positive attitude.

3. Actions – Your actions dictate your results. When choosing to respond positively and always looking for the good instead of reacting and focusing on the negative, you maintain an optimistic attitude that puts you in a higher vibration, ready to receive the healthy and productive life you seek.

Now, keep in mind this rather interesting fact: you could be thinking a negative thought but sending out positive feelings; this would cause the body to act in a positive way, because the feeling is more powerful than the thought. When you are are NOT emotionally involved with a negative thought, it has very little power.

When you accept a negative idea, you engage in negative actions and live in a negative vibration. Negative behaviors occur when a person lacks the skill to manage feelings. When you choose the actions you will take, you are building confidence, which comes from self-trust.  

I want this to be clear because we all have negative thoughts occasionally, and it is a dumb game to beat yourself up for having those thoughts. 

Instead, focus on not internalizing those negative thoughts. Set them aside and lessen the focus you give them. Imagine your thoughts as clouds that come and go and change form. If you don’t, you will be headed down a path of lower consciousness.

As I say this, I think of angry mobs. We have all seen too many of those. What has happened there? What has happened is people are not acting truly consciously. They had a negative thought, perhaps fed to them through social media or television; they got emotionally involved with that idea and put themselves in a lower vibration. They then took action on that negative idea and attracted others who were in alignment with those negative and angry thoughts – and the social collective was formed.

Let’s use another example of self-talk. You have a negative thought: “Oh, I really don’t want to attend this networking event – I’m not good at meeting people.” 

Now, immediately, you can choose not to get emotionally involved with that thought. Instead, you go to the image you have created in your mind of yourself as confident, friendly, and approachable – you get emotionally involved with that positive idea instead of the negative one, and walk through those doors into that networking event. You intentionally expand your positive energy and begin shaking hands, smiling, and showing genuine interest in others. You are acting on a higher vibration.

It is about how I tend to view life and the world through rose-colored glasses. Because I view life this way, I am often accused of not being a realist. To my detractors, I say I live a much happier, healthier, and more productive life because of this conscious choice. 

There are always at least two ways to look at something. If you try to see the value in everything and lean toward the good, my experience has been that you will attract good into your life because of that choice. 

On the other hand, I have been with people who only see the negative in every situation or constantly look for what’s wrong and are always ready to tell you about it. Those folks are never pleased and seem to attract more of precisely what they are focused on – the negative. But, of course, when you are in that vibration, negative is all you will see.

Dad often taught an exercise about the power of writing something out 100 times a day. It could be a gratitude statement or a desired outcome that you wish to manifest; it was whatever the mind needed to be trained to see. 

He would explain that the repetition of the writing is like the repetition needed to train and build your muscles. You don’t go to the gym once and expect a well-toned body; it takes discipline and repetition. And, like your body, you can train your mind. And when you train your mind to look for and find the good and use your willpower to live this way, you will feel lightness in your life, and you will find that you are better able to handle the things that previously may have gotten under your skin. 

When you look for the good in every situation, you can better regulate your emotions and choose a different response. It is not about repressing; it is about transforming yourself with a new approach and attitude. 

I know I attract more good into my life because I choose to live this way, and you can too. People are attracted to positive energy and want to deal with and be around someone with positive energy because of how they feel when they are with you. It makes you physically and mentally more attractive; opportunities will flow your way because of your attitude and outlook. 

Since I was young, I have watched my father respond to situations and rarely react. No matter what it is, good or bad, he would lean into the good. That is where he chose to live, and because of his example, I do too. 

Keep in mind that attitude is not fixed. By consciously choosing the ideas you want to act on, looking for the good even in adverse situations, and studying, you are actively improving your attitude and life. 

Your attitude is something to keep tuning every moment of every day.

Affirmation: I wake each day with a positive attitude – always looking for and leaning into the good.