Telephone Doctor: AttitudeNancy Friedmanseven keys to a great positive mental attitude
The seven keys to a positive one
Do you know the seven keys to a great positive mental attitude?
Give up? Here are the Telephone Doctor's keys. There are obviously
more, but we know that these seven are a great start to a positive
mental attitude. Try 'em; you'll like 'em.
1. Decide in advance what your attitude will
be
Oh yes you can! You, and only you, have the complete ability to
control your attitude - not your parents, co-workers, boss,
neighbors or anyone else. It is, as you might have always heard,
your choice. And listen up - there's a big difference between a bad
attitude and a bad mood. Moods are temporary. Attitudes are
permanent. Yes, you can have a great attitude with a temporary bad
mood. Whatever the situation, it's the attitude that makes it good
or bad. So the next time you think there's going to be bad traffic
or whatever the situation might be, plug in your advanced decision
button and decide to have a good attitude about it. You'll be
surprised at the outcome.
2. Visualize success
Keep in mind that what we visualize often becomes true. Why do you
think those diet companies suggest you put a thin picture of
yourself on the refrigerator? Right! They want you to visualize
success. Lance Armstrong, seven-time winner of the Tour de France,
always saw himself crossing the finish line. Those who make it to
the finals on "American Idol" will tell you that they saw
themselves on the show throughout the auditions. Visualize
success!
3. Be a "whatever it takes" person
Be a problem solver, not a problem giver. There's an old, old,
saying, "Whether you say you can or you can't, you're right." Think
of ways to get things done. Don't think of ways they can't be done.
Find one of my favorite poems by Edgar Guest called "It Couldn't Be
Done." This poem really takes on a life of its own. "He tackled the
thing that couldn't be done, and he did it." I've memorized it, and
it's helped me numerous times.
4. Resist negative tendencies
Oh, yeah. Ever have lunch or a meeting with Mr. or Mrs. Neggy?
Right. Nothing is ever good. They love to wallow in the negative -
what went wrong, who failed, why it didn't work and so on. Mr. and
Mrs. Neggy love to chew your ear off, hoping they can bring you
down. Don't let them. Keep away from those types of people - the
ones who complain all the time. It doesn't matter what it's about
(e.g., the weather, friends, their jobs, etc.). They're out to have
you play on their team. Avoid negative people and tendencies.
5. Embrace change
My dad had a lot of great sayings, and one of them involved change.
He used to tell me, "Nancy, the next time you change your mind, get
a good one." Change is the one thing we can count on. It's
consistent. And in most - not all, but most - cases, change is
better. The great thing about change is that if we don't like it,
we can change our minds and try something else. So change is a good
thing. It's fun. It's challenging. It's needed in so many
cases.
6. Humor, energy and enthusiasm
My favorites. Life without these three best friends would be
pointless, or at least much more difficult. Surround yourself with
those who have these three characteristics. Make sure you have the
ability to laugh at yourself, as well as others. There is normally
humor in everything. Granted, you may need to look harder in some
places, but I guarantee it's there. The energy you bring to your
job or life is critical to the success of everything you do. Energy
creates enthusiasm. So these three guys are critical to having a
great positive mental attitude.
7. Be grateful for what you have
A genuine positive mental attitude has no room for jealousy. Others
may have more possessions, but positive people are always grateful
for what they have right now. And in some cases, it may not seem as
though we have enough to be grateful for, but ask yourself what you
would be left with if what you had was gone. Right now, the one
thing I'm most grateful for would be my good health. What are you
most grateful for?
There they are! How many keys do you possess?
Nancy Friedman is president of Telephone Doctor Customer
Service Training in St. Louis. For more information, call (314)
291-1012.
