Adjusting Your Attitude

It's all about attitude, isn't it? Change your attitude and you can change your life. Change your attitude and you can change the world. Change your attitude and you can be successful and happy....

Well.... yes! But attitude can be everything and nothing. Some people think that having a positive attitude means the inability to accept just how miserable this world is. Some people think it's all about laughing everything off. Some even think it's juvenile.

Well, attitude is much more than simply seeing things in a positive light. That's how people typically begin to migrate from pessimism to optimism, but that's just the start. A positive attitude is not something you get from simply putting on a new pair of glasses. It requires constant attention, diligence and discipline.

Do you think that the motivational gurus and venerated religious leaders of this world never falter? Like us, they are human after all, and like us, they are touched by moments of doubt, sadness and envy. Considerably less, of course, but that's because they've learnt how to consistently adjust their attitude towards their faith. And they can often do it so quickly, that to us, they appear positive and motivated all the time.

Here are some ways you can learn to hone the speed at which you adjust your attitude towards the positive.

Firstly, learn to let go of negative thoughts and emotions as quickly as you can. Remember that emotions like anger and envy destroy only yourself and the people you care about. They only need to get a hold of you for a short while for you to wreck an entire life. So learn to catch these emotions and release them.

Maintain relationships with people who share a similar attitude towards positivity. This sounds easier in theory actually. Some negative people can be really enjoyable to be around. Pessimistic people are not necessarily pallid hypochondriacs who keep to themselves. They can be disarmingly friendly and sociable. But take a deeper look at the themes they usually like to bring up during conversations and you'll realise that they are usually idle gossip, griping sessions coloured with plenty of humour, or irresponsible desires that lead to pointless ventures.

And input positive material. Certainly the occasional Korean romantic tragedy or slasher flick is harmless, but the balance should be tilted towards information that broadens your mind, enhances your knowledge, and lifts your spirits. You can get this from an endless array of books, movies, music, magazines, newspaper, and so on. This type of data increases your feeling of self-worth and has many more practical and beneficial applications.

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Eugine Loh, 938Live, MediaCorp Pte Ltd