Attitudes is everything

Attitude can be defined as the way an individual looks at life. It is the outward reflection of what is taking place on the inside. It becomes his/her personality…it pervades their feelings and becomes their actions. Attitude is one of the most important aspects of life and a key to interpersonal relationships.rnThere are two types of relationships in animal (or human) life, symbiotic and parasitic. Symbiotic relationships are mutually beneficial. Both of the animals (or organisms) involved receive a benefit from the other living with them. Parasitic, on the other hand, is a destructive relationship where one benefits to the detriment of the other.rnWhen trying to accomplish something new, or break old habits in life, we need to associate ourselves with others who bring us up, those that help us become more than we were without them. Creating symbiotic relationships will only accelerate our progress.rnAttitude is key in tough situations; the better your attitude is in tough times, the better those opportunities become. An oft-quoted cliché illustrates this point: “Most people are as happy as they want to be”. There are very few, if any, easy roads to take on the road to success. Bumps and potholes, construction and traffic jams will constantly confront the typical person. The difference comes in how well the person can handle these difficulties. Shakespeare wrote: “There is nothing good or bad, but thinking makes it so”.rnAttitude leans heavily on thoughts, and the harder things seem in the mind, the more difficult they will be in reality. It is imperative that everyone makes themselves as happy as they can be, and forsake the negative thinking disposition, and become forward thinking individuals.rnAttitude, like the common cold, is contagious. The more negative people that there are in a room, the more negative the conversation will become. The inverse is also true. Think about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the face of hatred, death threats, trials, and persecution he pronounced, “I have a dream”. His dream was for the future. It was positive. Many people looked at his attitude and proclaimed that he was a dreamer, and that he was crazy. However, to the masses who followed him, his dream became one that penetrated skin color and pierced the hearts of thousands. About half a century later, no one can look back and say that he was not effective. He sold millions in the future generations on his “dream”…what he really sold was a contagious positive attitude.rnIt has been said by a well-known motivator, “It’s your Attitude rather than you’re your Aptitude that ultimately determines your Altitude”. Very simple, you can become what you put your mind to. In all the studies done there is no evidence to say your knowledge or ability will give you the upper hand. The key to success is positive attitudes. There are many people with minimal abilities achieving greater heights than people with far greater knowledge or learning.rnAttitude has been called the spiraling effect. This is the effect “like minded” people have on each other. It’s been said; “Birds of a feather flock together”. It can work both in the positive and the negative directions. If you have ever been in an environment where people hated their jobs and talked bad about their employer then you know how that can affect attitude. It can feel like a thousand pound weight weighing you down. On the flip side, groups of very successful people create more wealth for each other, as their positive attitudes create a form of synergy. In contrast the other group creates a negative synergy and the group becomes much less effective. It’s the old saying the poor get poorer and the rich get richer. I believe they do it because of their own attitudes.