21 Days to a Positive-Attitude Habit
By Patricia Wagner, Author
©Copyright 2004 by Patricia Wagner
This may come as a surprise … but your attitude is more important
than your aptitude in determining your success in life!
Just how critical is attitude to achievement?
Well, take a look at one of the greatest inventors of the last two
hundred years - Thomas Edison. Every time you turn on a light
switch, you experience the result of his persistence in the face
of continuous failure.
Edison tried 10,000 times to get his light bulb
invention to work, but failed each time. However, he had this to
say about his lack of success. “I have not failed. I’ve just
found 10,000 ways that won’t work.
You can learn to have this kind of outlook on
life, but it needs to be purposefully installed into your daily
living.
You probably know it takes about 21 days to
break a habit by replacing it with a new one. If you are plagued
with persistent negative thoughts towards life, you can replace
this mindset with a new positive-attitude habit!
Here is a 21-day five-step program to change a
negative attitude to a positive one.
Take charge of what
you’re thinking.
This is a moment-by-moment decision that doesn’t happen
overnight. It’s a habit that will take some time to build. How
can you do this? Choose to think uplifting thoughts instead of
discouraging ones.
You get to decide what you think, which in turn determines how you
feel. Become aware of this and dwell on positive ideas throughout
the day.
At first you may have to force yourself to find something
positive. Consider keeping a journal and write down at least one
good thing in life each day for three weeks. Then think about
these blessings instead of discouraging thoughts.
Read inspirational
material.
During this 21-day training period, fill your mind with good
thoughts. The best book of all to read is that priceless diamond
of world literature - the Bible. You’ll never know what wonderful
results from reading it are around the corner until you open its
covers!
Focus on others.
For the next 21 days make an extra effort to help other people.
Concentrating on assisting others will help you more than you
realize. If you succeed in becoming wealthy but are poor in
respect to your relationships, you will not be truly prosperous at
all!
So make a special effort of focusing on others during your 21 days
of building your new positive-attitude habit. This will free you
up to allow the butterfly of happiness to land on your shoulder
when you least expect it.
Take care of your
health needs.
It’s hard to maintain a positive mindset if you’ve neglected your
physical needs. So during the 21 days of your attitude retraining
make an extra effort to eat nutritious balanced meals.
Not getting enough sleep will also be a tremendous hindrance, so
make sure you’re getting adequate rest. And don’t forget to get
enough exercise. When you feel down, try to take a brisk
30-minute walk. You’ll feel revived!
Learn contentment.
For the next 21 days focus on what you have and not on what you
don’t have. Live in the present and enjoy your blessings.
Try to forget acquiring stuff for the purpose of keeping up with
others. That only leads to more anxiety. Be thankful for what
you do have instead.
When going through difficult experiences - remember that adversity
can be a blessing in disguise. You might learn some important
lessons during those tough times - like Thomas Edison did. (I know
I have.)
These lessons can turn
into credentials that will enable you to help others when they’re
going through tough times.
So don’t let negativity
ruin your present and future. Instead, build a new habit of
having a positive attitude. It will take about 21 days to start
seeing consistent changes in the way you think, but it will be
worth it!
Now choose the starting
date for your attitude-renewal adventure and go for it!
How about today?
Patricia Wagner offers informative tips on living a more energetic
lifestyle at
http://www.a-to-z-wellness.com and through her free “A to Z
Health Tips” newsletter. Contact Patricia at
wagner.art@verizon.net
.
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