Having a positive attitude –
A positive attitude is the absolute most valuable asset a person can cultivate; and sometimes the hardest. Especially now when the economy is tight, jobs are scarce and stress seems to be at an all-time high. Makes you think about the sarcastic comment that goes something like "I’m positive I’ll have a bad day." Sometimes it seems like that's about the closest you can come to having a positive attitude.
Having a positive attitude isn’t just about feeling good either. Positive people attract— money, jobs, opportunity; a positive attitude will do more for your career than the best education! Whether you're working on a website, creating a logo, or designing a business card, having a positive attitude will result in a much better design; guaranteed! Better designs will result in happier customers, more repeat business and lots more referrals! A positive attitude is a requirement when you’re in the creative arts industry. It's almost impossible to create anything when you're in the doldrums. Been there, done that. I have some seriously ugly ads to prove it too.
So when the days seem their darkest and you feel as though the only thing in your life is despair, what can you do to help nullify the negative and polish the positive?
- Smile. Funny thing about smiles, they have the ability to grow from the outside in. So plaster a big one on your mug and smile even when you don’t feel like it. You’ll soon feel the positive rising to the top.
- Get Busy. Boredom is depressing! No doubt about it. So rather than sitting around focusing on how bored you are, get up and get busy. The more active you become, the better you’ll feel.
- Listen to up-beat music. Surround yourself with energetic music. Find those songs that make you feel good and sing along with them. Music is a fantastic tool to control one's mood.
- Read motivational, positive thinking self-help books. Listen to motivational tapes as you drive to work or to the store. Keep the positive energy flowing inward and don't allow the negative to take up residency in your mind. Seek out things that make you feel good about yourself, your world and your life.
- And my favorite…. Choose to be positive. Attitude is a choice. When I'm faced with a "bad day", I often times think of the story of the man who chose to be happy every day. The story went something like this:
“A 92 year old man who is dressed and shaved every morning by 8 A.M. even though he's legally blind, moved into a nursing home. As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, an aide described his tiny room.
"I love it!" he said.
"Mr. Jones, you haven’t seen your room," the aide said.
"That doesn’t have anything to do with it," he replied. "Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged. It’s how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it."
"It’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do."
"Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away."
And that, to me, is the definition of a positive attitude. And I chose today, that I will wake up with a smile on my face and a song in my heart knowing that today will be a great day… and of that, I’m positive!
