What's in an Attitude?

Why is it some days we feel happy and others well, not necessarily 'down', but in neutral, more likely to react to the day's events positively or negatively instead of being in control and determining how we go through each day?

Have there been or are there external forces at play which strip us of our inner peace and happiness one minute, and restore it the next? Maybe. But I think it has more to do with our overall outlook on life (our own personal 'big picture'), that sets up our attitudes and corresponding feelings one moment to the next.

I mean, if you're thinking about something positive and worthwhile most of the time, you're more likely to have the corresponding feelings of joy and happiness that go hand in hand with your thoughts and objectives/big picture/goals. And whenever you get those moments of distraction which make you feel 'less than', you're better equipped to make them more fleeting. Furthermore, if you monitor your feelings on a daily basis, you're more likely to spot the peeks and troughs and be more prepared to tackle them.

I once made up a chart which lasted a month, and at the top I wrote the days of the month, and running down the left side I wrote descriptions of feelings ie. feeling great, feeling average, feeling bad (you get the picture), and each day I put a cross against the corresponding feeling. At the end of the month I drew a line connecting all the crosses to determine my average feelings on a daily basis. It made for interesting reading! And simply because I was paying attention to my feelings, over the course of a few months my overall 'good' feelings improved.

It's a useful test. You should try it. It works! And of course you can apply this method to any area you want to monitor and improve.

So, what does all this have to do with attitude? EVERYTHING!

Your attitudes create your feelings, your feelings determine your actions, and your actions, well, they speak for themselves! Ultimately, what we believe determines our attitudes and if we have a worthwhile, achievable goal, we're more likely to believe we can achieve it. And of course we choose what we want to believe, and there you have it.

Anytime you want to improve yourself in any way, to improve your results, you can do so at any time you choose. YOU choose your...

... attitudes
... feelings
... actions
... and therefore your results.