Attitude Is Everything — 7 ways worth exploring to create a shift in your attitude

Attitude governs everything. It governs the way we perceive life and the way the world views us. Our attitude in how we perceive our life is everything.

We must ask ourselves daily:

-What attitude am I approaching life with?

-What attitude am I approaching the day with?

-What attitude and energy am I bringing with me to any situation?

We all have choices each and every day about how we show up. We have choices about what really goes on in our minds. We have choices about whether to act upon the empowering, nurturing and sustaining voices in our heads or to give our attention to the protective voices; but we often invest in the disempowering, fearful and negative voices in our heads instead. We can choose to build up the one and starve the other. It is all a choice.

Every human has a life with ups and downs; it’s normal to go through hard times, difficulties betrayals and hardships. It is normal to lose relationships, things and people; death is a part of life, heartbreak is a part of life, loss, doubt, fear, breaking of trust, relationships gone sour are all a part of life. How we deal with all this separates the mature people who always come up shining from the ones who sink down into the depths of despair.

We are conditioned from birth to look for sustenance and nourishment and absorb information which helps us create meanings, and then we structure this information into the rules and beliefs we will live our lives by. Often this conditioning takes place in the first few years our life and we willy-nilly-ing absorb whatever experiences we have and learn from them. Our brain forms patterns of thought by analysing these experiences and making sense of what takes place around us.

Some of these experiences can be amazing and can help us progress by empowering us. However, our rules and structured patterns of thinking can often be detrimental to our success. The good news is that we can learn anytime. We can learn new things at any age should we decide to do so. We can learn to shift our attitudes and expand our minds beyond the limits of our conditioning.

Here are a few tools that can help us do just that:

1. Affirmations

These can be very powerful if done correctly with feeling. If you’re able to condition your mind to believe the affirmations you repeat to yourself, these can become driving factors in creating internal and eventually external shifts. The secret lies in believing and feeling your affirmations. Here, you can utilise the power of your imagination: move out of your limits into the realms of dreams where everything and anything is possible. Try utilising your affirmations from that unlimited space and see how things change inside your mind and take root in your external circumstances.

2. I AM

I am are two of the most powerful words you can ever use. Anything that follows these two words word contributes to creating your reality. Here’s an interesting exercise to see this right now: try speaking out loud the following sentences and infuse them with as much feeling as possible:

- I am happy. I am excited. I am wonderfully well. I am radiantly healthy. I’m feeling great!

- I am blessed. I am grateful. I’m really good today.

Now do the same for the following:

-I am tired. I’m not in a good place. I’m angry, I am sad and depressed, I’m ok. I’m fine. I’m ill. I’m fat

Do you feel the difference? It has become customary to reply, “I’m fine thank you”, when people ask, “How are you?” It is also customary to list out all our aches and pains to others to compare whose illness and pains are worse!

The exercise above will have shown the difference it makes to state things in the positive as compared to things in the negative. Make a shift today; whenever you’re asked about how you are, make it a point to answer with intentionally and feeling, infusing your words with joy, enthusiasm and energy: “I’m doing just great and feeling wonderful!” This will contribute towards making it true not only for you but also those you come in contact with.

3. Self-talk

Our words are powerful beyond measure. Words create, nurture, build-up, destroy, pull down. Words are like incantations and spells, mantras, powerful chants that vibrate through the universe. Even the unspoken words that spoken inside the inner recesses of our mind are constantly creating the states we find ourselves in. The soft whispers of the mind are louder than the shout without. Become aware of that inner dialogue and be intentional in the choosing of what goes on inside your mind. That inner conversation controls more of your life than you would give it credit for.

4. Enthusiasm

The origin of this word literally means inspired by God. How do you feel when you receive a fabulous gift or a beautiful surprise that makes you sing and dance with joy? Life is a precious gift — try approaching life with gratitude, appreciation, a sense of wonder and marvel, enthusiasm and excitement, openness and curiosity, and exploration with a desire to learn. Shift your attitude towards life and observed with an interest in what happens. When we are possessed of the essence of God or the vital living force connected to our source or energy to the universe (whatever it means to you personally), we become charged like magnets. People are attracted to enthusiastic people; cultivate enthusiasm, seek that excitement that comes from being curious, from wishing to live life to the fullest. Seek and find joy in each moment.

5. Move

This magnificent body of ours was made for moving; it has an intelligence of its own and performs its functions quietly with efficiency for the main part of our lives. When you look after it, nurture it, hydrate it and move, all your cells do a happy dance. When you look after your body, hydrating and nourishing it and giving it ample exercise balanced with rest and relaxation, you are creating spaces for collecting and storing more and more energy which will help you live even more vibrantly. Create nurturing routines and ensure that you look after this habitat of yours.

6. Visualisation

The human imagination has no limits; it is often likened to the presence of God and the creative force inside us. The human mind thinks in terms of pictures for most of the population. If you can intentionally focus on creative, empowering imagery, harness that power to see and feel yourself doing and being your best to unleash the powerful forces within yourself. Our subconscious mind does not differentiate between a real or an imagined experience. Have you ever woken up from a dream getting a distinct sensation it was true; so much so that your body responds to the imagery that you experienced? Has this ever happened to you in anticipation of a joyful event or to the contrary something you fear and worry about? Tap into your imagination and guided towards providing you with what can be actually beneficial for your life.

7. Spirituality

All of life is a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience in this material world. This has often been called “Maya” or The world of Illusion in the ancient texts. Connecting with your inner self, your higher self, your source, your creator, whatever your beliefs may be, allows you to rise above the nitty-gritty, the daily humdrum of life. It allows you to stay centred, rooted and serene in the face of whatever challenges come your way. Take time out daily to practice your faith and tap into the power of Silence that allows you to connect with yourself.

Which of the above are you already utilising?
Which of the above can you start getting more intentional about today?

The Achologist is the official online publication for Achology, the Academy of Modern Applied Psychology for professional practitioners and life coaches.