Building a Positive Attitude

Meta Description: A positive attitude is important for ensuring that you have a fulfilling and
enjoyable life. Here's how to become a master of the mind.
“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.”- Frances Hodgson
Burnet
Attitude is one of the most important words in the English language. It applies to every sphere
of our lives, including one's personal as well as professional life. Can a manager be a good
manager without a good attitude? Can a student be a good student without good attitude? Can
a parent, teacher, employee be good in their own roles without a good attitude? The
foundation of success regardless of your field is your attitude. If attitude is such a critical factor
in your success and in shaping life, shouldn't you examine your attitude towards life and ask
how your attitude will impact your goals?
A study found that when a person gets a new job, 85% of the time it is because of his/her
attitude, and only 15% is because of how smart they are and how many facts and figures they
actually know. Surprisingly, almost 100% of our education costs go into teaching facts and
figures which account for only 15% of success in life! Just like a great building stands on a very
strong foundation, so does success. And the foundation of success is the attitude.
Importance of Positive Attitude
Attitude does not emerge from what happens to you, but instead, it emerges from how you
decide to interpret what happens to you. Take for example you receive an unexpected gift from
someone which is an old automobile. Now one of you might think: "It's a piece of junk!" a few
may think: "It's cheap transportation," and the others may think: "It's a real classic!" In each of
the above case, the person is deciding how to interpret the event and controls how he or she
feels about it. This is where attitude emerges from.
Once there was a man who made a living selling balloon. He had all the colors of balloons.
Whenever the business was slow, he would release a helium-filled balloon into the air and
when the children saw it go up in the air, they all wanted to buy one. They would come up to
him, buy a balloon, and his sales would again go up. He continued this process every day. One
day, he felt someone pulling his jacket. He turned and saw a little girl who asked, "If you release
a black balloon, would that also fly the same way?" Moved by the girl's concern, the man
replied with empathy, "My Dear, it is not the color of the balloon, it is what is inside that makes
it go up in the air."
The same thing applies to all our lives. It is all about what is inside that counts. The thing inside
of us that makes us go up in our life is our attitude. Your beliefs and rules about life determine
how you interpret events and therefore your attitude. Adopt beliefs that creates a positive
attitude rather than beliefs that create a negative attitude.
Understanding the concept of Total Quality People in Total Quality Management
Have you ever wondered why some individuals, organizations, or countries are more successful
than the others? It is not a secret. These people think and act more effectively. I believe that
the success of an individual, organization or country, depends entirely upon the quality of their
people and their attitudes.
"The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering
their attitudes of mind." – William James
Human resource is the most highly valued asset in any business. It is, in fact, more valuable
than the capital or equipment. Unfortunately, it is also the most wasted. People can be a the
biggest asset or your biggest liability.
Total Quality Person means a person with Character, Integrity, Good Values and Positive
Attitudes, with a desire to serve. Only Total Quality People can create, build and sustain a Total
Quality Management environment, both at work and at home. Take for example, some
customer service programs teach the participants to say "please," "thank-you," give smiles and
handshakes. But how long can a person keep on his/her fake smile if they do not have the
desire to serve? And if the smile is not sincere, it is very irritating. My point here is, there has to
be substance over form, not form over substance. Without a doubt, one needs to remember
"please" and "thank-you," the smiles, etc. they are very important. But keep in mind that they
come a lot easier when accompanied by the desire to serve. Blaise Pascal, the famous French
philosopher said, "If I had your brains, I would be a better person." Pascal replied, "Be a better
person and you will have my brains."
Factors that Determine Our Attitude
Humans are born with certain tendencies but much of their personalities and attitudes are
developed through relations and experiences. What are the major factors that form the base of
our attitudes? If you have a negative outlook on life because of your environment, can you still
change your attitude towards it? Most of our attitude is shaped during our initial years and
always remember that you control your Attitude. There are three factors that determine our
attitude and those are called the triple Es of attitude. They are:
1. Environment
2. Experience
3. Education
Environment
Our environment creates a culture. Every place be it a home, or organization has a culture. We
might come across this in our daily lives. Have you noticed that sometimes when we go to a
store and we find the salesperson there polite, the supervisor, manager and the owner polite as
well? Yet we go to another shop and find everyone there rude and discourteous. We go to a
home and find our kids and parents well-behaved, and considerate. We go to another home
where everyone there is fighting like cats and dogs. In a corrupt environment, an honest person
has a very tough time. Whereas in an honest environment, the corrupt person has a tough
time. In a positive environment, the performer's output goes up and in a negative environment,
a good performer's output goes down gradually. We need to step back and look at what kind of
environment we have created for ourselves and for those around us.
Experiences
Our behavior changes according to our experiences with people and day to day events in our
life. If we have a positive experience with a particular person, our attitude towards him/her
becomes positive and vice versa. Envision the exciting life that you want to live. The clearer the
picture of where you are heading in your life, the more purposeful your life can become!
Education
Attitude can alter every aspect of a person's life and knowledge strategically applied translates
into wisdom, ensuring success in our life. Education here is considered in the broader sense. It
makes the role of the educator vital. A teacher affects eternity and the ripple effect of it is
immeasurable. Qualities such as honesty and determination needs to be nurtured as an integral
part of the education system.
Closing Thoughts
“Our attitude toward life determines life’s attitude toward us.”- John Mitchell
Now is the time to change the way you think. Now is the time to get rid of  negative
thoughts and behavior, and start a happy life with optimism, energy, and zest. A positive
attitude, optimism, expectancy, and enthusiasm makes everything in business much easier.
With a positive attitude, you always see the bright side of your life and expect the best to
happen. It is a state of mind that is worth developing for one’s own good. Remember that YOU
can always control your attitude.