HAVE AN ATTITUDE-FOR THE RIGHT REASONS
Attitude. Used in the right places attitude is a good word. Strong. Upstanding. Respectable. It can indicate a positive way of thinking or approach to a challenge, it can be a sign of ambition, determination, drive and passion. In short, if someone described you as having a ‘good attitude’ it could be considered as good a reference to you and your character anything written on a CV. Yet the word now seems to have a bad press, having been shuffled to the realms of negativity. Because when people speak of attitude now, it is, more often than not, anything but a good character reference, written or not. As in he or she ‘had a right attitude’. Thus it’s no longer seen as something that might suggest individuality and self confidence but more about being un-cooperative, surly and bad tempered. In short, no-one wants to be told else identified with having an ‘attitude’ now. Which is a negative in itself because the power of having a positive attitude can change your life-and for the better. So why is that? First of all, it’s important to realise that ‘attitude’ is 24/7. We’re never without it or one, no matter where we are, what we are doing or who we are with. Attitude is a constant companion. And whatever attitude we choose to have in any given situation is going to influence how we approach it and deal with it. Our outward appearance is meaningless if we do not have the right internal one to match it, power dressing, big smiles and firm handshakes are not going to get anyone very far if they don’t reflect a similar attitude within. Secondly, to the person with the right attitude, a problem is not seen as a barrier or obstacle but as a route marker on the road to success. When human nature and instinct is stripped down to its basics the evidence is compelling-we are, individually and collectively, resistant to change, we don’t like it and, if at all possible, we try to avoid it. High achievers are almost exclusively people who have the opposite viewpoint. They see change as positive, progressive, a challenge. And they find that aspect of it infectious, they can’t resist it. Goals and ambitions become attractive because they present a problem rather than because they mean little to no change or need to move out of our comfort zones. Remember President John F.Kennedy’s famous speech, given in 1962 during which he spoke about putting a man on the moon, a scientifically preposterous suggestion at the time-but, more importantly, the reasons for doing so? “We choose to go to the moon…and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard…because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone and one which we intend to win…” The man had attitude-and how. Because, less than seven years later, they did go to the moon. It’s a moot point of course-but if he hadn’t made that speech, declared his intent, made his attitude clear then maybe they wouldn’t have done, maybe we still wouldn’t have done? Such is the power and effect of a good attitude to life and the challenges it throws at us daily. Don’t let them pass. Hit them straight back out again. And yes, be known for “having an attitude”. But for all the right reasons.