How to Develop a Positive Mental Attitude!

Do You See Yourself as an Optimist?

One of my favourite sections in Brian Tracy's Book 'Eat That Frog' is the reference to Seligman's 22 year study which determined that optimism is the most important quality you can develop for personal happiness and success. It turns out that optimists have four special behaviours, and the great news is ...these behaviours can all be learned and practiced by anyone! Think of them as 'Optimistic Muscles' - the more you work them, the stronger they become! Check them out below and see how you rate yourself!

Optimists... Look for the good in every situation. No matter what goes wrong, they always look for something good or beneficial in any situation. Seek the valuable lesson in every challenge. Asking yourself in difficult situations "What qualities am I developing here?" Optimists seek to learn and grow from the experience. Look for a solution to every problem. Instead of blaming or complaining when things go wrong, optimists focus on what action to take to resolve the issue. I'm a big fan of solutions focused people in my job! I love it when people come to me with an issue and they've already thought through some possible solutions! Think and talk about their future goals rather than focusing on the past. Time travelling into the past can be beneficial if you are remembering special times, it's not so great if you are doing it with regret, resentment and/or sadness. Optimists look forward rather than backward! I think one of the important things to remember here is that we all have ebbs and flows in our lives and bumps in the road. It really is about how we approach those times and what we can learn from them.

Well Being @ Work Tip!

Seek opportunities where you can adopt a more optimistic attitude and develop a solutions based approach.