In “How to Win Friends and Influence People” Dale Carnegie wrote, “It isn’t what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it.”  It has been 82 years since the first publishing of this book but its wisdom is ageless. 

We cannot choose or control many of the events or circumstances that happen to us. We can’t control the weather. We can’t control what other people say, do or think. We can’t control the economy of the country. We can’t control the political wrangling that we see in the news every day. But imagine for just a minute that we did have to control all of these things… how much pressure would that place us under? Compared to that, simply managing our own attitude seems like a very doable task!

In any situation, we have a choice about how we will respond to and think about it and this choice ultimately determines how we experience life. Realising that our own experience of absolutely anything is directly within our control means that learning to consciously manage our attitude may be one of the greatest skills we ever nurture.

Nurturing a great attitude to life doesn’t have to be difficult. It can be the result of a few decisions repeated daily until it becomes a habit. 

• Each day when you wake up, decide what your attitude for that day is going to be. It’s your choice about whether the day will be great or not, regardless of what happens.
• Write down the things you're grateful for every morning and keep this with you as a reminder.
• If you know that you have a scheduled event that might test this choice of attitude, plan ahead for this and make sure you are equipped going into it. 
• Check in with yourself throughout the day and make sure you’re in alignment with the decision you made at the start of your day.
• Expect the best of everyone. John Maxwell refers to this as putting a 10 on everyone’s head - when people are aware that you think they’re great they will almost always rise to meet that expectation. 
• Look for the positive in every situation. Sometimes it might not be immediately evident, but dig a little below the surface and there will always be something positive in everything.

Nobody can force you to have a great attitude about life. That choice lies completely with you. Your choice of attitude will determine what kind of day you have. Days add up and so ultimately how you choose to experience each day is how you choose to experience your own life. Are you in tune with what your attitude is? Are you ready to switch off autopilot and start living each day with intention?

#LIVELIFELOVELIFE #liveinthemoment #bebetteratbeingbetter #payitforwards #ShiftHappens