1/15/05

Negative Attitudes to Eliminate

A bumper sticker proclaims, “ATTITUDE. A little thing that makes a BIG difference.”

An attitude is something we all have; sometimes it is good and sometimes it is not so good. Our values and beliefs contribute to our attitudes. Sometimes we slide into a negative mood without even realizing it until it is brought to our attention. With an open mind and a tender heart, evaluate how many of the following attitudes prevail, or sometimes show up, in your life, then put into practice the suggestions for overcoming.

* The “Somebody owes me” attitude. It is the thinking pattern of “I did not ask to be born, so somebody owes me. Mom does. Dad does. Siblings do. Neighbors do. The school does. My job does. The government does. Somebody owes me.” This irrational thinking leads to an attitude of being unthankful and unappreciative. Overcome by verbally naming – one by one – your blessings. Start with the gift of life, sunshine, shade, food to eat, a shelter in which to sleep, your job, family, friends, rain, an umbrella…

* The “Poor little me” attitude. This is the thought pattern of “everybody its against me”, “I can’t do anything right”, “nobody loves me, everybody hates me, I’ll just go out in the garden and eat worms.” This attitude sets one up to be a victim. Look deep inside and activate the victor that overcomes victimhood.

* The attitude of not wanting to grow up. I call it the Peter Pan Syndrome. “I don’t wanna grow up. I don’t wanna grow up. I don’t wanna (stomp foot) grow up!” Having a childlike attitude is wonderful; remaining childish is not. Not wanting to grow up is to remain immature, naïve and gullible. It is destructive to success. Step up to bat and accept your responsibilities like a man or woman of courage.

* A “know it all” attitude, sets us up to be unteachable, closed minded, stubborn and dogmatic. There is so much in life to know that there is no way we could ever know it all. Develop the attitude of “I do not know all the vast wonders of the universe. I have not read every book. I have not experienced every thing. I do not know how you feel. I do not know your thoughts. As a matter of fact, I am not real sure I know myself.”

* Another negative attitude is being conceited. It is having an over-inflated ego; being prideful and arrogant. It has been said, “Conceit makes everybody sick except the one who has it.” It also pushes success away from you. Overcome through the do-it-yourself job of developing humility. Others can humiliate you, but only you can humble yourself. Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.

Next time we will look at positive attitudes to cultivate.

TEN COMMANDMENTS OF RELATIONSHIPS

I. You shall speak to people. There is nothing as nice as a cheerful greeting.

II. You shall smile at others. It takes 72 muscles to frown and only 14 to smile.

III. You shall call people by name. The sweetest music is the sound of his name.
IV. You shall be friendly. He that would have friends must show himself friendly.

V. You shall be cordial. Act as if every thing you do is a genuine pleasure. It will be.

VI. You shall be interested in other. If you try, you can like some thing about every one.

VII. You shall be generous with praise. And you shall be cautious with criticism.

VIII. You shall be considerate of others feelings. It will be appreciated.

IX. You shall be thoughtful of the opinions of others. There are three sides to each
controversy – yours, theirs and the right one.

X. You shall be alert to give service. What counts most in life is what you do for others.
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