Positive Attitude Behaviors

Daryl R. Gibson

One of the ones that keeps coming up is a request for tests that would predict whether
someone has an attitude that is positive or not. There are a lot of personality tests that attempt to predict how someone looks at life -- but even the best test is just a simulation.

Instead, the best way to predict whether a person will have a positive attitude or not is to look at their basic behavior to life.

More than just a belief, deeper than just education, personal behavior is an Indication of who you really are, not just who you say you are. As the old adage goes, "I couldn't hear what you were saying because your actions were speaking so loudly."

What are the behaviors (or if you speak the Queen's English, behaviors) common to someone who has a positive mental attitude?

1. Positive people act as if there will be a million tomorrows
   
   
   We all know people who act as if the world will end any minute. These "Chicken Littles," named after the famous childhood story about the Chicken who runs around screaming "The Sky is Falling," constantly believe that the worst possibility is right around the corner.
   
   In my lifetime, I've heard numerous people predicting the "end of civilization as we know it." All of them have been wrong, so far.
   Negative people classify anything new as "evil." They classify anything old as "good." They refuse to have hope for the future, because they don't believe in it. Positive people are hopeful people. They aren't blind to the world around them, but they tend to see the beauty, not the ugliness.
   
   A negative person will look at the clouds in the sky and expect a catastrophe. A positive person will look at the clouds and see the beauty that is in them.
   While a positive person acts as if there will be a million tomorrows, a negative person usually stays mired in a million yesterdays.
   
   
   
2. Positive people concentrate on the here and now
   
   Just because they believe in the future doesn't mean positive people live in it. They know that the "here and now" is the only life we have. They make the most of the time they have, because they have a lot of things to accomplish.
   Positive people concentrate on the "here and now," not the "there and then."
   
   
   
3. Positive people see the best side of others
   
   Most of us have something in our life, our looks, or our character that we're not too proud of. We have flaws in our character. While the negative person concentrates on those flaws, in himself or others, the positive person will concentrate on the best parts, not the worst.
   
   
   Think about the most positive person you know. Have you ever heard him/her say anything bad about someone else? If you have, it's likely it was accurate, but most of the time, you have likely heard that positive person pointing out the good points of another person.
   
   
   We all have the opportunity to see the best in others -- and as Abraham Lincoln said, "If you look for the worst in people and expect to find it, you surely will." We should constantly strive to look for the best in others.
   Sure, we all have flaws -- but those flaws are what make us interesting.
   
   
   
4. Positive people are goal-oriented
   
   
   Why goals? Let me quote from Earl Nightingale: ""People with goals succeed because they know where they are going...It's as simple as that."
   Positive people choose their destination -- they don't just allow themselves to be pushed along by the prevailing winds.
   
   
   Positive people know where they're going, and they want to get there. Negative people don't know where they're going, and they don't want to arrive.
   
   
   
5. Positive people work to make the world better
   
   
   There are all sorts of contributions they make -- from planting flowers to coaching kids baseball teams. No matter what they do, they work to make the world better, because they believe they can make a difference. Negative people never feel they can make a difference in life -- and so they never do.
   
   
   
6. Positive people take responsibility for their own moods and actions
   
   
   While negative people blame the stars, karma, God, and other people, positive people know that more than anything else, their own actions dictate their future success. Positive people do not let their moods be dictated by the weather, the news, or the TV schedule. They know that their moods are under their own control, as are their actions. They accept the blame, or the credit, for the actions they have made, and give credit when it belongs to their co-workers.
   
   
   
7. Positive people do not give up
   
   
   Positive people have learned that persistence pays off. They don't give up at the first sign of trouble, but keep going until their goals are reached. Like the bulldog, they grab hold of their quarry, and hold on tenaciously.
   
   
   Well, how did you do? Do you have a few places where you could do better? Are there some chinks in your armor? Be positive toward your abilities, keep your hope focused on the future, and stay positive.