pos·i·tiv-i-tude/ˈpäzətiv-tood/

“The way to happiness: Keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply, expect little, give much. Scatter sunshine, forget self, think of others. Try this for a week and you will be surprised.” ~Norman Vincent Peale

 

Check out Mike Moore's book, "Light Up With Laughter"

I recently came across a WONDERFUL article written by Heather Shuttleworth regarding the how-to in transforming a negative attitude into a positive one.  I pass it forward to you.  May you find some (if not all) of  the constructive energy in her words beneficial to you and your life!

Improving Your “Positivitude”

Positivitude is a catchy term for positive attitude. At the heart of positivitude and optimism are the beliefs that problems are temporary, and that outright self-blame is wholly unproductive. Our initial reactions to negative situations are often irrational and unrealistic, and luckily there are strategies we can employ to decrease pessimistic self-criticism.

Psychologist Martin Seligman has developed a method for improving positivitude called the ABCDEs. His research indicates that the strategy can be successfully applied in almost any situation, for just about any individual. Give the ABCDEs a try the next time you run into a problem; you may just find it a healthier, more effective way to respond.

A

is for Adversity. In this first step, you’ll identify what’s frustrating you. For instance, let’s say you are denied a salary promotion.

B

is for Beliefs. In this step, think about your pessimistic responses to the issue. For instance, you might tell yourself that you didn’t approach the situation with enough self-confidence, or that the work you’re doing is not enough to earn higher pay, or you may even convince yourself that you must not be as deserving of a raise as others.

C

is for Consequences. At this point, you’ll name the consequences of your beliefs. Maybe you decide you’ll never ask for another raise again to avoid the nasty feeling of self-doubt and failure it caused within you.

D

is for Dispute. Next, you’ll develop an argument against those negative thoughts and examine the evidence contradicting them. Seligman has even instructed folks to treat this step as if you’re coming up with a case against some outside individual who has said these nasty things about you. For example, you might conclude that your lack of confidence was due to the fact that maybe it isn’t the right time to be asking for a raise, but that it was a learning experience you can grow from in the future. You may also conclude that you are absolutely deserving and doing quality work that could be compensated at a higher rate of pay, but that your employer is just not in a position financially to be offering increased salaries.

E

is for Empowerment. Finally, after realizing your positivitude there comes a sense of empowerment. With this last step, you might decide that you’ll take more pride in yourself and vow to reassess the situation in the future and do some self-advocacy by asking for that promotion again once the time is right.

Over time, and with enough practice, you will train yourself to automatically follow this process. Research shows that this problem solving technique is sustainable long-term, and many participants in the study were still using it years later. Hopefully you find the same kind of success improving your own positivitude and share these methods with others.