It’s ALL About Your Attitude

3 things to do in the morning to change your attitude for the day.

I grew up in a decade where the elementary school dress code expected girls to wear dresses or a skirt and blouse. For most of us, school was within walking distance, so in the cold Northern Illinois winters, we wore pants under our skirts.

Although the dress code by junior high school allowed girls to wear pants and jeans, my mother insisted that I still dressed in a dress or skirt and blouse. However, by high school, she relented and occasionally allowed me to wear pantsuits. Jeans were still out of the question.

Mom believed that if I dressed for school as if I was dressing for a job, I would do better in school. In addition, she believed that if I dressed like a lady, I would act more like a lady.

Moving on to college, I was no longer held to her dress code directives. Occasionally, I rolled out of bed late and hurried to pull on a pair of sweatpants and a shirt and race to class. I found my focus wandering on those days. I found myself still tired.

Experiment time. The next day that I overslept my alarm, I raced to put on something that made me feel good about myself. (Not necessarily a dress, but nice jeans, a good shirt, and jewelry.)

I focused better. I participated more. And my day didn’t drag.

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You see, I didn’t realize it at the time, but my mother was teaching me that my attitude on any given day was all under my control. My attitude affected my energy level. My attitude affected how other people reacted to me.

But, many times we don’t wake up with a good attitude. Either we didn’t sleep well or get enough sleep or, perish the thought, overslept the alarm. We are surly, grumpy, and even irritable. Or we have tasks during the day that we really don’t want to do.

It’s ALL about conscientiously making the choice that it is going to be a great day.

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HOW?

#1. Get Dressed

In a world where we have become accustomed to working or going to school from home, we have also become accustomed to sitting in front of the computer in our pajamas or something else just as comfortable. Take a moment to actually dress for your day. Let what you wear help improve your mood and your attitude. Put on that shirt that makes you feel great. Wear jewelry.

#2. Self-affirmation

Find a self-affirmation – some sort of positive self-talk – that works for you. Something that you can look into the mirror and say to yourself to make your attitude improve.

Mine?

“Today, I am the best you can be, but by making good decisions and choices today, tomorrow I will be even better.”

And if I don’t believe it the first time I say it, I repeat it a second or third time.

#3. Take a moment to take a breath and realize that others are not trying to make your day bad

Until I pursued my educational specialist degree in school administration, I thought, many times, that my administrators and bosses had it in for me and that they plotted to make my day go from good to bad. That was further from the truth. In fact, none of the things or people who I wanted to blame my bad day were actually the cause of it.

By pausing and taking a moment to breathe, you can mentally regroup and realize that you are in control of how you react and that your attitude is what will make the day great.

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So, will you choose to have the attitude that today will be a great day?

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Thanks for reading.

AND

As you move through your day-to-day activities and responsibilities, please remember to

Live Life –

Keep Things Simple –

Look for the Positive –

AND

Smile.

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