How To Develop A Positive Attitude: 5 Steps To Follow

By Edith Mecha

So John finally got a lucrative Accounting job in a popular multinational company in Kenya, after searching for 2 years. He was so excited about this job and was looking forward to applying his skills and earning his salary.

One thing that John forgot to put under check was his attitude, as he reported in the first day for his new job he was so focused on getting his hands on the job that he failed even to respond to greetings and welcome messages from his new colleagues. Even when his supervisor was taking him around for introduction John just mumbled a “thank you’ making most of the staff feel a bit surprised about his cold and withdrawn nature.

It didn’t take long before fellow colleagues in the department started complaining about his meanness, lack of team effort and antisocial behavior. That’s when John realized he needed to change his attitude in order to be more productive at work and life, become a team player, attract meaningful friendships and achieve personal development.

A negative attitude is not a great start especially if you’re trying to achieve any goal at work. There are several things that money can buy but, unfortunately, a positive attitude is not one of them; so you have got to create it, nurture it, work on it and keep on improving it daily.

The 5 tips John adapted and effectively developed a positive attitude at work, and in his life.

Develop a positive affirmation statement. I wrote down clearly describing the kind of attitude I wanted to have. Using the first person pronoun followed by a verb or an adjective, I would say” I am a winner, I am going to greet my colleagues with a smile and a firm handshake,” Then list all that you want to accomplish in the day, say it and believe that you have achieved it.

It is important to prepare your to do list a night before morning so that as you wake up, and say your affirmation statement you also put in mind the to do list. This will keep you focused at work and propel you to achieve your goals.

Be optimistic. Always look at the bright side of things. Let’s say for example you get a poor score during a performance appraisal from your boss. This should not discourage you.One should look at it as an opportunity to improve and surpass your boss’ requirements, and your goals, too. It is a chance to do much better next time, to unleash the reserve potential to prove your hitherto undiscovered capabilities.

When you are optimistic in life automatically you will always have a positive attitude, hence overcome the temptation of being stressed over things you can change or those you have no control over.An optimistic person easily attracts others, leading to meaningful friendships, contacts, networks and team work, and eventual success.

Try something new, or take up a new hobby. Try something new that interests you.It could be a sport, learning a new language, learning a new skill by doing some of the work of a colleague who is on leave, doing charity work, singing, dancing and many more. Find your passions, ask yourself” what makes me tick? And what do I like to do?” then do it! Be the very best that you can be in these activities and you will feel happy about yourself.

The end result will be believing in yourself, become more energetic and developing a positive attitude. Your colleagues will also benefit from your confidence and stamina, which shall obviously show, which drives me to say at this point that excellence is not a skill but a positive attitude.

Take control. Sometimes we allow other people to take control of our lives by unnecessarily allowing them to make decisions for us. For example, allowing a parent to single-handedly choose a career for you, fearing to negotiate for the salary you want, thus leaving the human resource manager to inevitably decide for you. However, when it comes to our attitude we cannot afford to allow someone else to take control of it. We have the power to choose whether we want to have a positive or a negative attitude.

Choose your circle of friends carefully biasing on those who keep a positive outlook on life. So make the decision today-that you will always have a positive attitude. Simply embark on attracting the right people with the relevant ideas into your circle, and incorporate the right things in your lifestyle, then sit back and you will reap the fruits in your work and life. Very positive, isn’t it?

Help others. There is no greater satisfaction to derive from one’s life than to offer help or service to someone in need, especially when you will not get any payment therefrom .Therefore, help colleagues at work where you can, stay a bit longer in the office to help a new employee in your department understand the work, do voluntary and charity work, teach a kid some algebra, or a new language. This will make you feel good about yourself hence nurturing a positive attitude.

A positive attitude is a key to unlocking great success for you and others in all areas of your life. Just like a car cannot function without oil, so will you also not move or succeed in your life, without a positive attitude to oil your mobility. Every day in our job search and work, we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything!