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by Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.
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Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)

A Positive Attitude

Sunday March 18, 2001

One of the benefits of choosing a self-managing approach to daily life, one centered on a strong sense of personal responsibility, is that living this way seems to support two characteristics of successful people, namely resiliency and competence. The activities that are a part of a self-managing lifestyle -- including vigorous exercise, a sound approach to nutrition, managing stress, finding humor in abundance, and all the rest -- almost automatically invite and reinforce a positive attitude.

A positive attitude seems to be a natural aspect of a self-managing outlook and behavior pattern. Here are a few basics that might help you capture that all-important positive outlook. It all starts with recognizing that you can choose such mindset patterns and practice them daily. Even if you don't succeed all the time, such an outlook will help you deal effectively with temptations to go negative or lose track of your goals at times when things are not going well, as happens to all of us, usually daily.

Remind yourself that feeling positive is much pleasanter than being a grump or looking on the dark side of life. What's to be gained by being frumpy?
Perspective is critical. Most things people get bummed out about are not really such a big deal. You surely have heard the refrain, "Don't sweat the small stuff and, by the way, it's all small stuff." Of course, it does not seem so at the time but in the long haul, this is pretty much the case.
Be an athlete. Find a sport where you can compete, at least on weekends with your peers. Then, when you are tempted to slack early in the week, you know that the slothful choices will catch up with you not just later in life, which can seem so far away, but in only a few days!
Make an ally of humor. Adopt a "lighten up" perspective, and look for the mirthful twist to all situations.

You can probably do nicely without those rah-rah tapes, books, and seminars sold by the motivational hucksters. However, if you can suffer the forced enthusiasm, the group think, and the sales pitches and think a bit of cheerleading might help you along the way, then perhaps a light touch or mild dose of rah-rah would be bearable and useful. Personally, I'd lose my lunch at such a gathering, but we're all different and, besides, I should have a more positive attitude about such things! All in all and other things being the same, it's probably best if you do it on your own. Self-reliance -- that's the ticket!

Enjoy and be well.

Domain: mental
Subdomain: mental health

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