Staying Focused on Your Attitude and Choosing Joy

Intro by Skip Cohen

The challenge for all of us these days goes far deeper than just social distancing and staying safe, but to our attitude with everything we do. It’s not easy staying upbeat as the pandemic challenges virtually all aspects of business, especially interacting with clients.

The good news is the “social” in social media. Spending time online keeping in touch with clients and friends will go a long way in helping you stay focused on the new norm, as well as what we’re all working towards when the pandemic is behind us.

And while the crisis will never be anything we forget, a positive attitude about how we’re all still connected will go a long way in finding our way back to direct relationship building.

Bev Walden did a spectacular job in helping us focus on what’s most important right now – our attitude!

By Beverly Walden

“Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose.”
Lyndon B. Johnson

As entrepreneurs, we are all also leaders and our attitudes will either sink us or cause us to rise above circumstances.

“It is your attitude, not your aptitude, that determines your altitude.”

You and only you are responsible for your attitude; it is a choice you make daily, even when you don’t feel positive.

Too often, our attitude is shaped by others-what they say or do. Attitude is personal and we don’t allow ours to be shaped by others! Life is 10% what happens to you (your circumstances) and 90% how you react to it! We are not responsible for how others act, but we are responsible for how we react. 

Here’s what we have found to be true…

Your attitude sets the mood or atmosphere around you. Have you ever walked into a room and you could feel the tension in the air? Attitude is the same; it permeates the air around you and affects all who come in contact with it.

A positive attitude is a trait we look for in others. If we surround ourselves with people who have a bad outlook and attitude, it brings everyone down and causes problems.

As the owner of a business…

Your attitude, as the owner and leader in your business, will be mirrored by those you work with, whether it be staff or family. You must set the atmosphere you want in your business and others will follow.

Having a positive outlook and attitude requires work-it doesn’t come naturally for most people. It is critical as you will judge your circumstances differently with either a positive or negative attitude. Ever heard the phrase, “Is your glass half empty or half full?” It is the same glass with the same amount of liquid. The only difference is how you view it!

Tim once said having a positive attitude was like wearing “rose-colored glasses.” In other words, though circumstances around you may be negative, your rose-colored glasses allow you to see beyond the problem and see the solution.

Giving up is not an option with rose-colored glasses; in fact, it is not even a choice that is available!

Finally, attitude is not seeing something that doesn’t exist, but seeing what does exist in a different way!

I love what Megan Wycklendt said in her article, 10 Simple Ways to Grow a Positive Attitude,

“With this awareness that our mind tends to cling to the negative, we can intentionally focus on the good parts of our day to offset this imbalance. Try writing down 5 things that you feel grateful for every day and see how your attitude changes.”

This week, take “can’t” and turn it into “can.” Take “impossible” and change it into “possible.” I know you can do it!