What if I told you that what I am about to share with you could drastically change your day, your week, your future, and your life?  Something so powerful it can lift your mood, increase your enthusiasm, promote good health, nurture relationships, and build your strength physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  Something so powerful and influential that when exercised others will notice a change in you and ask what your secret is.  Of course right now you are probably thinking it sounds too good to be true.  My response to you is that there is a power and it is no secret.  Not only have I personally experienced this power but have seen others tap into it and can witness to its effectiveness.  In fact each of us exercise this power on a daily basis whether we are aware of it or not. Are you ready? This unique power available to all and is well-known but easily forgotten.  It is the power of attitude which Merriam-Webster defines as a feeling or way of thinking that affects a person’s behavior.

Thousands of words and thoughts pass through our mind every day that literally shape our attitude and determines our future.  Never underestimate the power of your attitude and how quickly it can turn negative events to a positive or on the flipside turn positive events to a negative.  We may not always be able to control the circumstances in our lives but we can certainly control our attitude towards them in order to create a life that is more meaningful, fulfilling, and prosperous.  The choice is ours –and we do have a choice. If we want to attract opportunities for success and happiness then we need to work on developing an optimistic attitude which first begins with what we think.

Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar, a professor at Harvard, teaches a popular class on Happiness and has written a book entitled Happier. His main conclusion is that external circumstances do not determine a person’s level of happiness but rather their frame of mind.  He believes there are three things that can determine our happiness:

1.         How a person thinks

2.         How a person talks

3.         How a person acts

The goal of positive psychology is to help people lead happier lives.  Not in the sense of experiencing pleasure while moving from one immediate gratification to another but in the sense of living a meaningful and fulfilling life that flourishes emotionally, spiritually and intellectually. Research shows that people who are merit-finders, those that search for the silver lining amongst the dark clouds in life, look on the brighter side of things and are not only happier but more successful, healthier, and actually live longer.

I am sure you are familiar with the statement “we are what we think about”.  This simply means whatever you believe and focus on in your life becomes your reality.

“I remind you … that regardless of your present age, you are building your life; … it can be full of joy and happiness, or it can be full of misery. It all depends upon you and your attitudes, for your altitude, or the height you climb, is dependent upon your attitude or your response to situations.”  Spencer W. Kimball, Respected Ecclesiastical Leader, October 1974.

Stay tuned for part two…