Positive Mental Attitude

Note: I thought that this time of year is the best time to talk about Napoleon Hill’s description of Positive Mental Attitude. The holiday season is hectic unless we take steps to prevent that.  If we head into the holiday season with a positive mental attitude I guarantee that this holiday will be different from others. Try it out….

A positive mental attitude is basic to all achievement. Having set out on your self-study toward a more successful way of life, begin by considering your habits of thinking. Your mental attitude determines your reaction to whatever situation confronts you. You act favorably or unfavorably constructively or destructively, positively or negatively. Our mental attitude defines our personality. Men and women of great achievement have learned the art of keeping their minds positive. They have learned the art of keeping their minds directed to that which they desire from life.

You have to make choices – choices that determine their destiny. It is as though at birth they were given two sealed envelopes, each of which contained orders by which their lives were to be governed.  One envelope would contain a long list of the blessings the individual could enjoy if he recognized the power of his own mind, took possession of it, made it positive, and directed it carefully to others. The other envelop would contain an equally long list of the penalties the individual must pay if he did not recognize this power and use it constructively.

Our mind is the only thing we can control.  Either we control it, or we relinquish control to other forces, and our minds and our wills become as chips in a puddle of water, being swept one way, then another and never coming to any satisfactory conclusions, easily falling prey to any negative wind that blows.

Without control the mind loses its powerful effectiveness and is as a withered arm. With control, exercise, and direction, the mind gains power.

Any situation that confronts man must be dealt with. There is no such thing as not reacting  to a situation. The situation is fact. Whether the situation is positive or negative depends on your reaction. The wise individual reacts in a consciously thoughtful manner, beneficial to his particular situation. He makes the choice of reacting thoughtfully, with purpose and in the manner most suited to his best interests. This is mastery of a situation. The positive thinker is aware of this choice. the positive thinker is a realist.

Achievement is a result of controlling the mind. Practice insures control at all times. Even when the situation seems disastrous, there is the possibility of a positive attitude. Every adversity carries with it the seed of an equivalent of greater benefit.

How you meet adversity, what you make of it and what you allow it to take from you or give to you are determined by your mental habits. All experiences will do something FOR you – or something TO you.

From: Napoleon Hill; Succeed and Grow Rich Through Persuasion

Use your Gratitude Journal every day during this season! See what benefits gratitude can give to you.

Terrie