People talk a lot about “having an attitude of gratitude” and while I agree that this is very important, for me the most important, is the attitude we bring to every situation we find ourselves in.

Everything is possible when we have the right attitude.

We can overcome any obstacle in our way with the right attitude and it’s our ability to present the right attitude or change our attitude when the situation requires it, that’s the secret to success in life.

The right attitude can be an attitude of gratitude, flexibility, acceptance, willingness, positivity etc.

The right attitude is key

I like to think of attitude as the key that opens the door to our choices.

The right attitude has the potential to change a bad day into a great day, take us out of a stressful situation and lift our spirits in an instant.

I can vouch for this because it recently happened to me.

Just a few days ago, while wallowing in self-pity, with my head in my hands, the word ATTITUDE suddenly popped into my head.

The energy of this word quickly permeated my system and the realisation that followed, melted away all the anguish and self-pity I was feeling in the moment and replaced it with laughter, positive feelings and joy.

Laughter was the natural result of seeing the choices I had so clearly laid out for me.

On one hand I could choose to continue wallowing, or on the other, I could choose to not!

It was that simple.

The realisation was so elementary that it made me laugh out loud, immediately lightening my mood.

This experience helped cement a truth I already knew—that it’s the attitude we bring to situations that has the power to determine whether we perceive the situation as positive or negative.

Changing our attitude

Our ability to positively change our attitude when desired can take the drama out of a crisis and bring smiles where there were previously tears.

But is it so simple? Is it really so easy to flip the switch of our emotions just like that?

Well for many of us the answer is no, it isn’t so easy, but if we turn over the coin, the answer is yes, it really is so simple.

Let us first consider why we find it so hard to switch our emotions. 

For many of us changing our attitude towards situations we perceive to be negative is very difficult.

We for example we find it very hard to forgive someone who has hurt or upset us.

When someone hurts us, our ego defence mechanism kicks in telling us the person has wronged us. It’s human nature to then change our attitude towards him or her from a position of liking to a position of disliking.

This happens because our ego makes us feel justified in our sentiments of being wronged, which in turn falsely leads us to believe we are right to feel dislike for the person.

Our feelings of dislike develop into resentment, making it very hard to shift from our positions.

However, we can stop this process dead, when we have the capacity to change our attitude.

Because it’s our attitude that affects our perceptions and it’s our perceptions that have the strongest influence on how we experience situations and the people around us on a daily basis, which consequently also greatly impacts our experience of the world.

Changing our attitude towards a person who hurts us can happen through one of three routes.

Firstly we can weigh up the situation, deciding whether or not the circumstances or injuries are so serious as to warrant us wasting precious energy disliking or resenting a person, or we can come to the understanding that we feel more harmonious, balanced and joyful when we’re able to let go of our grievances.

Of course this is very simplified, I am utterly aware that the latter is a process that can take a very long time.

Secondly, we can try to put aside our ego, because this is what prevents us from seeing the truth, which is that our nature and the nature of the person we believe has wronged us, is exactly the same… we are just as guilty of causing hurt to others.

Or lastly, as happened with me, we can realise we have a choice.

Although this realisation is subtle, its impact is so profound because understanding this and being able to exercise our choices, is we where ease and freedom in life lies.

The choice is ours to make

We really do have the power to choose how we interpret a situation. The choice is ours to make whether we see it positively or negatively.

It’s up to us to decide whether the glass is half full or half empty and it’s our attitude, way of thinking and the frame of mind we bring to the table that determines which way we perceive the glass.

The universe is constantly reflecting our attitudes back to us through the quality of life experiences we have. So the measure of how positively our attitudes are aligned, can be gauged by the level of flow, synchronicities, beneficial circumstances, favourable and supportive life experiences we have.

The opposite holds true when our attitudes are negatively aligned.

Although I will admit that choosing to see the positive in every situation when all the chips seem stacked against us isn’t easy—it’s not impossible.

Being able to view a situation positively primarily concerns our programmed responses, which for the most part are automatic and unconscious.

Awareness is an inner journey

However, when we begin to be more conscious, through awareness of the quality of our thoughts and behavioural patterns, (something that happens when be begin the journey of looking within) self-enquiry and examination becomes natural.

The process of self-examination and enquiry means questioning the validity of the flood of thoughts we have, as opposed to simply accepting them as true.

Doing this gradually moves us away from our habitual programmed automatic responses and into taking the intentional actions that serve our greater purpose.

Our levels of wealth, joy and happiness, are not the only measure of our success.

Sustainable success is measured by our ability to successfully and continually navigate the difficult challenges life throws our way.

Having the right attitude is the key that helps us thrive in every situation no matter what life throws at us.