A Positive Attitude Is Attracting. And Attractive.

A Positive Mental Attitude Means "Thinking in the Beauty Way" 

One of the originators of the self-help movement was Napoleon Hill, who wrote: "Your mental attitude is something you can control outright, and you must use self-discipline until you create a positive mental attitude ── your mental attitude attracts to you everything that makes you what you are." 

In a similar vein, Norman Vincent Peale used to preach, "A positive thinker does not refuse to recognize the negative; he refuses to dwell on it. Positive thinking is a form of thought which habitually looks for the best results from the worst conditions."

And management guru John Maxwell said, "Your attitude is the eye of your soul. If your attitude is negative then you see things negatively. If it is positive then you see things positively."

Your attitude and the beliefs associated with your attitude will either empower you or impede you. The choice will always be yours.

In many ways, the thoughts you dwell upon in your mind, and the attitudes that propel you through every day, are more important than the food and vitamins you put into your body. An attitude of I'm a failure or I'll never be happy again, or thoughts like I hate this person or I am going to get revenge on that person, do more harm to you than junk food. A constant diet of such killer thoughts will destroy you long before cholesterol hardens your arteries.

The Navajo people in North America have an expression for this. They believe that the thoughts that dominate their minds will shape their lives, so they want to fill their minds with only that which is enriching, harmonious and enlightening. They call this thinking in the Beauty Way. It's a process designed to rid themselves of all thoughts that are destructive and replacing those with ones that are good, peaceful and heartening.

This makes a lot of sense. If you fill your mind with new learning you will never stagnate. Have an attitude of courage and you will be able to face life's varied situations with greater confidence and strength. Likewise, if you load your mind with optimistic attitudes you will always have hope.

But only you can determine how to fill your mind and what attitudes you will allow to dominate your personality. And remember, your attitude is an expression of what you believe, the values you carry within and the expectations you have for the future. 

This article is excerpted from the best-selling book Project You: Living A Determined Life, available in paperback and Kindle formats at Amazon.