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How to Change Your Attitude

Dr Elizma van der Smit. May 2018

· Life Skills,Mind

Life hasn’t gone the way you had hoped. You are in your same dead-end job, in a career you thought had some promise. But it didn’t turn out as planned. You believe it just isn’t on your cards to have that dream life. However, what could be the problem is not having the right kind of attitude. You may want to explore changing your attitude and see if that doesn’t result in the changes you need forthe better.

The first step is to figure out if your attitude could use some adjusting. Do you find people trying to avoid you? Do you find that you get set off by the smallest incidents? You may have just ignored what people have told you about you having a bad attitude.

The next time you are involved in some incident that goes bad, ask yourself this question. Is this something that was my responsibility? Go through the scenario from the perspective of an outsider observing you. Is there anything you could have done differently that would have changed the result? Think back to what you said and see if you were the one responsible.

You shouldn’t take the blame for everything. If you reach within and discover that others were responsible, then hold them to it. Just make sure that you have ruled out yourself as the culprit before doing this. If there are some gray areas, be willing to give in a bit.

When you go through this exercise, you will find you are in the wrong more often than you realized. Once you come to this realization, you can take steps to change yourself.

Don’t focus only on negative aspects of your life. Accept both the good and bad. Be proud of the good aspects and be willing to work on the negative ones.

Changing your attitude is a process. As such, it will take some timeto readjust your thinking. You identify that you are not always right and will try to do what is necessary to avoid those activitiesagain. When you do avoid them in the future, make sure you recognize that as an achievement as thisis an important part of the process.

Expect others to recognize your changes when you commit to making them. Your attitude will change for the better just by going through the process described. You will live a happier life, and you will make friends much more easily. You should also expect your job to change for the better as your management will notice these changes as well.

This post is for informational purposes only. It should not be considered therapy.This blog is only for informational and educational purposes and should not be considered therapy or any form of treatment. We are not able to respond to specific questions or comments about personal situations, appropriate diagnosis or treatment, or otherwise provide any clinical opinions. If you think you need immediate assistance, call your local doctor/psychologist or psychiatrist or the SADAG Mental Health Line on 011 234 4837. If necessary, please phone the Suicide Crisis Line on 0800 567 567 or sms 31393.

This blog is only for informational and educational purposes and should not be considered therapy or any form of treatment. We are not able to respond to specific questions or comments about personal situations, appropriate diagnosis or treatment, or otherwise provide any clinical opinions. If you think you need immediate assistance, call your local doctor/psychologist or psychiatrist or the SADAG Mental health Line on 011 234 4837. If necessary, please phone the Suicide Crisis Line on 0800 567 567 or sms 31393.