Take Control Over Your Attitude
Written by Steve Goldberg   
Sunday, 22 June 2008

Some say that you are what you eat. This is, in a way, true. Your body used the nutrients from food as building blocks for proteins, fats, hormones and fluids in your body. Equally true is the statement: You are what you think.

Your Brain and Your Health

Your brain is the most influential organ in the body related to well-being. A strong heart, robust lungs and well developed muscles are important to daily functioning; however, the brain is what drives the car, steers the ship or pilots the plane. Your brain releases chemical signals that tell the rest of your body what to do, and consequently how to feel. You can manipulate your thoughts to control the chemical signals sent to the rest of our body. Your thoughts and your outlook are collectively your “Attitude.” Controlling your attitude has tremendous benefits for your health, well-being and overall success.

Attitude Determines Direction

Because your brain controls your body, it is natural that your attitude will determine your direction—literally and figuratively. If you possess within your mind an attitude of openness, cheerfulness and optimism, your body will literally position itself to attract more of the same. You will have better posture, you will smile, and you will position your body in ways that will invite others to engage with you. Smiles are contagious—if you smile, others will smile too.

Attitude determines your direction in life, as well. Optimistic, hopeful and positive people tend to try new things and be willing to take risks because they know that, no matter the outcome, they will have gained something valuable from the experience. A positive attitude will carry you to places you might never have gone otherwise.

Benefits of Replacing Negative Thoughts with Positive Thoughts


If you are what you think, obviously negative thoughts will be detrimental to your health. Negative thoughts cause stress. Consistently elevated levels of stress have unhealthy side effects such as weight gain, heart stress, elevated adrenaline levels, high blood pressure and more. Thinking positively can improve your health, and consequently your overall outlook on life. Positive thoughts activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is the part of our nervous system that sends signals to the rest of the body that we are “OK.” This allows us to stay less stressed and healthier.

Thinking positively involves two different techniques: thinking in a positive direction, and stopping negative thought processes. Thinking in a positive direction means putting a positive spin on things. Instead of thinking “I wish it were not raining,” thinking “Rain will allow me to do other things besides watering my plants.” Or instead of “My favorite restaurant is full tonight,” thinking “I get to try a new place.”

Negative thought processes include escalating thoughts beyond rational points, filtering thoughts to reflect only negative aspects of a situation, and blaming yourself for everything. Thinking in a positive direction eliminates these techniques. It takes true effort to re-direct your thoughts, but just as learning any other new skill, once you have practiced, it will become second-nature.

Reinforce Positive Thinking with Positive Actions

To find success with a positive attitude, you need to not only think positive thoughts, but back up positive thoughts with positive actions. If you feel cheerful and sociable, you can extend your positive attitude by waiving, smiling and saying hello to people. If your attitude is to find a positive outlook from an otherwise grim situation, make it happen. Funerals are a good example of this. Overall, funerals are not happy occasions; however, they can be good times for people who do not get to see each other often. If possible, use the time to catch up with each other.

A positive attitude directly affects well-being, happiness and success. With a positive attitude, you can achieve a positive outcome to almost every situation.

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