I often say to clients “you’re at choice” and they go “what does at choice mean?” It means that every moment of your life you are making choices. They can be “yes” “no” choices that are simple or subtle choices as to how your expression configures itself from moment to moment while listening to someone else speak. It holds true to with attitude also. At every moment, as that moment confronts you are at choice as to how you respond and most important, what your inner attitude is in that moment toward yourself and toward others you are interacting with.
Sometimes people make great choices. They face every situation, no matter how dire with a can do attitude. It doesn’t mean they don’t fully understand when they are in a fix but they choose an attitude of positivity rather than negativity. In my mind that is a good choice because negativity will get you nowhere and positivity may get you somewhere.
There are others who do what I call luxuriate in negative attitudes. I think there are many reasons they do this. I should know I used to be one of those people. Dwelling in negativity means – it won’t work, so why try. It lets you off the hook, you can abdicate responsibility and become a “watcher” rather than a “doer.”
I believe that a positive attitude can get you through some tough stuff if you choose it to. But positive attitudes take engagement and that involves energy that can be hard to muster in difficult times especially when you feel downtrodden. The wonderful thing is that if you can get yourself moving toward a positive attitude the energy will come naturally.
“The last of the human freedoms: to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” Viktor Frankl