Let’s talk about the ten key elements of a positive mental attitude.
You hear a lot where people say that positivity is all about your mindset, right? But has anybody actually ever shown you the key elements that make up a positive mental attitude?
Well, that’s what we’re going to cover today.
Proverbs tells us for as a man thinks in his heart, this is who he becomes. Just like this principle in the Bible, it’s because the way that your brain is is created by God. You have a conscious and a subconscious part of your brain. The subconscious takes everything that you think, everything that you say, everything that you see, hear, smell, and it keeps track of all of that.
What ends up happening is that if your thoughts tend to be negative, this is who you become. However, what Ephesians 4:29 says is, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” Now, this scripture is important because what God is telling us is that we should be positive people. We should be building people up. If you’ve seen one of my videos, I talk about an emotional bank account and everything that you do, you’re selling into people either positivity or you’re making a withdrawal, withdraw their emotional bank account.
The more that you are positive, the more that your brain’s going to work to bring about those very things that you’re wanting in your life and be the person that God created you to be.
#1: Gratitude
Gratitude is the catalyst that fuels a positive mental attitude. It really is. I wrote a book in 2018 called The Gratitude Effect. In that book, I really discovered a lot of amazing things about what gratitude does for us physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.
When you’re grateful and you’re truly thankful for things, what ends up happening is that it opens up other things for you. It’s the start of what it means to be positive and have a positive lifestyle in your life.
#2: Purpose
The next area is what I call having a purpose or a definite major purpose. You’ve got to have a definite major purpose. This is your “why” in your life. Now, ask yourself:
- What’s your “why?”
- What is it that really is important to you?
- What is it that drives you when you wake up in the morning?
You shouldn’t be moaning and groaning and laying there trying to figure out how you can call into work and not go. You should be excited about your day. You should get a good night’s rest. Then, when you wake up, you should be pumped to get out of bed and start working towards your purpose. God has that for your life. Every single person has a unique, creative purpose for them in their life. That’s one of the reasons I wrote the book Power to Thrive, to help you understand that and then start working towards discovering what that might be for you.
#3: Faith and Belief
Next are faith and belief. Faith in God that God knows what’s best for you and that God wants what’s best for you. Then, faith in yourself. All right. Also, believing that God wants you to have good things, wants you to fulfill your purpose, and wants you to be filled with gratitude allows you to be able to exercise what I call a positive mental attitude.
When you understand how God sees you as a unique, created individual with incredible value, that changes everything and gives you faith and belief.
#4: Courage
The next one is what I call courage.
I often ask people, “You know, what’s the opposite of being courageous?” It’s being fearful, right? So, really, one of the elements of having a positive mental attitude is diminishing fear in your life.
God has not given us the spirit of fear, but power, love, and a sound mind. By diminishing fear, shrinking your comfort zone, you become more courageous. It becomes easier for you to make decisions that involve risks that might involve taking a really huge leap of faith because you just start to understand that nothing great ever happens in life unless you cross over on the opposite side of fear.
#5: Integrity
The next area is called integrity. What I find is that integrity is really like your moral compass. When people exercise integrity, it sparks positivity in their life. When you know you’re doing things wrong or when you don’t have that moral compass and you just live your life by your own rules and you do your own thing, what ends up happening is that you end up having more of a scarcity mentality and victim mentality.
However, if you have integrity and do things the right way, doing things with excellence, doing things truthfully, even when you do make mistakes, that’s what integrity is all about. Integrity doesn’t mean you’re perfect. Integrity just means that your intention in your life is to live life the way that God wants you to live it.
#6: Optimism
The next element of a positive mental attitude and one of my favorite things to talk about is optimism. Optimism is such a powerful thing because it has to do with the perspective in which you look at your life.
Sometimes you don’t always know the “how” in life, but you just know that with God, all things are possible. With Christ, you can do all things through him.
#7: Taking Action
The next area is taking action. What I find is that when people are doers, they actually accomplish more in life. When you actually put action to what you believe, it spurs enthusiasm and energy into your life. Doers are the people that actually get things done, and that’s really important that you understand that you have to take action.
That’s what faith is. That’s one of the messages I’m trying so hard to get into the Christian community today because I don’t think people understand. Faith is not standing back and letting God do everything. Faith is taking the steps necessary, and then God’s supplying the rest to get it done. He just wants you to take the first leap.
#8: Giving
The next area is what we call what I call giving.
Are you a giver or are you a taker? If you’re a person who tends to take, it’s important to be able to receive. Don’t get me wrong, you have to be a receiver, but you also have to be a person that can give. I’m a firm believer that if you’ve been given much, much is required of you to give back.
You see people all the time that build businesses that are very successful. Then, they decide to do something for their community. They’re grateful for what God’s blessed them with, so they give back and do something for others. This is a huge element of having a positive mental attitude.
#9: Open-Minded
The next area is what we call being open-minded.
I find that people who have a positive mental attitude tend to be more open-minded. I want to make sure I’m clear on this. I’m not saying compromise your beliefs, I’m saying being open to what other people believe and trying to understand where they’re coming from.
You have to stand firm on what you believe otherwise. People are just kind of going with the flow and letting other people tell them what truth is and what truth isn’t. We’re talking about being open-minded. It just means being a person who listens to other people’s input, especially if you’re an entrepreneur or a business person.
It’s really important to be open-minded, and it will help you to be more positive because you’re looking for ways to expand, listen, think differently, and explore. All of those things are part of being open-minded.
#10: Have Goals and a Plan of Action
The last one is having goals and a plan of action. It’s part of that process to help give people energy and enthusiasm. I believe that a goal without a plan is just a wish. That’s why to create a plan of action and achieve your goals, you need to actually take action and do it.
Work Your Way to a Positive Mental Attitude Today
I like what Joyce Meyer says. She says a positive attitude gives you power over your circumstances instead of your circumstances having power over you. That is so very true.
You can become a person of power when you have these ten elements of a positive mental attitude working in your life.
Reach out to me today to learn more about the coaching and training services I offer to help you achieve these ten key elements!
