The Relationship Between Attitude And Altitude
Attitude is generally seen as the state of one's mind or their disposition generally. I have come to realise that one's attitude is one of the heavy determinants of success. This is because your attitude does not only influence how you see the world, but it also determines how you either respond or react to challenges, and then how you interact with others. Just to let you know, having a positive attitude can take you to heights that you could not have ever imagined, but having a negative attitude can place a limitation on you. This is why I normally tell people that "your altitude in life is heavily determined by your attitude." Your mindset and your approach towards life can determine how high you can rise in life, whether it is in your career, professional life, or even private life.
Having a positive attitude means that you have made a choice to approach life with optimism and confidence. It does not mean absence of obstacles, rather it means that you have looked beyond them and see the opportunities in them. When you see someone with a positive attitude towards life, you will notice that they are more resilient, motivated, and solution-minded. Even if they experience failure at some point, they will not dwell in it, rather they will use it as a lesson to learn how to be better. I once read about the man Nelson Mandela and how he started his political career.
He faced so much challenges and obstacles at that time when apartheid was extreme, yet he did not allow it to sway him off his feet nor make him not to see positivities in life. At some point, he was even imprisoned for many years, yet he kept his spirit high and was determined to achieve his goal - he maintained a positive attitude towards life and at the end, it paid off. He later became the first Black South African President, and one of the most remarkable African Presidents. This is a result of having a positive attitude towards life. Note that you cannot stop challenges, rather you can use it as a stepping-stone for success; this is what it means to have a positive attitude towards life.
On the other hand, having a negative attitude can prevent one from rising and even place a limitation on their path. A particular scenario played out some years back that explained this. I had a friend who was working in a particular company. When she applied, the position which she applied was not available, so she was moved a step below what she applied for, pending when the position will be available. From the point she was employed, all she did was to complain about the job. Funny enough, I also had another friend who also had similar case in the same company, yet he was grateful that at least, he got a job. While the lady was busy complaining, which made her not to put in her best, the guy was happy to finally find a job and was working his heart out.
Both of them were faced with the same challenge, but it was very obvious that the guy had a positive attitude towards the whole thing, while the lady did not. Well, after a few months, one of the senior staff was moved to another region, so it created a vacancy for the same position that both of them had initially applied for. Well, without wasting time, the top executives recommended the guy and that was how he was called up to take the position. His positive attitude paved way for him, while the lady's negative attitude limited her advancements. You see the relationship between attitude and altitude.
Even as a leader for example, your attitude can influence the way you relate with your teammates and this will also determine their productivity. If you relate well with your teammates, they will have the zeal and the determination to work with the best of their abilities, in fact they can even go beyond their limits. But if you show them negative attitude, they will barely do anything near their best and productivity will drop drastically. How you relate with people will determine how they will also relate back to you. If you show them positive attitude, they will do the same for you. Before complaining about how people treat you, first ask yourself if you treat them right.
In order to develop a positive attitude, there are things that you need to observe to do. Firstly, you need to learn to practise gratitude even for the little things that may be easily negligible. Then the next thing is to embrace challenges with positive perceptions. That is, always look at the bright side of everything that comes to you. You also need to focus more on solution to problems, not problems themselves. That is, be solution-oriented. The last point is to believe in yourself. Learn to have confidence in your abilities and then believe in your that you can succeed, and then take complementary actions towards it. Remember that it is what you think in your mind that will manifest on other aspects of your life.
Thanks for reading
