21 Ways to Define a Positive Attitude

Just like your productivity is contagious, so is your attitude.

Are you a source of positive energy to those around you?

Or are you a downer…? Bringing all those around you down to your level of unenthusiasm?

A positive attitude can be many things.

What does a positive attitude mean to you?

Positive Attitude: Do You Have One?

I used to work with a manager who always had a positive attitude.

He had a trademark answer to the passing question, “How are you?”

No matter what was going on that day, he would enthusiastically reply, “Excellent! How are you?”

It was always sincere, never fake. No matter the circumstances, he chose to be excellent.

“You don’t know the power of a positive attitude…

Until you have seen it change a bad situation to a good one through a simple kind act…

Or even a smile.”

You too can choose to have a positive attitude.

In fact, having a positive attitude is easier than you think.

It can mean many things…

21 Ways to Define a Positive Attitude

  1. It is looking adversity in the eye… and laughing.
  2. Getting what you get, and not pitching a fit.
  3. Enjoying the unexpected, even when it’s not what you wanted originally.
  4. Motivating those around you with a positive word.
  5. Using the power of a smile to reverse the tone of a situation.
  6. Being friendly to those you don’t know.
  7. It’s getting back up when you fall down. (No matter how many times you fall down.)
  8. Being a source of energy that lifts those around you.
  9. Understanding that relationships are more important than material things.
  10. Being happy even when you have little.
  11. Having a good time even when you are losing.
  12. Being happy for someone else’s success.
  13. Having a positive future vision, no matter how bad your current circumstances.
  14. Smiling.
  15. Paying a compliment, even to a total stranger.
  16. Tell someone you know that they did a great job. (And mean it.)
  17. Making someone’s day. (Not just a child’s… adult’s like to have their day be special, too!)
  18. It’s not complaining no matter how unfair things appear to be. (It is a waste of time… instead do something!)
  19. Not letting other people’s negativity bring you down.
  20. Giving more than you expect to get in return.
  21. Being true to yourself… always.

The Power of Positivity

Your attitude determines most of what you experience each day.

Yet, it is something that is easy to neglect.

Be someone who others want to be with, because you lift their energy, attitude, and spirit.

Be someone who you would want to be around.

Choose to have a positive attitude.

Today, choose to be excellent!

Question: What does a positive attitude mean to you?

89 thoughts on “21 Ways to Define a Positive Attitude

  1. @matonfender @TMNinja Thanks for the tip. Did wonders for my spirit when I was almost giving up.

    1. nice…
      to be frank, sometimes i feel that children are more with positive attitude than their parents, personally seen many…
      greets for your 4-year old.. 🙂

  2. Craig,
     
    I think that you already mentioned what it takes to have an positive attitude (I have nothing to add :).
     
    For me, enjoying from small and simple moments throughout the day or being genuinely happy from someone else’s success are the most obvious characteristics, when it comes to positive attitude.
     
    Cheers,
    Timo

  3. @andirobbins Thx, Andi! Best wishes out there in Phoenix! Was just there and got to see some baseball Spring Training! 🙂

  4. The list above is excellent for ‘pretending’ to have a ‘positive’ attitude, except for #21. When you are angry, sad, grieving–express it as #21 says. Being authentic is empowering for everyone. I truly appreciate the author of this site for addressing the subject. I am not interested in pretending and I believe that a ‘positive’ attitude is often destructive.

  5. I feel sad for people when I ask them how they are and they say, “I’m hanging in there.” Sounds so sad! I always make it a point to respond in a positive way. I know my brain is listening!

  6. I guess #21 is the best among the list. Though the list is great..being true to yourself usually eliminates other negativity and presents you the reality that you have to face to be better. Nonetheless, great read.

  7. The meaning of the word positive has no negative attachment to it. So when attitude is added to it, it becomes positive attitude. At this point, attitude whether positive or negative, is subjected to positive influence. Therefore, this definition is not pretense, but just frankly leading the right direction of energy for success in lifestyle; which is going about doing good always mathematically. More so, this is what put even Jesus Christ on top of the game in many occasion. I discovered this when I started working out my salvation with fear and trembling – Thanks

  8. Acostumbro cada mañana buscar webs para pasar un buen momento leyendo y de esta forma he encontrado vuestro articulo. La verdad me ha gustado el post y pienso volver para seguir pasando buenos momentos.
    Saludos

  9. Nice article – thanks 🙂

    To me, point 20 is probably the core of what positivity is all about… The irony is that expecting anything leads one down a path of growing negativity, so the only way to be truly positive, is to expect absolutely nothing in return.

    To use the metaphor of a battery, there has to be two poles for there to a flow of energy – the positive pole is about giving and the negative about receiving.
    But this is more about expectation than anything else – I’m not saying you have to be negative to receive.

    What does my energy say – I’m okay, have something to give and I’m here to give it (positive) or I’m broken, life is a dangerous mess and I need to get things for me to be all right (negative) ?

    This question leads to some deep introspection about our motives for saying and doing the things we do – are my actions in whatever context really about giving, or are they a disguised attempt to add to myself so I can finally be okay?

  10. I’m impressed, I must say. Seldom do I come across a blog that’s both educative and interesting, and without a doubt, you have hit the nail on the head. The problem is an issue that not enough folks are speaking intelligently about. Now i’m very happy I stumbled across this during my hunt for something regarding this.

  11. The next time I read a blog, I hope that it does not fail me just as much as this particular one. I mean, I know it was my choice to read, nonetheless I actually believed you would probably have something useful to talk about. All I hear is a bunch of whining about something you could fix if you were not too busy looking for attention.

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