9 Things You Should Start Doing Today to Fix Your Bad Attitude

Winston Churchill once rightly said, “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.”

After all, it was his sheer determination and unwavering positive attitude that helped England win the Second World War. Simply put, your attitude defines who you are.

If you have a bad attitude, you are less likely to lead a successful and fulfilling life. Being positive, optimistic, and resilient, on the other hand, can help you turn a bad day around, filling your life with laughter and joy.

How to Fix Your Bad Attitude

Here are nine things you can start doing to fix your bad attitude.

1. Accept You Have a Bad Attitude

Nobody is born with a bad attitude, it is something you develop over the years through the experiences that shape your perspective, the people you interact with and the things you have been through.

If you have gone through a rough patch, you are more likely to develop a bad attitude towards life. However, this also means you can change it.

Therefore, the first thing you need to do is accept that you have a bad attitude and accept that it is mostly responsible for your negative outlook towards life.

With acceptance, it becomes clear that your bad attitude is the outcome of distorted memories. Usually, these memories are nothing but incorrect interpretations of past situations.

In other words, your pessimistic attitude rests on false assumptions that you believe to be true. Thus, accepting that you have a bad attitude can bring you a step closer to identifying what needs to be changed.

2. Identify What Needs to Be Changed

Once you have accepted that you have a bad attitude, analyze past situations when your behavior was out of control.

Did you snap at your colleague because you were feeling lonely? Did you fight with your spouse because your promotion was turned down? You have to find the underlying cause, you have to find what triggers those reactions.

Only an honest and in-depth analysis can reveal the truth. So, try to be as straightforward as possible. Make it a point to avoid acting rashly or reacting to a situation without figuring out what is bothering you.

This way, you will be able to stop a situation from being blown out of proportion.

3. Stay in Positive Company

As mentioned earlier, the people you interact with can influence your personality to a great extent. As they say, “Show me your friends and I’ll tell you who you are.” So, choose your friends wisely.

Some people love to inflict their negativity on others. In fact, they feed on negative feelings. Stay far away from them because keeping the company of such people will turn you into a pessimist. The people you should be looking for are positive and optimistic men and women who can fill your life with happiness.

Positive people will not necessarily change your circumstances immediately, but their company will certainly change your attitude over time. Professionally, they will help you become productive and deal with stress effectively. They will help you develop a compassionate perspective towards life as well.

4. Act with Purpose

A life without purpose is a journey without a destination. Aimless actions neither help you develop a positive attitude nor help you utilize your time and resources optimally. They, however, do throw you into the abyss of negativity, impregnating you with a destructive attitude eventually.

Setting short-term and long-term goals is a great way to lead a purposeful life. Every action you take must serve your end goals, one way or another. Whenever things start going awry, visualize your goals to avoid going back to your old attitude.

For example, if you are having a bad day, try to look forward to the weekend trip planned with your family instead of dwelling on the harsh day.

You don’t have to focus only on your greater goals always. You also need to focus on your daily goals. They may be simple, but daily goals will help you live in the moment and enjoy even the most mundane tasks. They can help you develop an enthusiastic attitude towards the smallest things in your life.

5. Get out of the Situation and Move On

Overthinking about a situation does nothing but provide ammunition to your negative attitude. Though humans have an inherent tendency to overthink, the consequences can be fatal if it spirals out of control. It can weaken your self-confidence and your ability to solve problems, resulting in a negative attitude. It is also associated with depression.

The more you dwell on your past, the harder it becomes to develop a positive perspective. So, stop ruminating over your past and learn to move on. Redirect your attention to your daily goals. Resist the urge to talk about the situation with your friends and family members unless your mind is completely calm.

6. Keep a Forgiveness Journal

Practicing forgiveness can help turn your bad attitude around. One of the easiest ways to practice forgiveness is to keep a forgiveness journal. Once you have calmed down completely, try to find out what caused the situation to escalate by writing it down.

The purpose of the journal is not just to forgive others, but even yourself. The intention is to help you identify the factors responsible for your behavior. So, describe your feelings (good and bad) in detail without exaggerating.

Start journaling for 10 to 15 minutes every day, preferably before going to bed, as you can record the day’s account before it slips out of your mind completely.

An extra advantage of keeping a journal is that you have a collection of great memories and accomplishments. You can go through these pages if you ever feel depressed in the future.

7. Find a Hobby and Indulge

Overwhelming stress at work can affect our personal lives as well. An increasing number of people are leading an empty life that involves nothing but running to their offices every morning. As a result, people have become too busy to nurture inner satisfaction and enjoy the happiness it brings.

If you want to change your attitude and lead a fulfilling life, you must do something rewarding outside your work. That’s why you need at least one hobby that can shield your mind from all the negativity out there. In fact, it will give you a sense of self-efficacy, make you feel passionate about life, and give your tired mind a creative outlet.

Your hobby can be anything, including reading, photography, bird watching, painting or learning a new skill. The only condition is it should be something that enables you to lose yourself and forget about time, it should make you feel like a better person. Perhaps, you can turn your hobby into a full-time career one day.

8. Count Your Blessings

Gratitude has the power to fill your life with pleasure and satisfaction. Unfortunately, in the modern world, happiness is often associated with material things.

Though material things can bring you instant gratification, they can’t offer happiness in the long term. If you feel that the lack of luxuries is making you miserable, chances are you are taking all the real blessings in your life for granted.

Instead of pursuing material things, you need to think of your loving friends and family members who stood by you during the highs and lows of your life and are still standing by you. Having a healthy body is a blessing, so is having a roof over your head and a warm meal that fills your belly.

Make it a practice to appreciate these good things in your life every day, as it will help you focus on positive thoughts.

9. Get Meditating and Exercising

Physical and mental health goes hand in hand. Exercising not only leads to weight loss but also helps develop a positive attitude. If you want to achieve your healthy weight loss goals, then it is important to have an estimated energy requirement. You can utilize a simple eer calculator to calculate your eer or estimated energy requirements.

During a workout, your body stimulates chemicals (endorphins and serotonin) that improve your mood. That’s why you feel fresh even after a few minutes of working out. Exercise also helps improve your sleep cycle, which increases your concentration and productivity.

You can go for a jog, take a walk, play your favorite outdoor sport, or join a gym.

Meditation and yoga can also improve your mental health.

While yoga keeps your body fit, meditation helps your mind relax. Meditation can also help you control your emotional outbursts during stressful situations. So, make sure to create a daily workout routine that includes a combination of exercise, meditation, and yoga.

Conclusion

Life is a roller-coaster ride, only positive attitude can help you achieve success and happiness, as it will improve your mental and physical response to stressful situations.

Fortunately, you have the power to turn your bad attitude around. These nine tips will help in this regard.

What steps have you taken to change your pessimistic attitude?