The Right Mental Attitude is the key to happiness and achievement.The Right Mental Attitude is I think the key to achieving almost anything. Here is a famous quote by Thomas Jefferson that I’ve carried round with me for a long time. “ Nothing can stop the man with the Right Mental Attitude from achieving his goal” Just lately I started to wonder what exactly this is? Why is it there almost effortlessly one day and frustratingly absent the next? How can you harness it’s power and tune in to the correct attitude at will? We’ve all had days when we tackle something with the right attitude and by doing so the job seems easy and enjoyable. The project could really be quite daunting but we breeze along and usually achieve more, if anything, than we expect. I’m working out every morning in the gym (on days I don’t play golf!) as part of a weight and fitness plan. This morning I got in there and felt I could do any thing. I was strong and determined and raring to go! As I was training, I wondered why this morning should be so different to other mornings, when the mere thought of 40 mins on a rower or cross trainer would have me feeling weary! I started to work out what was different about this morning and to determine if I could create a habit of this Right Mental Attitude. If I was able to turn this on at will surely everything I did would flow effortlessly and productively. Sleep. Sleep is tremendously important. It is not something I do well, often waking up after a few hours to spend the next couple of hours with my mind racing. However when you sleep well, the body and mind are properly refreshed and you are clear headed and energetic. Exercise. Regular aerobic exercise helps to not only keep the body in shape but to create feelings of confidence and a positive outlook. This goes together with the quality of sleep. If you are really physically tired when you go to bed you have a better sleep and there is less likely-hood of the mind running away with you in the middle of the night! Food. Nutritious fresh food, is another major factor. This aids productive exercise. I’ve also felt massively better by reducing the quantity of food that I eat. It is so easy to eat much more than we actually require with out even noticing it. By gradually reducing portion sizes and coupling this with regular exercise you feel confident, which in turn helps you to be positive about your life. Right Mental Attitude. With all the physical things in place getting the RMA becomes easier. However there are other factors which play a part. The goal is to be able to create this attitude and make it work for you when you want it. It needs to become a habit. So how do we do this? Self Talk or Affirmations. Talk yourself into the frame of mind needed. Change the pattern of your emotions or thinking by talking to yourself. Decide on a few motivating words which are memorable, snappy and reflect your aims. Have a ‘before,’ ‘during’ and ‘after’ mantra. The importance of this is in the repetition. You are re-programming your mind and belief system by literally repeating it so many times that you believe it to be true. So perhaps your goal, (like me) is to get fitter and healthier, before exercise you may say…“Today I’m going to enjoy becoming fitter and healthier.” During the exercise. “ This is going well. This is easy. I can do this.”After the workout “ I am fit. I am healthy. I feel great” You can use this for mentally preparing before anything you have to do. The key is to … focus and remind your mind what you are about to do, to keep it on track while you do it and then to affirm your continued success. The problem is that often unless we develop this reminder system, and cultivate it as habit. We forget! Although we intend not to eat more than we need for dinner, because we haven’t focused on our desire we have that extra portion. Then of course too late we remember! that we were meant to be going easy! Go the extra mile! Unless we constantly go that ‘extra mile,’ we will not get the real feelings of satisfaction. It’s necessary to stretch ourselves each time a little bit beyond that which we think we are capable of. What happens is that we find we can do it. It makes us feel good and we have then a new point at which to push forward from. It reinforces the Right Mental Attitude and we are well on our way to success and enjoying the process!
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