How To Have A Positive Attitude: It's Simple!

Having a Positive Attitude is simple.  

That may sound unbelievable, but let me explain.

This morning I was reading Cultivating A Positive Attitude by John C. Maxwell.  He said one thing  that really hit home with me - "Achieve a goal every day. Some people get into a rut of negativity because they feel they’re not making progress."

I live in the Indianapolis area.  We used to be Peyton Manning's town (I'm wiping the tears off my keyboard).  While Peyton will be sorely missed, there is one thing that he does that drives me crazy.  Let me demonstrate this pretend, but typical exchange between Peyton Manning and any give media person.

Media Person 1: "Peyton, have you thought at all about where you might play next?"

Peyton: "No.  I have just been working hard every day to get back to where I need to be."

Media Person 1: "You haven't thought at all about what's next?"

Peyton: "No.  I just do my best everyday to get back to playing football."

Mass Hysteria.......

Media Person 2: "Peyton some people say you are the greatest quarterback to ever play football.  How do you think getting cut by the Colts will affect your legacy?"

Peyton:  "I just love playing quarterback.  There are so many greats."

I'm just sitting there wondering if anyone in their right mind believes this crap.  I mean, who in that position wouldn't be thinking about where he is going to play next or how he will be remembered 10, 20, 30 years down the road.  Deep down, I have always wondered if Peyton Manning is a robot. It would explain a lot.

Not so long ago, it dawned on me - what if Peyton is being serious?  What if he really, honestly does his best at all times to focus on the moment to moment - on the next game.  If that is the case, maybe he isn't just a thorn in the side of the media outlets who are trying desperately to get a story.  Maybe he's on to something.

So I decided to give it a try.  I started to direct my attention away from whether or not my name will be legendary when I die (yes I think about these things.....pathetic I know).  I stopped getting caught up in whether or not I will ever live in one of those houses I saw on HGTV as a high schooler, and assumed all people get to live in at some point in their lives.  I stopped worrying about whether or not I will ever be perfect, or that my family will be perfect, or that my son will have a scholarship to college (he's 3), or when we will be 100% debt free, or what the heck the Colts are going to do next year.

Instead, I started thinking about making the moment count.  I found a simple devotional routine that gets me centered on Christ every morning.  I started a blog, and focus on getting the most out of every post.  Instead of getting anxious, negative, and frustrated about my progress towards our 5 year goals that I try to achieve in a week's time, I just focus on what needs to be done in the next hour.  And sometimes, I scrap it all and just hang out with my family.

I might not be a football player, but I think I've learned how to stay positive.  I guess you could describe it as simplicity.  See.....I told you having a positive attitude is simple!

Please tell the world how you keep a positive attitude.  Use the comment box below to lend a hand.