What do you think; do you need an attitude adjustment? So many of us do, and not the kind that comes from relaxing with a drink after a long day. We need a deeper attitude adjustment; one that delivers long-lasting, positive impact on the quality of our lives.

‍

Attitudes are feelings or outlooks that are internal to us. Unlike opinions that can change relatively rapidly, our attitudes tend to be more fixed. What's interesting is that our attitudes create habits of thought, which translate into unconscious behavior patterns. Herein lies the need for an attitude adjustment! Consider this example.

‍

You are driving on a superhighway. It's a gorgeous day; you're relaxed, listening to your favorite song; and you're driving the speed limit. But, as you come around a curve, you see a police speed trap. What is going to happen to your right foot? Intellectually you know you weren't speeding, but because of our basic attitudes about getting tickets, like the embarrassment of people gawking at you, etc., it's almost like your right foot developed a mind of its own; an unconscious habit of behavior directly linked to our attitudes!

‍

Where do our attitudes come from? Some authorities estimate that up to 95% of our basic personality is formed before the age of 5! (Our personality is the outer expression of our inner attitudes.) That means in order to understand how you are behaving today, you must go back to that very early period of your life. I'm not talking about therapy, but basic awareness. What is one of the first few words parents inevitably say to their child? It's "No" of course! As much of 75% of our early childhood conditioning is negative. In most instances parents aren't being malicious, but rather protective. "Don't touch that hot stove." "Don't run out into the street." "Don't talk with strangers."

‍

Here's the connection; most of our internal attitudes are formed at an early age, when, for better-or-worse, we receive a lot of negative conditioning. We carry the resulting negative attitudes into adulthood where they unconsciously influence our behavior - often in a limiting way; what we can't do instead of what we can do. Imagine how the admonition "don't talk to strangers" might affect someone in sales!

‍

The good news is that attitudes are developed and therefore can be changed, developed further, or improved. This is the attitude adjustment I recommend to you. You can change attitudes, but it must be a conscious attempt. Unless you make that attempt, because of the heavy, negative influence during the early stages of your life, you may be limiting your potential. It starts with the awareness I've shared with you above. Next up is developing a plan to replace limiting attitudes with empowering attitudes. If you can do it on your own, great, but if not, find someone who can help. The power is there for you to claim!