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The Value of a Positive Attitude

A positive attitude is a key part to determine your success---it is. Believing you can succeed and treating the people around you with a positive attitude as well are both important to helping you find the success you want. However, you'll be hard pressed to find success even if you have the most sunny optimism if you don't focus in with some hard work, build your knowledge, plan for what you want, and build other foundational pieces of success.

Here are seven ways to build up your positive attitude. Practice them, young man!

Make lists of your own positive attributes. Better yet, see if you can get a friend to help you by making a list for you – I made a list like this for a friend once upon a time. Then, keep this list somewhere and look at it regularly. Remind yourself that you have a lot of positive attributes, and think about how you can do things so these attributes are accentuated.

Don't dwell on your failures. We're all going to fail sometimes. While it's useful to reflect on them a bit, it's not healthy to dwell on them. Identify mistakes made, figure out how to correct them, and then move on. You're not defined by your failures.

Make lists of the successes and positive attributes of those around you – and remind them of those successes when you can. Make a list of all of your regular coworkers and contacts and list a few positive attributes about each one – their knowledge, their insight, their communication skills, their logical skills, and so on. Then, be sure to focus on those skills – the good things they bring to the table – with every interaction.

Avoid thinking negatively about others – if you find yourself going negative, look for their positive attributes. No one's perfect. Sometimes people are going to rub you the wrong way. Other times, they'll do something not up to snuff, or they'll engage in behavior you don't agree with. Don't focus on that. Instead, think about their positive attributes – and let them know you see them in a positive way. Knowing that others see you as positive and look up to you is often a big push to get people to act in a positive fashion.



Never speak negatively of others. It's often tempting in the lunchroom to engage in snarky talk and office politics. Avoid it at all costs if you can. You're a lot better off interjecting with a "Hey, they're not all that bad..." and a positive comment than to pile on the negativity. If you can't say anything positive, don't say anything at all.

Surround yourself with positive people. If the people around you are constantly negative in their comments and actions towards others, it's time to look for a different circle. Focus on building friendships with people that engage you (and others) in positive ways.

Reduce your time spent in activities that make you feel bad about yourself. Then, fill that time with activities that are positive. For example, if you spend hours each night watching television programs that make you feel bad about yourself at night when you climb into bed, look for other forms of entertainment – uplifting and educational programming. Or, turn off the television entirely and engage in exercise or other activities that increase a positive feeling about yourself.


佳句精讲


However, you'll be hard pressed to find success even if you have the most sunny optimism if you don't focus in with some hard work, build your knowledge, plan for what you want, and build other foundational pieces of success.
然而,如果你不急中精力努力工作,建立知识体系,做好人生规划,储备其他基本的成功条件,即使你有最乐观的心态,也很难成功.
be hard-pressed to do sth:很难(做某事)
You would be hard-pressed to find a better secretary.
找一位更好的秘书很难.

While it's useful to reflect on them a bit, it's not healthy to dwell on them.
该句式使用while it's...,it's not...表示强烈的对比效应,肯定前半句的同时否定后半句.如果在演讲中使用该句式可以使演讲者增强语气,表达强烈的感情.dwell on意为"念念不忘,详述".
So you made a mistake, but there's no need to dwell on it.
你是错了,不过不必老是想着这事儿.

Make a list of all of your regular coworkers and contacts and list a few positive attributes about each one – their knowledge, their insight, their communication skills, their logical skills, and so on.
该句使用破折号表示举例说明.作者并没有使用类似such as这样的短语来举例,其目的是引起读者的关注. 所以在英语写作中,建议使用特殊的符号来起到强调作用,效果会更好.

核心词汇


Attribute: a quality or feature of sb/sth 属性;性质;特征
Patience is one of the most important attributes in a teacher.
耐心是教师最重要的品质之一.

Accentuate: to emphasize sth or make it more noticeable 着重;强调;使突出
Her short hair accentuated her huge eyes.
短发使她的大眼睛更加突出.

Rub sb. The wrong way: to make sb annoyed or angry, often without intending to, by doing or saying sth that offends them (无意中)惹人生气,触怒别人

Insight: the ability to see and understand the truth about people or situations 洞察力;领悟
a writer of great insight
有深刻洞察力的作家
With a flash of insight I realized what the dream meant.
我突然明白了这个梦意味着什么.

Up to snuff: 状况良好的
I'm not feeling up to snuff today.
我觉得今天身体不适.

Interject: to interrupt what sb is saying with your opinion or a remark 打断(别人的讲话);插话
"You're wrong," interjected Susan.
"你错了."苏珊插嘴说.