by B.J. Armstrong

August... a hot summer month. It's the end of another season and almost time for a change to fall. Cooler weather and hopefully a change in your attitude. Just as yawning or complaining can be contagious, so may enthusiasm or excitement also be a positive vital condition. Your attitude can "infect" others and ultimately affect the end result of a situation.

If you want to live a longer, healthier life, then you need to develop and maintain a "positive attitude". You have the power in you to change the way you think and what you believe. In doing so, you are open to changing your life.

How many times have you heard these words? "You need an attitude adjustment." Truthfully, attitudes are just that... adjustable! Just suppose someone pulls out in front of you in traffic and you get angry. You, yourself make the choice to get upset.

People or circumstances cannot "make" you feel anything at all. Because many of us do not take the time to think... we just "react" many times in a negative manner.
Almost always, you have the choice as to which attitude you have in any given situation. There are no set-in-stone rules that tell you how to react as situations unfold in your life.

Your attitude is the first thing that people pick up on when you meet each other. If you have a gloom-and-doom attitude, you could actually be killing yourself. If you want to live a longer and healthier life, then develop a positive attitude. Researchers conducted a study and found that people with a positive attitude were less likely to show signs of aging than those with a negative attitude.

Researchers from two American Universities found that your beliefs have a direct impact on your body and health because your beliefs actually alter your body's chemical balance. It really means that what you regularly think has a direct impact on your body. Therefore, what you think is what you believe and has a bearing upon your health.

So, how do you adjust your attitude?

1. Focus on the solution, not the problem.

2. If there's not a solution, accept it and move on.

3. Focus on the future, there's a vision for tomorrow.

4. Be grateful for what you have... it helps bring peace for today.

Yes, you can actually improve your life and your body by having a positive attitude along with a positive belief system. Only you have the ability and power to the way you think and believe. The choice is yours... in doing so, you are open to changing your life.

"If you don't like something, change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it." -Mary Engelbeit

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