Developing a confident attitude toward goals can set you up for success right from the beginning. Whether you’re looking to advance your career, improve your health, or be more relaxed, developing a positive mental attitude toward goals can give you better outcomes and greater chances of success.
A positive attitude is not just forcing a smile through gritted teeth in the hopes of feeling better. It is something a lot more profound than that. When we adopt a positive attitude, we are using the power of our mind to remove thoughts and ideas that are no longer helping us to develop.
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How does your attitude affect your goals?
Having the right attitude can help you get far in life. And having the right attitude toward your ambitious goals is just as important.
When you have a positive mindset towards your goals, you can break free of the limitations that hold you back. It goes a long way when it comes to ensuring you can overcome obstacles. And it doesn’t just transform your mental health but also affects your physical and emotional well-being.
How to change your attitude
Learning how to change your attitude doesn’t need to be hard work.
You can change your negative attitudes towards your goals by working through these questions:.
- Think of a goal that you feel challenged to achieve.
- What is your attitude toward this goal?
- What specific challenges are preventing you from achieving your goal?
- In what ways can your attitude hinder your success? What do you feel, think and believe that may prevent you from achieving your objectives?
- In what ways can your attitude empower you? What are the most positive attitudes that have propelled you forward in the past? How did you approach your goal(s) at the time?
- Do you feel that your prevailing attitude is helping you or limiting you? Why?
- For each challenge listed above, brainstorm possible solutions.
- Pick your most viable solutions, create a plan to implement them, and get started.
- Using positive self-talk, what can you tell yourself to help you achieve the goal?
- To take control, what are some steps that you can take to get control as you move toward your goal?
- Come up with your own affirmation that will help you work toward your goal.
- Who can you talk to about your goal? Can you find a mentor who may be able to help you move forward? Who?
But let’s take this one step further. I’m going to answer all of these questions in relation to one of my personal goals.
Attitude, not Aptitude, determines Altitude.
Zig Ziglar
Think of a goal that you feel challenged to achieve.
I’d like to be able to run 5km without having to slow down to a walk, without having to stop to catch my breath and without having to stop because my legs hurt. This has been on my list of New Year’s resolutions too many times to count.
What is your attitude toward this goal?
I feel confident that with enough positive changes, like consistent training, I can achieve this.
I know that I may need to get out of my comfort zone a little and try to switch to a growth mindset.
What specific challenges are preventing you from achieving your goal?
My lack of training is making it hard to achieve my goal. I know I lack motivation, especially when the weather is bad.
I also have a bad attitude when it comes to the time frame of achievable goals. I think it will take too long to get the result that I want. So long, that I feel like it’s not even worth trying.
In what ways can your attitude hinder your success? What do you feel, think and believe that may prevent you from achieving your objectives?
I think that I can’t run when it’s cold because my lungs will have a harder time with the cold air.
I often don’t feel in the mood to go for a run, which is not the right mindset to have.
And I believe it will take too much time. Like months or maybe even a year, to get to where I want to be. And that just seems so far away that the burning desire just disappears.
In what ways can your attitude empower you? What are the most positive attitudes that have propelled you forward in the past? How did you approach your goal(s) at the time?
I know that you can get better at anything with enough practice.
And I think a lot of practice is all it’s really going to take for me to be able to run 5km without stopping or slowing down.
I think the management of my expectations could be a key factor. Perhaps giving myself lower expectations, in the beginning, to help me meet them.
Do you feel that your prevailing attitude is helping you or limiting you? Why?
In general, my personality often falls on the more negative or pessimistic side. I am really good at setting goals. Just not always that good at achieving them.
I also often compare myself to others. I know nothing of what they have done in terms of goal setting, I just see the final result and am envious.
For each challenge listed above, brainstorm possible solutions.
Find an accountability buddy because I know it has given me a positive outcome in the past. I know that I probably don’t need to find a running buddy, just someone that I will keep updated on my goal and my progress. It will also help me if they check in on me sometimes too.
I could attend a class at the gym that would help increase my lung capacity and overall fitness. Which will make it easier for my lungs and muscles to cope with running longer distances without slowing down.
I could also attend weekend running meetups. Not like the racing kind of meetup. Just where successful people meet at a park or a running track and run together for fun and fitness.
A personal trainer would also be a great solution. Providing new skills like specific exercises to help as well as coaching me on good running form to avoid injury.
I’m starting to notice a theme here. It looks like accountability is the key for me.
Creating a running schedule might also benefit me, making it less of a conscious choice. But at the same time, I know that I might get discouraged if I skip a day or two. I could make it a part of my morning routine or pencil it in for the end of the day.
Pick your most viable solutions, create a plan to implement them, and get started.
All of the solutions seem viable. But I think the easiest one is to have an accountability buddy. And I think it might help if they have something that they are working towards too. We can keep each other accountable for our goals.
Using positive self-talk, what can you tell yourself to help you achieve the goal?
My body is capable of running.
I know that with enough practice I can get better at anything.
To take control, what are some steps that you can take to get control as you move toward your goal?
Set a time and place to catch up with my accountability buddy. I think weekly would work best.
During each accountability meeting, I will reflect on what I achieved the previous week. Then outline what I plan to do this week to get closer to my goal.
Come up with your own affirmation that will help you work toward your goal.
I hate positive affirmations. But I understand the power of positive thoughts and positive thinking.
The more consistently I go running, the better I get at it.
Who can you talk to about your goal? Can you find a mentor who may be able to help you move forward? Who?
I think the accountability buddy would be perfect for this.
A personal trainer or someone in the running group could be a great fit for a mentor to provide advice and feedback.
Ways to improve your attitude
It might take a few tries to answer these questions before you feel like you’re making progress.
It can be hard to be honest with yourself sometimes.
Particularly if you write something down.
Once it’s out of your head and written down, it’s like it’s out in the world and you can’t change your mind or take it back (even though you can easily erase or dispose of it!).
But you can always change your goals or choose not to share your goals.
Once your attitude has improved, choose one of the 10 goal-setting frameworks to help you get started.
