What’s Your Attitude?

young happy children kids family preparing funny cookies in kitchen at home

Have you ever heard the expression “Attitude is Everything”? I don’t know who first coined it but it’s one of my favorite expressions. To me it means if you have a good attitude then you’ll have at the very least a decent experience. If you have a lousy attitude chances are that you won’t enjoy what you’re doing at all.

If you go into learning something with the attitude that you can’t do it – no way will you be able to tackle this task successfully. Then, for sure, you will absolutely fail miserably. Not only that, but I’m fairly certain that the experience will be so bad you won’t want to try again.

However; if you try something new with an upbeat, positive attitude you will probably succeed. Even if you make mistakes and even if something is difficult or challenging if you have a good attitude about it you WILL make progress. Better than that, you will probably enjoy what you’re doing or learning.

This also translates to effort. If you give something a half-hearted try and little or no positive energy the task will probably be difficult and take much longer than if you tackle something head on with lots of energy.

Attitude is a powerful and useful tool we all have in our toolbox.

We can talk ourselves into having a really bad attitude or into having a really good attitude. It’s all in the spin.

I’m sure you’ve had at least one conversation over the years where someone is telling you how boring, awful, difficult (add any negative descriptive word you want) something will be. This person hasn’t yet had the experience but even before it begins they’ve sabotaged themselves because their attitude is terrible. There’s no doubt the event will be no fun for this person.

Then there’s the conversation during which someone is telling you about how much they are looking forward to trying (or going to or participating in) something. Their energy is positive and the enthusiasm the person has for whatever it is they are about to do is so infectious it almost makes you wish you were going along too.

I’m sharing this with you because your attitude rubs off on those around you – particularly your family. I’m thinking particularly about young children and household chores.

If you, as the parent, approach household tasks with a long face, a sigh, and a comment about how it’s too bad these household chores have to be done. All the while you’re dragging your feet and moving about as fast as molasses. Your children see and hear you doing these things. There’s no wonder, then, that they balk at doing household chores themselves. After all, they’ve learned to dislike doing them from you.

However, if you as the parent tackle these tasks with a smile on your face with music playing and a positive attitude then the tasks will go by faster and your children may even want to help!

When your children either see you do household chores or help you with these tasks they are learning several valuable lessons.

1. Household chores are a part of a functioning home
2. They learn how to do the chores – they can help empty the dishwasher, make the bed, take out the trash, set the table, fold the laundry and put it away – the list goes on
3. They learn that when everyone pitches in the chores go faster
4. When they move out on their own doing chores will be no big deal

If you have children or grandchildren at home this summer, consider having them help you with some basic chores around the house. Remember that your attitude in approaching these chores will influence them and you are doing them a favor by teaching them valuable life skills.