Have you ever woken up in the morning dreading what that day had in store for you? Of course. I have a feeling that a lot of us will be feeling this way because of semester finals. Or maybe you have a very stressful event that will be taking place this week or something of that sort. Not everyday can be a great day, but maybe…better. I have a theory, if you will, that if you start the day out with a great attitude, then your day will be that much better. You’ll get out of it what you put into it, in so many words.

If you try to have an optimistic attitude on life it will make little trials easier to endure. Let’s use an example: Cindy hasn’t been doing to well in her math class. She decides that she needs to study extra hard to pull a decent enough grade on her upcoming test. So she studies for hours even until the wee hours of the morning the night before her test to insure her an A. She finally gets to math that day, takes the test, and feels confident in her answers. She gets the test back…D+.

Negative attitude: Cindy’s day is ruined. She’s immediately in a horrid attitude. She throws her stuff around and secretly curses her teacher. “How dare he give me that grade! Does he know how long I studied for that stupid thing?!” She stomps to her next class and is still steaming. She is too flustered to really concentrate on her work in that class. Her parents are going to kill her when she gets home. Cindy goes the rest of the day smarting off at her friends and giving attitude to anyone she comes in contact with.

Positive attitude: Cindy’s immediately upset. She studied really hard for that test. She inquires of the teacher if there is any possible way to make up for the awful grade. The teacher respects her concerns and helps her out a little. She goes to her next class and concentrates on her work better. She goes home and talks things out with her parents. Cindy goes the rest of the day laughing with her friends and is overall having an alright day.

These examples may be a tad simplistic, but you catch my drift. A better attitude can have an effect on not only you but those around you. You never know what a simple smile can do to help brighten someone’s day. Yeah, life is hard, but having a better attitude can help more than you expect. So, here’s the challenge: go a whole day with a positive attitude. See what happens. I know you won’t be disappointed (because that wouldn’t be a positive attitude)