Encourage your children to embrace a positive attitude

Life is full of people who are oriented toward negativity. They look at life with a pessimistic attitude. They don’t appreciate what others are doing. They don’t believe in themselves. Even where it is obvious that it is possible, they will show an attitude of impossibility and failure. The spirit of criticism and failure is their portion. It takes them a long time to believe that things will work out well.

Some of these people are hard to convince to take up a big idea. When they finally buy into your idea, they are full of procrastination. They can’t believe in themselves, and they think that life is hard for them. We are now in times of economic hardship, and they can only see trouble in this season, nothing else. Whatever you mention, what comes to their mind is that the economy is bad and life is hard.

An attitude is the way you think or feel about something, and this involves your mind, emotions, beliefs, and character. This affects the way you view life, perceive things, make decisions, and draw conclusions. A positive attitude is, in one sense, a mental attitude that sees the good and the accomplishments in your life, rather than the negative and the failures.

It is good for our children to understand that the way we perceive things in life or view ourselves determines how we become successful and prosperous. If a person looks at life with a negative attitude and perceives themselves as a failure, chances are that he/she will not take a step forward. A lack of a positive attitude creates a season of fear, hopelessness, faithlessness, anxiety, stress, and a world without a clear picture of the future.

A child with negative attitudes perceives life from one angle, it’s hard for them to dream big, and you can’t convince them to take risks, and thinking outside the box is next to impossible. Such an attitude can affect their intellectual ability and creativity.

It is good for children and even adults to be optimistic and avoid procrastination. When someone focuses on procrastination, he is drilled behind a lot, and time can’t wait for them. The time lost may be a lost opportunity. They need to know that in life, we need to keep a positive attitude no matter what. It is this that preserves their energy to move forward and stay focused. It helps in managing stress and incidences of losing hope.

A person with a positive attitude wishes others well and maintains good relationships. They don’t feel very offended when disappointed in life by anyone. They are able to treat themselves with self-care. They are more empathetic, understanding, and compassionate toward others.

Whereas failures may happen in their lives, they will never define their future if they are strong-willed and hopeful amidst difficult situations. While negative people expect the worst in tough situations. Our children should mirror themselves as more than conquerors through Christ who loves them (Romans 8:37), and can do all things through Christ who strengthens them (Philippians 4:13). They look at every challenge as an opportunity to thrive and get the most out of it. Problems for them are like stepping stones to their victory.

At the workplace, they offer their best, try to be innovative, are full of ideas, and don’t let pressure consume them like fire. They also respect their bosses, and they are good team players. They don’t easily give up; they see solutions where others think they are squeezed into the wall. They can easily engage anyone and are good at negotiations. They paint a good face to the employer, even if things may seem harder.

All in all, we all need a positive attitude to be able to give our best in life and stay focused. We can make it a point to remain positive amidst challenging situations and aim to see light at the end of the tunnel.

Dickson Tumuramye, child advocate, parenting coach, marriage counsellor