Attitude with Sherrie Dunlevy

What is Attitude?

Attitude describes how you feel, what you believe, and how you act towards family, friends, school, work, environment, etc.  Attitudes change as you learn and experience more in life.

For example, if you are raised with family who enjoy outdoor activities, hiking, skiing, and competing in sports, you are likely to feel positively about all of those things.  If you then become involved in robotics in school, you may lose interest in outdoor activities, and want to spend your time researching, building, and rebuilding robots.  Your upbringing influences your attitude.  Your experiences can change your attitude.  Wanting to change, and working at it, will definitely transform your attitude.

Attitude is a Skill

Sherrie DunLevy further explains that feelings are internal – a state of mind.  Attitude is external – a skill that can be learned and modified, and help you succeed.  She emphasizes that acting positive can cause you to become positive – “Fake it “til you make it.”

Developing a good attitude in school, makes it easier to develop a professional attitude in the workplace.  To nurture a good attitude, try to be positive in everything you say, using a welcoming tone of voice, gestures and body language.  Start with a smile.

Don’t forget to dress appropriately (following the rules of your school and workplace) and maintain good hygiene.

Having a Positive Attitude

Being careful how you approach problems is essential.  Neither teachers nor managers want to hear “No. That can’t work.”  Instead, try to approach problems with “How can we make it work.”  Being creative, willing to try new things, to make mistakes, and learn from those mistakes takes courage but will lead you to new discoveries.

Sherrie reviews other methods of developing a professional attitude.

Having a positive attitude can change your life.  Taking the time to develop this life skill will be worth it, in the joy and success you will achieve.