Our attitude is one of our most potent tools. It’s difficult to imagine one thing you have more control over that can also create as much positive impact for you and for the people around you. And best of all, it’s a tool that everyone has equal access to. Attitude doesn’t care what your GPA or test scores are, whether you’re rich or poor, where you went to college, or whether you can run fast, speak to large audiences, solve differential equations, or write publishable work. It’s there, just waiting to be unleashed.
What if you made the choice today, tomorrow, and every day after that to:
Be kind
Assume good intentions
Engage more meaningfully
Be hopeful
Recognize what’s good about other people
Be curious
Keep an open mind
Choose optimism
Forgive
Withhold judgement
Be grateful
Notice what’s gone right
Be patient
Every one of them is a choice. Maybe not an easy one, but none of us are hardwired to do or not do these things.
If you really did them, imagine how much improvement you’d see in your happiness, relationships, job, schooling, and yes, even your chances of admission to college.
The tool is right there, just waiting to be used. And the choice you make to use it could change everything.