"Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude"
-Zig Ziglar
Hello API Job Corps Centers,
Today’s topic is positive attitude. We know that one of the only things we have control over is our attitude. There is a great deal of research on the emotional and physical benefits of a positive attitude! Your attitude is a settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something, typically one that is reflected in a person's behavior. Your attitude can be a habit and, like most habits, needs to be examined to see if it is serving you well.
Beverly Merz shares some suggestions for maintaining a positive attitude from the Harvard Special Health Report and they can easily be adopted to our work on our Job Corps centers:
Savor pleasure. Make every attempt to focus on everyday pleasures (a smile from a student, a pat to your dog or cat, a good hair day, a great lunch, etc.). Focus on all the wonderful things that are happening right before your eyes. A Job Corps Center is full of positive pleasures we can all relish.
Practice gratitude. Try keeping a gratitude journal, in which you regularly write down things for which you are grateful. When we focus on what we are thankful for, more things to be thankful for manifest!
Cultivate mindfulness. Do your best to focus on the present moment. Being mindful helps you become fully engaged in activities and creates a greater capacity to deal with things that don’t go so well. Worrying about the future or regretting the past do nothing to create a satisfying experience in the here and now.
Retain a sense of purpose. Given COVID-19 and all the loses we have experienced this past year, it is normal to experience grief over things that have changed. We all have a “new normal” and it is important to keep your life as routine as possible and to focus on what you can control. Follow a regular sleep schedule, get enough exercise, eat healthy meals, and stay in touch with friends and family. We can see the end of COVID-19. You all have come so far and appreciating the things in life you have accomplished is important. Valuing your ability to weather COVID-19 will help you maintain a positive attitude.
Emphasize the positive. It is always possible to focus on the positive aspects of a situation. That is how people acquire resilience—the ability to bounce back from bad times. Resilience helps you weather the any loss you may experience.
We have learned of another center with an outbreak and now needs to shelter in place. Although the end is in sight, COVID-19 remains a danger. Please continue to be cautious. As always, be honest on your daily attestation forms, wear an approved mask and wear it over your nose, and social distance.
Dr. Wild
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