No matter the situation, your own attitude is the strongest factor in the outcome.  How you see events — positive or negative or neutral — is all up to you.

At this time of year, at least in the United States, people celebrate Thanksgiving with family and give thanks for what is working in their lives.  Or, they don’t.

In December, we celebrate several different holidays.  Again, people may be with family and friends, having a good experience.  Or, they won’t. 

Either way, how people perceive this “holiday season” determines their experience of it.  It all starts and ends in our perceptions, our thoughts and our feelings about what ever is happening to us and around it. 

The same is true in business, in our careers, in our personal relationships and in our view of the world.  What see/think/feel is all determined by our own attitude to it.  What we "expect" to happen - good, bad or neutral - also affects what does happen.

For example, if we call a business on the phone and get put on hold, we can expect that it will take a long time and not get resolved.  Or, we can expect that people will be polite and helpful, and the matter will get resolved.

If we are taking a trip across town, we can expect a lot of traffic or we can expect to get to our destination easily and smoothly.  

And, the list goes on.  

Because our thoughts are inside us, we tend to forget that they are just our thoughts.  They are not reality.  Our reality is created by our thoughts and our feelings and our actions — not the other way around.  Yes, accidents happen.  Yes, unexpected events happen.  Yes,  surprises happen. 

And how we deal with them is part of how we see the world.  

A few of my favorite quotes come to mind:  

• "People don't see the world as it is; they the world as they are." (Stephen Covey)

• "Reality is state of mind." (Barbara Taylor)

• "If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours."  (Henry David Thoreau)

Why are some people always successful and others always having disasters?  The reason: their attitude is the key difference.  People who believe in their hearts in something and go all out to make it happen, often achieve success beyond their own wildest dreams.  

If you know someone who is always having troubles and drama in their life, pay attention to how they express themselves, how much they complain, how they just "know" that something bad is going to happen.  They are like a magnet for negative stuff in their life.  And, it does.  

If you know someone who always seems "lucky" or "content," notice how they express themselves, now they always expect good things to happen to them and how they are able to adjust easily when events are unexpected.  They are a magnet for good things to happen in their life.  And, it does.  

Some things to consider:

• What events have happened in your life recently and how did you view them?  Was it positive (you like it) or negative (you didn’t like it) or neutral (you don't care one way or the other).
• When something "bad" happens, are you able to see the situation differently? Are you able to adjust and find another way to cope with the situation? 
• When unexpected schedule changes happen, are you able to shift your view so that you are not angry, rather are able to adjust, adapt and go with the new schedule?
• Are you able to see the possibility of a larger purpose behind what might seem like "bad news"?

If you can do all of those, you have an attitude that is able to help you cope with life’s day-to-day realities.

If you are not able to adjust easily, you can learn how.  There are many resources to help you learn to have a more positive attitude or to help learn how to adjust your thinking to let go of old patterns of behavior or thoughts that can keep you from fulfilling your own best life.

A few resources that we especially like are the Daily Motivator and Notes from the Universe.  Each changes their messages every day and provides positive new ways to see life.

There are probably hundreds of other websites that provide tips and many books on how to have a better attitude about life.  

Not only is a positive attitude a good thing for coping and creating success, it is good for your physical health as well as your psychological health and your emotional health as proven in many scientific studies.

Monitoring your attitude may require the help of your friends.  It may take you a bit of time to learn to stop your habit of expecting the worst to accepting the best life has to offer you.  It might mean changing some habits and thought patterns.  Is a better, happier, healthier life worth a little effort?  

The choice is yours.  Do you want to feel good every day?  Do you want more success in your life?  If so, your own attitude is the starting place.

Wishing you a delightful holiday season for 2010.