One of the saddest things in this world is pushing away a loved one due to a narrow mindset. A parent that is set in their ways will often fail to be accepting of their child’s choices. This can lead the child to resent their parent. If the parent and the child knew how to compromise, by changing their attitudes, it would lead to a healthier relationship. Unfortunately, the truth of the matter is that many people do not know how to implement change to their attitudes to better their lives. This skill is often overlooked as not being necessary. Even when people do want to change their attitudes for the better, they often do not know how to go about doing that. If they knew how to successfully change, then they may have had many different opportunities presented to them that they never would have thought possible. 

Learning how to effectively implement change to one’s attitude can open many doors for a person. It can allow a person to view a situation from a more positive angle, and give them insight to solutions that they may not have seen before (Reck). A more positive perspective can be used to yield better results in almost any situation. If a person wishes to change their attitude, it helps to know that this may be a bigger challenge than they initially thought. A person that is wanting to change their attitude must go through a certain process to do so. 

One of the major factors that hinders people from changing is that they become stuck in their ways. From a young age, we start to develop traits that follow us throughout life. These traits become harder and harder to break as we age (Priestly). They become embedded in our very core and affect our decisions daily. After around age 20, the openness of people tends to decline (Marks). Meaning that making changes while you are young will tend to be more successful. That’s not to say that change at a later age cannot be accomplished. It just takes more effort, understanding, and patience from the person trying to change their attitude. Another factor that causes people to be weary of making change is fear of the unknown (Lawrence). Imagine that you are walking down a dark street at night. Your brain rushes to imagine all the negative possibilities that may occur. It becomes daunting and leaves you anxious even though deep down you know that you will most likely make it home just fine. This subconscious fear leads people to stray away from the task of changing. It is imperative to know that there will be problems that arise from trying to change (Rick). Knowing what these problems are and preparing for them will lead to a better chance at succeeding (Bond). 

With the negative aspects out of the way, it helps to understand why people would want to change their attitude in the first place. The reasons behind this are be endless. When one wants to change their attitude, it is usually for the better and can lead to serious life-changing benefits. It is said that people with positive attitudes will tend to enjoy life more than others (Reck). Keeping a negative attitude can also hurt your relations with those around you (Reck). And lastly, keeping a positive attitude will make you better equipped to overcome adversities (Reck). Since keeping a positive attitude comes with so many positive benefits, it should be a no brainer that learning to change your attitude, into a positive one of course, is a necessary skill. Not enough people realize just how vital of a skill this can be.  

Once a person has decided to begin the journey of change, it helps to follow a process (Pardo del Val). The beginning step is to assess where you’re at and why it is that you want to change your attitude. It always helps to take an introspective view on a situation. It will help you gain clarity and focus on what it is that is causing the need for change. Make sure that your need for change is brought on by morally right reason. If you come to find out that you are trying to change because of outside influences, it will often lead to failure. Don’t let others influence your decision to change. The only person in your life that can influence your decision to change is yourself. After taking the time to realize why it is that you want to change, you will be better prepared to make the necessary adjustments to your attitude. 

 The next step involves breaking up the task of changing into smaller sections. Think of how you can tackle small problems, with regards to your attitude, to reach your end goal. The famous quote, “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” reflects this idea. If you try to change your whole attitude at one time, you will quickly become overwhelmed and feel like you cannot accomplish the goal. Once you begin changing small facets about your attitude, they will start to work together and you will accomplish the task. 

The final step is to make the changes you have made “stick.” In order to do this, it helps to reflect on how you’ve grown as an individual. Thinking about how this change has positively affected your life will make you want to keep up the progress. Never forget about the goal you had when you first started the challenge of change. Keep in mind how detrimental it would be to go back to where you started from. Actively striving to change for the better, even after accomplishing your goal, will help you keep up the progress as well (Latham). If you keep these tips in mind, then the change will be hard to get rid of. 

Although this process seems simple and straightforward, think of how many people in your life have said they would change for the better and end up failing. Along with the previous steps, one should follow a few guidelines to help them along the process. One must really be willing to make the change from within themselves (Edberg). It is one thing to say you will do something, it is another to actively pursue doing that task. Try your best to be courageous and willing to make the change. It will take you outside of your comfort zone to change your attitude (Edberg). Also, analyze your environment and see if that may be holding you back. If you surround yourself with people that want to remain in the same cycle their whole life then it will be harder for you to break your own cycle (Edberg). The famous quote, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again,” rings true here. Trying to change your attitude will not be easy and the sad truth is that you may end up failing (Edberg). Use this failure as motivation, a spark even, to keep trying until you succeed. Do not let failure be an excuse to tweak the method of changing (Latham). Many times, when people experience setbacks they try to tweak the formula in order to achieve different results. That will not happen in this case and will only lead to setbacks. Lastly, it will also help to have a support system, such as family or friends. Having someone to keep you on track will help your chances at succeeding (Edberg). 

All of these steps and tips will allow you to accomplish the task of changing your attitude. Be weary of people that will try to say that you will fail. Many people in this world are negative and would like nothing more than for you to stoop to their level. Never let there “can’t” be a lasting word in your mind (Chahal). It seems that just because they have failed at tasks it somehow means that you will too. It’s unfortunate but with all things in life, you will face resistance. You must look past the naysayers and keep the goal of changing your attitude above all. Once you have accomplished changing your attitude, you won’t even remember those that were trying to bring you down.  

The reason that this process is successful is because it makes it simple for a person to follow. However, they must stick strictly to the plan in order to achieve changing their attitude, there is no room for error (Pardo del Val). Just like in business, the ones who succeed are those who use the most practical methods of change (Coch). Businesses also need to know the best method of making change in order to see the best cooperation from their employees (Quast). The model explained in the essay is derived from models that are used in the business world. 

While using this model, it is important to realize that confidence also plays a major role in changing. In order to not change too drastically you must be comfortable and in tune with who you are as a person. Change is important, but it is also important to not lose yourself along the way. Your core values should carry with you through this metamorphosis.  All you’re looking to do is become a better version of your current self. Putting on a façade for yourself and others will only hinder you in the long run, even if you believe that your intentions are good. The spark that ignites change must come from the inside. 

Repeating past behaviors that you have grown accustomed to will set you back in your progressive journey. You have to break old habits in order to gain new and better ones. The quote, “In with the new, out with the old,” heavily ties into this idea. Although it is true that old habits die hard, following the steps previously mentioned and carrying through with them is a good way to start breaking them. The only thing that will end those habits for good is yourself and your willpower. Stay focused on the task of breaking these habits and you will eventually be rid of them. 

There are people out there that do not realize that they need to make a change to their attitude in order to improve their life. They don’t understand that their negative attitude will be detrimental towards the well-being of others and themselves. However, arrogance is not an excuse for living this type of life. These people are often times not accepting of change because they are not accustomed to it, and may not even believe that they are in the wrong at all. If someone is unwilling to make a change then they most likely never will. Change must be voluntary in order for it to be effective. Because of this, there is a need to educate people on the topic of change so that they are more aware of the steps that they need to take in order to make their lives better. Understanding that there is a problem in the first place will lead more people down to be made aware that they need to change. Self-analyzation is an important factor in making change. If more people knew how to change their attitude, the world would be a better place. 

On the other hand, there are individuals out there that would like to make a change but cannot find the motivation to do so. These people may be suffering from some type of ailment, even depression, which would leave them to believe that they have no hope of changing their attitude. When the truth of the matter is that change is possible for anyone who puts effort into it. For the individuals that find that they are unmotivated it is suggested to seek out medical help, or some type of support system to remind them that the opportunity of change is always available. Even if changing your attitude seems like an uphill battle, it is one that is worth fighting. 

As something to consider, there are those out there that claim that trying to change is an inevitable process. A claim is made that states, “The one new certainty you have in your life in these fast moving and evolving times; is CHANGE” (Horton). While this is true to an extent, it is not as white and black as it is made to be. People go through changes every day, but the kind of change to your attitude that allows you to be a more open person doesn’t just happen on a whim. People reading this article could get the wrong idea that they shouldn’t actively pursue change. If it is inevitable then why go out and make it yourself? 

Another argument that can be made against this essay is that it is easy to make change and does not require a process. The people that would think this are most likely living a lie. To make a lasting change requires time and effort, something that the people arguing against this have probably not put in. A blogger makes a claim that, “change is easy. You thought about something. You decided to do it and you did it” (Coster). While this seems well and good on the surface level, it does to any major form of change, or real life scenarios. To make the kind of lasting change that will impact your life, it takes more thought than this blogger would have you believe. He also states that, “Change happens because of action” (Coster). This is a part of the process, but it is missing the two other major steps. An action without a plan is seemingly useless. 

In closing, in order for someone to change their attitude it must become a priority. They will have to devote their willpower and time towards reaching this goal. Following a proper plan is crucial to succeeding with change. Having a positive mindset and confidence throughout the process will also help. Don’t allow negative emotions to control your life and inhibit you from changing. If you feel that the challenge of changing your attitude is too big for you to handle on your own, feel free to seek help from others. Be prepared for individuals that will try to tear you down or doubt you along the way. This journey will make you aware that anything worth accomplishing won’t come easy. Be aware that there may be unexpected challenges when trying to change your attitude. You must be ready to overcome any obstacle that gets in your way. Once a person gains the skill of successfully changing their attitude, they will be ready for whatever life throws their way. Some people may claim to know a faster and more practical substitute to making change, but their claims do not hold up. The method included in this essay is an excellent resource to get started with making change to one’s attitude. However, this resource will not do everything for you. You will still have to adhere to it and stay motivated on making change. 
