How Your Attitude Impacts Your Energy and Your Ability to Grow and Move Forward

Dr. Larry Cohen, Therapist and Life Coach, NJ Therapy and Life Coaching in Voorhees NJ (856) 352-5428 Contact NJ Therapy & Life Coaching

When I work with clients who feel lost, depleted, and unmotivated, I point the their pie of energy. This is a pie chart that is cut into pieces. Of the 100% energy you are provided with each day, where are you expending your energy? How much of your pie is devoted to your relationships or family, and how much is devoted to negative emotional states? Of your day, how much of the pie do you devote to the positive, and how much do you devote to the negative?

If you find yourself devoting energy to depressed feelings related to life circumstances, it is important to reclaim this energy to help motivate you to change your life. For example, if depressed feelings are the result of having a job you hate, you must change your attitude and reclaim this energy to motivate you to find another job. I have worked with people in this very situation, and their career problems sometimes lead to feeling depleted and unmotivated. They find themselves stuck and unable to look for a new job. Their attitude has claimed a large part of their daily energy, and they lack the motivation to find a new job.

Your attitude has a significant impact on your mood and level of motivation. A positive attitude brings back the energy you are expending on the negative and increases motivation to meet goals and overcome what is blocking you from meeting them. When you change your perspective and focus on the positive, you kick-start your level of motivation. Instead of expending energy on the negative and losing motivation, use your discontent to drive a motivation to change.

A negative attitude drains your energy and decreases your motivation. If you constantly focus on the negative and allow your situation to sap your valuable energy, you are more likely to be unfocused and unmotivated. If you sit in the negative, you are in what is called the “victim place.”

Powerlessness and Being In The “Victim” Place

Being in the victim place makes you believe that you are powerless to change your situation. You are more likely to feel overwhelmed and unmotivated. This causes procrastination, lack of focus, and no movement toward positive change. Changing your attitude changes your way of seeing. Moving into the positive allows you to recognize what power you do have to move toward change and achieving your goals.

By having a positive mindset and practicing gratitude, you can increase your energy levels and stay motivated. Make a “gratitude list.” Write down all of the things in your life that you are grateful for. When we are in a negative place, we tend to forget all of the things in our lives that we are grateful for. Also, write down what steps you can take to move in a positive direction.

Our thoughts underlie our attitude. In cognitive therapy, you will learn to challenge negative thoughts and any negative beliefs that may have surfaced. If your core belief is “I am a failure” we work together to challenge this. Are you really a failure? I suspect not.

We all have our challenges and hard times in life. Challenging your negative thoughts helps you change your perspective and your attitude. Doing this leads to increased motivation, improved self-esteem, and enhanced overall well-being.

Impact on Relationships

Attitude is not only important for individual motivation and energy levels, but it also plays a key role in your relationships. Others are drawn to those with positive attitudes, as they tend to be more uplifting, supportive, and encouraging. Individuals with negative attitudes can be draining to be around and may struggle to maintain healthy relationships.

YOU NEED to be mindful of the energy you are bringing into your interactions with others. Having a positive attitude and practicing empathy and understanding give you positive relationships and build strong connections with those around you. The support of others helps you motivate and stay focused on positive life change.

Your attitude plays a crucial role in how you cut up your “pie” of energy each day. By avoiding the victim place and taking your power back, challenging your negative thoughts, having gratitude, and cultivating positive relationships, you will increase positive energy and your motivation level. This enables you to create change in your life.

Learn more by reading about Low-Level Depression and Reaching Life goals.