We all know that there are all kinds of diseases out there that can cut our health down. Cancer, Heart Disease, and Alzheimer’s are all diseases that affect our health and attack us physically. But one form of disease we tend to overlook are the Diseases of Attitude. These are the diseases of thought and attitude that nix our chances of being successful in everything we do. We tend to not think of them when we’re thinking about fitness, but I assure you that they can be just a devastating to your health and fitness as any physical disease.
Jim Rohn gave a great seminar titled “7 Attitude Diseases That Can Cost You Your Future.” These are the negative attitudes that are holding you back from success. You need to learn how to handle these negative attitudes so you can stop them from holding you back…
1. Indifference
You can’t drift through life. Well, sure you can, but not much will happen for you. This is the mild approach to life, and also the boring one. People who drift through life wonder why things don’t happen for them. This passive approach will never put you on top. Like Mr. Rohn said, “You can’t drift to the top of the mountain.” You need to be concerned about something. You need to get worked up and excited about things. Pick something you believe in and give it all you got. Don’t do it half-way…do it all the way. This will either open up more opportunities for you or help you figure out that you should be doing something different. Either way, pick a direction and go with it. Throw indifference away.
2. Indecision
This is the guy or gal who sits on the fence of life, never wanting to make a decision, and never making any progress. Mr. Rohn referred to this as “mental paralysis.” I know it can be scary to pick a decision, and sometimes you need to take some time to decide. But don’t get stuck in indecision. Make a decision and work it. If it’s not a good decision, you’ll find out faster and you’ll learn from it. You’ll learn more from your decisions than indecisions.
3. Doubt
It’s hard to be successful at something if you doubt your ability to do it. You need to become a believer in yourself. It’s this belief in yourself that will push you through when times get tough. Like Mr. Rohn said, “The understanding of self-worth is the beginning of progress.” Start making progress today by believing in yourself.
4. Worry
It’s hard not to worry. How will you pay that bill? Will the test results come back negative? Will I make it through this tough part in my life? Life will throw a million things at you to worry about. Worry will cause you all kinds of problems in your life including: health, social, family, and personal. Kick the worry habit. Understand that challenges will present themselves. Figure out what you can do about them, do those things, and let things happen. We can’t do any more than that. Jesus asked the best question here, “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?”
5. Over-caution
It’s good to be cautious, but don’t be over-cautious. This is the timid approach to life that will hold you back. Don’t be afraid to take some risks. I know…life is risky. Everything in life is risky. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. Mr. Rohn says, “If you think trying is risky, wait until they hand you the bill for not trying.” Don’t sit on the sidelines, afraid to take a chance. Choose adventure and take some risks. They say, “No risk, no reward.” Be strategic about the chances you take and minimize risk through research. But don’t let your research make you over-cautious and hold you back.
6. Pessimism
“Do you see the glass as half-empty or half-full?” Everyone has heard this question. The pessimist sees the glass as half-empty and focuses on the negative things in life. If you look for the bad things in life, you’re gonna see them. If you look for the good things in life, you’ll see them too. How we see things has a huge impact on our reality and our outlook on life. Ditch pessimism and become an optimist. The optimist lives a much happier, healthier life.
7. Complaining
Complaining never helped anything. Well, it can help two complainers get along better, but that’s about it. Mr. Rohn says, “Spend 5 minutes complaining, and you have wasted five.” Don’t waste your time complaining. Half the people don’t care and the other half are glad you’re upset. There’s no winning here, so let this negative, ugly part of life go. Instead, be a problem solver. If something is not what it could be, don’t complain about it. Ask how you can make it better? Or accept it for what it is.
The Takeaway
The Diseases of Attitude can be just as devastating on your life as the physical diseases of the body. You may not agree with me here, but I challenge you to look for these Diseases of Attitude in yourself and the people around you. Those who are suffering from these diseases have their problems in life. They can look to blame it on others, but chances are high that the negative things they’re experiencing is because of one of these Diseases of Attitude. Identify the disease, and get rid of it!!!
This video by Jim Rohn is one of my favorites and can be found here: