We all know people with different attitudes. Some are great, some are okay, and others are not even okay. Here a few thoughts on some of the different types of attitudes.

"Why bother? Life just beats you down. And besides when you have a good attitude, fate finds you and slaps you across the face. I have had a miserable life, and things will never change and BLAH BLAH BLAH…"

You know the type. These are the people to which it is best say "Nice to see you instead of "How are you?". It is a way of defending yourself against their poor attitude. Try not to give them a chance to spew their negativity in your direction. Sometimes it cannot be avoided. When this happens try to find the positive angle and reflect back some element of positivity in their direction.

"I have a great attitude, unless things start going bad."

This, probably, is the most common attitude of all. While this attitude may border on the self-delusional, at least it is a step in the right direction. That is to say that if someone thinks they have a great attitude only when things are going their way, then it is really not a great attitude at all. Kind of like being "sort of pregnant".

"I have a great attitude, good or bad, I might as well make the best of any situation."

Yes! The rarest group, and the one any success oriented person would most like to be a member of. Sure, people in this group hurt, fail, and blunder, but it is their choice of reaction to these events that creates a great attitude. In short, they develop character when they hurt, grow after they fail, and learn from their blunders.

Attitude can be a difficult thing to control, but you and anyone else, can choose their desired attitude. It's just that sometimes there is a large stretch of time between negative circumstances and positive responses. Shrinking that gap of time will lead to a better and more consistent attitude.