Last night, I flew home from, Bellingham, Washington, where I had been speaking all weekend. My connecting flight was delayed due to Mechanical problems. As I was sitting, sipping coffee and waiting, I was observing the attitude of those around me. Honestly, many were ticked off! Now call me crazy, but when the airline tells me there’s a mechanical difficulty, I’d far rather they fix the problem than get us out on time. Just sayin.

After about an hour, we all shuffled to another terminal to catch a different flight. Hours later, when we arrived in Denver, we waited on the plane for another 20 minutes because the door to the jet bridge was stuck. Again, people were crabby. It was after 11:00 pm. Travellers were tired and cranky. But, as I looked around there was a young woman behind me who just sat there smiling. I loved her attitude. Every now and then I noticed a chuckle escaping. We exchanged a look and both giggled. The whole situation was pretty funny.

Thinking about last night, it struck me the difference our attitudes make, not only in our lives but also in the lives of others. As you head into this week, I want to encourage you with 5 tips to cultivate a positive attitude.

1. Smile. The writer of Proverbs reminds us that a “cheerful heart is good medicine” (Proverbs 17:22) And, a cheerful heart often follows a smile. When you choose to smile, your feelings become more positive and that positivity spills over to others. Carol, is a great example of this. Carol, attended the retreat this past weekend and every time I got up to speak, I looked out to see Carol’s big smile! Seeing Carol’s smile filled my heart with excitement over the messages I had to share. Your family, your friends and your co-workers, need smiles from you this week. Smiling makes you more approachable, more likeable and just more fun to be around.
2. Laugh. Life is too serious. Give yourself permission to laugh this week. The Psalmist writes, “Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy” (Psalm 126:2). Laughter is a great stress reliever! The poet, Robert Frost, nailed it when he said, “ If we couldn’t laugh we would all go insane!”
3. Praise. What if you made it your goal to praise God for 10 minutes every day this week? It’s easy. Use your car time. As you’re driving to Starbucks, work, an appointment or to pick up kids from school, turn on some praise music and sing along. As you praise God, I guarantee your attitude will be lifted.
4. Encourage. The boomerang effect of encouraging others is astonishing. Take a few minutes and leave an encouraging message on a friend’s facebook wall, or send an encouraging text message or if you really want to brighten someone’s day, hand write an encouraging note and drop it in the mail box. Taking the time to encourage others will bring you extraordinary joy.
5. Give Thanks. I’ve made it a practice to thank God for things every night as I drift off to sleep. Since I’ve been doing that, I sleep far more peacefully at night and I’m guessing you will too.

Try these 5 tips this week and I’d love to hear how it goes for you. If you try these 5 suggestions, let me know if they help you have a more positive week!