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Let’s look at two campers. They are both 10 years old. They come from similar backgrounds. They are both interested in learning how to waterski. One camper looks really happy and excited. The other camper…not so much. So, what is the difference between the two? In this case, one child has a positive attitude and the other has a much more negative outlook. You might be wondering, is attitude really that important?
Even if you don’t know it, you have an attitude. Attitude is a point of view. Maybe you hate broccoli. That is an attitude. Maybe you love to play Minecraft. That is an attitude. You might think that camp should replace school as a year-round activity. That is an attitude. Attitudes shape our beliefs and make us the people we are today.
Your attitude will help determine your approach to any activity. For example, say you are watching an activity on Happy Camper Live about waterskiing. Are you excited about waterskiing and can’t wait to get into the water? Or do you think it looks scary and you aren’t sure you want to try it? Your attitude goes a long way toward whether or not you will enjoy it. Think about it. It will be really hard to like waterskiing if you have negative feelings about it before you even try it.
Maybe you have discovered that you have a negative attitude about waterskiing and would like to be more positive. You may be asking yourself, is it possible to change my attitude? The answer is yes. We are in charge of our attitude. We decide whether we are going to be positive or negative. With a little effort, you can turn your gloomy outlook into something more upbeat.
Before we talk about how to change your attitude, you need to know a simple fact: thoughts lead to feelings. No feeling happens without a matching thought. For example, you may be afraid of waterskiing because you keep thinking you will wipe out. In other words, your fear is due to your belief you will be unsuccessful.
Ok, so what can you do to have a more positive attitude? In short, you need to give yourself a pep talk. A pep talk focuses on the positive points of a situation. It provides encouraging thoughts rather than negativity. For instance, you are going to feel a lot more excited about waterskiing if you focus on how fun it looks rather than the possibility that you might nosedive into the water. If you give yourself favorable messages, then you will develop a more positive attitude.
It is also important that your pep talk be realistic. You don’t want to make stuff up just so you can be positive. If it isn’t true you won’t believe it. For example, telling yourself that waterskiing is going to help make you smarter is not realistic. Waterskiing is awesome but it probably won’t help you with your grades. Luckily, almost any situation has something positive about it. All you have to do is look for it.
Camp provides an ideal chance to work on your attitude. When approaching any activity, you can practice focusing on its positive features. In time, you will find yourself feeling more excited. Positivity and negativity are two sides of the same coin. Ask yourself, which side do you want to be on?
Tagged:- camp counselor, Happy Camper, kids learn from camp, kids mindfulness, positive attitude, positive thinking
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