"Attitudes are contagious. Are yours worth catching?"  -- Dennis and Wendy Mannering

I saw this in action at the recent World Clown Association Convention in New York.  Food choices at the hotel seemed limited without obvious options.  Some people publicly criticized the dining situation without seeking a solution and I could tell that their discontent started to spread.  Others with a positive outlook began to explore alternatives.  Somebody discovered that the airport had two nice food courts, including a small grocery store, outside the secure area.  (In an email prior to the convention the host committee had announced that dining was available at the airport.)  I heard somebody comment that they had been told the airport was too far away to walk to so they didn't try, but then they heard that several people had been doing it.  If you wanted some exercise it was possible to walk to the airport, eat, and walk back during the meal breaks.  However, if you didn't want to walk, the hotel had a free shuttle van running to the airport every twenty minutes.  When news of that spread, I learned that several people were eating at the airport.  A trio of women discovered that Mickey's, a diner popular with local residents, was within easy walking distance.  They told others about their discovery and by the end of the convention I saw many people going to Mickey's.  The goody bags provided by the host alley had menus from a Chinese restaurant that delivered to the hotel, and some people had parties by pooling their money to order Chinese food for dinner.  I noticed that as the week went on, and more people expressed satisfaction with food options the level of discontent dropped.

The psychological principle of synchronicity means that you tend to find what you look for.  People with a negative attitude will always be able to find something to complain about.  The recent WCA convention was near the La Guardia airport.  It took ten minutes on a free shuttle to travel between the airport and the hotel.  However, the hotel was not near the tourist attractions of downtown New York.  I heard some people complain that it was inconvenient to do any sight seeing.  (The host alley did organize two interesting bus tours the day before the convention.)  Several years ago the WCA convention in another city was at a hotel in the midst of downtown with many sight seeing options, but it was difficult getting there from the airport.  I heard people complain then that the hotel was too far from the airport.  They were the exact same people that complained this time about the hotel being too close to the airport.

How can you keep your attitude positive?  Every situation has challenges and opportunities.  Look for the best in each one.  I had been anticipating using some of the variety arts archives in New York for research during my trip to the WCA convention.  I injured my ankle which prevented that.  However, because that ankle injury has limited my physical activity at home, I have taken time to study and reorganize some archive material that I have collected over the years for my personal library.  As a result I am actually doing more research and learning more than I would have been able to do while in New York.

Another way to keep your attitude positive is to choose to spend time around those who also have a positive attitude.  Remember that their attitude will affect how you feel.  Zig Ziglar said, "Life is too short to spend your precious time trying to convince a person who wants to live in gloom and doom otherwise. Give lifting that person your best shot, but don't hang around long enough for his or her bad attitude to pull you down. Instead, surround yourself with optimistic people."

I feel that it is especially important to elect leaders of an organization that are optimistic because their attitude will affect all the members. 

What attitude would you like to spread?  How can you maintain positive attitudes?  What opportunities are available in each situation?  How can you lift the spirits of others?  Who can help elevate your attitude when you are down?  If you are discontented, how can you prevent that from spreading?