Spring is synonymous with new beginnings, which often means letting go of something old and outdated. Instead of cleaning out the junk drawer or pawing through the huge stack of boxes in the garage, why not do an “attitude review” instead?
Old attitudes can be like a bad rash that only flares up in the heat. Normally it’s dormant and you go about your life as usual. Then… someone says or does something that fires up a surprisingly emotional response, sending you into a tailspin. By the time you come out you have no idea what happened or how, just that you feel completely out of sorts.
Confusing as this may seem, your firey reaction is actually an invitation to find out how much of the junk lying in your heart and mind is simply a poor or outdated attitude that no longer works for you. Now’s the time to make a choice — are you ready get rid of the attitudes that are rotting you from the inside out?
The Pretty Picture and the Garbage Bag
Each of us has the power to conjure up a clear idea of a beautiful scene that sends you into a space of comfort, relaxation or ecstasy. Picture that scene in your mind’s eye right now. Once it’s clear, toss a few big, overflowing garbage bags in the background. That’s what you are carrying around with you all the time — if you’re unwilling to take a second look at the attitudes that run your life.
The attitudes you cling to can come from any number of experiences or people, or the fact you dislike change of any kind. This compounds your perspective so tightly it’s like you are trying to manufacture your own very own lump of coal, and it’s sitting right in the middle of your third eye. Why does this matter? The third eye (right between the eyebrows) affects your physical vision as well as how you perceive things, which in turn shapes your attitudes.
Revealing the Real You Behind the Attitude
In my experience, you don’t necessarily need to know how an attitude formed to let it go, although it can help. So instead of adding more thinking to a problem that is already jamming up your mind, just write down what you perceive your attitudes to be right now. It can be about life, politics, working, collaborating, neighbors, uninvited guests – whatever comes to mind – and get it on paper. Then you can spend time working with that list to see what is a bit outdated, or refer to it the next time you have a bit of an unexpected emotional flare-up.
This approach helps you notice three things:
- How your attitude impacts your thinking and ability to be open-minded in a situation
- How it really feels as you are experiencing your attitude in the moment
- A strong impulse to keep the attitude or change it
Slowly clearing the clutter gives the true you space to move, breathe and show up more often.
The goal with an attitude review isn’t to aim for perpetual bliss (we are still in human form after all), but to know that whatever you are experiencing is momentary, not permanent. It may hurt. Confusing emotions may swirl up and make things murky and intense. But it will pass, especially if you are willing to let go of the attitudes that anchor in what you don’t want. The sandpaper-like irritation is just the way you know an attitude can finally be left at the curb on trash day.
Photo credit: Shawn Semmes