‘Attitude Is Everything’ in Life, Speaker Says

Attitude is a matter of choice, and maintaining a positive attitude starts with the power of one, according to life coach Keith Harrell.

Harrell started his keynote speech at Wednesday’s General Session by asking each audience member to turn to the person next to him or her and say, “I feel good, I look good, and you’re lucky to be sitting next to me.”

These feel-good words set the tone for a talk centered on overcoming obstacles and stresses simply by remaining positive. Attendees embraced his message, clapping enthusiastically, high-fiving their neighbors, shouting uproariously and answering “yes” when prompted by Harrell at various points during the presentation.

If nurses are to reclaim their priorities, they should start with an outlook makeover. “Attitude is inherently interwoven in everything we do in life,” Harrell said.

Attitude Transmission

Although we may think our negative opinions and thoughts are safely housed when we keep them to ourselves, negative attitudes can be transmitted through body language, he said.

“Seventy percent of attitude is nonverbal,” Harrell said. He specifically spoke of people who seem unable to smile, even when they say they’re doing well.

People that walk fast with their heads up emit a sense of purpose, Harrell said. To test his hypothesis, he asked a volunteer from the audience to walk briskly from her seat far back from the stage. Michele Strickland strode to the stage confidently at a rapid pace, and Harrell rewarded her sense of purpose with a copy of his book and two CDs.

Take Action, Responsibility

Harrell emphasized that nurses should take responsibility for their problems. Accountability, he said, means not pointing the finger when things go wrong.

In reclaiming priorities, nurses should make a commitment to return to their hospitals and medical centers better than when they left for NTI. “Practice makes improvement,” he said, “and everyone can stand a little practice.”

Nurses who choose to maintain a positive attitude will have better interactions with physicians, other nurses, patients and family members, making them better able to serve these respective groups.

The best way to deal with the negative attitudes of others is to “lighten up, not tighten up,” Harrell said.

“What you sow is truly what you reap,” he said. Positivity increases our ability to be proactive and has even been shown to increase endorphin production. He recommended that attendees practice laughing for at least 15 minutes a day for this purpose.

Tips for Remaining Positive

Another important aspect in maintaining a positive attitude is positive “self talk.” Harrell gave the example of driving in a traffic jam. Instead of dreading the ensuing gridlock, he tells himself ahead of time to expect it and makes plans for how to better spend his time, listening to music or books on tape.

Worry “is nothing but a negative form of medication,” Harrell said. Therefore, worrying about the future and the past is futile.

“The loudest voice you hear is your own,” Harrell said, therefore nurses must take it upon themselves to improve their attitudes by repressing worry and keeping their focus on the future.

Harrell closed the program by presenting AACN President Dave Hanson with a t-shirt emblazoned with “Super Fantastic”, which reflects one of Harrell’s key mottos.

Harrell is the author of Attitude is Everything and is president and CEO of Harrell Performance Systems. His company offers a variety of life-coaching resources including the book, DVDs, CDs, posters, tip cards and workbooks. He delivers energetic, humor-filled motivational speeches to corporate groups across the country. Before his career as a motivational speaker, he was a marketing executive at IBM. He uses his experiences in the corporate world in anecdotes that complement his topics.