Actions are a direct reflection of your thoughts, and your thoughts are a reflection of your consciousness. Therefore, your actions are a reflection of your consciousness, and the attitude of your action is a projection of your thoughts.

The reason we wish to discuss attitudes as an indicator of actions, rather than your thoughts, is that thought is an internal process while actions are an external expression of the internal thought process. What attitudes add to the mix is that they are the carriers of the emotional content of actions. This is evidenced by the fact that you are often able to determine what someone is thinking by observing their attitude. Attitudes, like actions, are indicators of someone’s thoughts.

Attitudes are an indicator of actions because attitudes color your actions with an emotional presence.

In reverse, actions do not affect attitudes. Actions are what you do; attitudes are the way in which you do it.  As a result of the emotional content, those participating in or observing are the object of the action.  The same action can be perceived differently depending on the attitude.

An example might be when you ask your neighbor for a spur-of-the-moment ride to work because your car won’t start and you’re running late. They drive you and their attitude in which they do it tells you a lot about their thoughts about you asking. If they spend the ride chatting and joking, you will get out of the car thinking one way. If they are quiet and looking at their watch, you may think something else. Now that is fine and good, but the problem is that most people get out of the car feeling different about themselves depending on which scenario is played out.

The point we wish to make is that attitudes are emotional projections and often affect those caught in their cross hairs.

Now of course, you are going to feel better about the first scenario—but the reality is good, bad or indifferent, another person’s attitude has nothing to do with you and everything to do with them.

The reality is if you are affected by another person’s attitude, then you are co-dependent in the action in which the attitude is attached.

Of course, you may not ask the neighbor in the second scenario for a ride to work again, but as you enter your work place, how you feel about yourself should be the same no matter which scenario was played out in the car.

When unchecked, attitudes can and are used as nonverbal signs of communication. But you might say that attitudes are beneficial especially if they are, let’s say, loving. True, we are not saying attitudes are bad anymore than actions are, but other individuals’ attitudes or actions should not become a roller coaster ride of how you view yourself.

The difficulty with attitudes is that they are more subtle in their delivery than actions or words, and therefore you need to be more conscious of their impact.

Let us reiterate that attitudes are all about the person displaying them.

Attitudes are the sandwich board you wear around your neck telling the world how you feel about what you are doing. It is important to state that attitude is not motivation. Motivation is the thought attached to an act, while attitude is the emotion attached to it.

Many of you perhaps have had your mother scold, “Watch your attitude.” In hindsight, that may not have been such bad advice.