Attitude

I think it's easy to forget how important attitude is...for everything. 

I've been thinking a tremendous amount about succeeding in the acting profession, and my conclusions end up being rather applicable to all fields. Your approach, your attitude, to any given situation, has a marked impact on the result. If you wake up in the morning thinking this is gonna be a crappy day, well guess what...it will be. If you go into a meeting thinking this is a waste of my time...well, it will be. 

One of my business partners had that very experience yesterday. He had meetings with four potential clients, and after the first two he was feeling like he didn't really enjoy these meetings and that he'd rather be doing any number of things. Then he stopped himself, checked his attitude, and decided that these meetings were awesome and that he was going to make the best of them. The next two meetings were a blast and he got far more out of them than the first two. 

Same principle applies to dating, especially meeting potential partners. If you are hanging out with a new group of people and you have that little voice in the back of your head that says I'm not worthy. I'm not going to meet anyone. I never get dates. Whatever, then of course you're not going to meet people. But if you shift your attitude to one of oppenness (I'm open to meeting new people. I may very well meet someone here. I like this situation) I guarantee you'll have more success. 

It should be noted that shifting mindsets, or approaching situations in an open and positive manner certainly comes more easily to some than others. For those of you who struggle with this, I would say "fake it 'til you make it." Try it out. Changes don't happen over night. Make small commitments to yourself. Wake up every day for the next week, and write down seven things you're grateful for, immediately after you wake up. See what kind of difference that makes. The next time you go out to a coffee shop, a bar, a class, commit to striking up a conversation with one random person. You don't even have to ask them out or get their number or whatever. Just say hi. Comment on something they're reading, a smile, the weather. Doesn't matter. See what happens.