Which is NOT part of maintaining the right attitude in SMART skills?

• A. Ignore your feelings
• B. Acknowledge your feelings
• C. Be open minded
• D. Believe you can have an impact

Answer: (A)

Maintaining the right attitude in SMART skills means actively shaping how you show up in interactions by being emotionally aware, open to others’ ideas, and confident you can influence outcomes. Acknowledging your feelings fits this because it helps you understand what’s affecting you in the moment and prevents automatic, knee-jerk reactions. Being open-minded fits too, since considering different perspectives leads to better listening, learning, and collaboration. Believing you can have an impact is part of staying proactive and constructive, which drives you to take appropriate action rather than passively waiting or giving up.

Ignoring your feelings, on the other hand, undermines these goals. It disconnects you from important emotional information, often leading to reactions that feel distant or insincere, which can escalate tensions or misread a situation. So the choice that does not fit with maintaining the right attitude is the one that means ignoring how you feel.