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LIFE'S LITTLE GOODIES: Attitude Food
Success can be defined in many ways. To my way of thinking,
success is best defined as:
- Doing more of what you want to do than what you have to do;
- knowing you made the world a little better while you were here;
- to have an appreciation for beauty of nature, spirit, and mind;
- to laugh often and not fear what others think;
- and to learn to love - deeply.
The most important of these is to have learned to love.
Success then, isn't defined by achievement, accumulation of
wealth, nor the glory of great victories. Success is,
attitude.
Some people seem to have an natural aptitude for
having the right
attitude, I wasn't one of them. That's something I had to develop on
my own. The right attitude isn't a matter of being born with it, or
being taught it as you grew up, or the luck of having good genes. It
is a matter of choice, and you make it every day of your life.
While we can't always control what happens to us, we can control
the way we think about what happens to us and how we respond.
And we certainly can control what we choose to do every day,
moment by moment. Making money, receiving recognition, and
earning respect, trust, and love is a by-product of the right attitude.
A person with the success attitude:
- perseveres through the stumbling blocks of life
- has a hunger to learn and curiosity for mysteries of life
- has a willingness to listen and tolerance for other viewpoints
- has a core set of values to live by; such as honesty, fairness,
faithfulness, a desire to do the right thing, loyalty, etc.
- is not intimidated by challenges
- has genuine respect for others and their abilities and right to make
their own decisions in life
- learns from mistakes, their own and other people's
- is in control of his/her temper and emotions
- has his/her priorities in order
- has the patience to move beyond the instant gratification
trap, knowing that lasting gratification takes time to achieve
- offers recognition and genuine compliments to others
- has a genuine desire to help others along their way in life
- is flexible, knowing others may not respond as anticipated
- is proactive rather than reactive
- has faith that good works and effort will be rewarded in due time
- follows his/her passion instead of the negative voices that cry out
against them, including the "I can't" monster that lives in
everyone's head
- has little fear of failure, knowing failure is a false perception and
but a necessary stepping stone to success
- has a true appreciation for the gift of life
...to name but a few qualities of a successful attitude. Whew, no
wonder some people don't bother! It's really not as difficult as it
might seem at first glance. Many of these qualities overlap,
and
many are taught through life's experiences, and still others are
simple common sense. This list is useful though. One can look to
see where their weaknesses lie, and change their attitude.
A person need only do five things to be in harmony with most of
the success traits.
1) Persevere with tenacity and conviction
2) Do the best thing for all concerned, act out of love for others
3) Set goals, visualize successful outcomes, and have faith that
you will make it happen
4) Develop an appreciation for the time you are given
5) Laugh. Discover the enjoyment of living life with a smile.
Many a successful person wouldn't be a success without the right
attitude. Consider the following:
- Einstein was four years old before he could speak, and seven
before he could read. A teacher described him as mentally slow,
unsociable, and adrift in foolish dreams. He hated school and
dropped out of high school at 15 years of age.
- Beethoven's music teacher said, "as a composer
he is hopeless."
- Thomas Edison was told by his teacher he was too stupid to learn
anything. He was counseled to go into a field where he may be able
to succeed by virtue of a pleasant personality. He also failed his
first college entrance exam.
- Steven Spielberg dropped out of high school in his sophomore
year. He was persuaded to return and was placed in a learning
disabled class. A month later, he dropped out of school for good.
- Leo Tolstoy, author of "War and Peace," flunked out of college.
- Louisa May Alcott, author of "Little Women," was told by an editor
that she could never write anything that had popular appeal.
- Agatha Christie had to use a Dictaphone to transcribe her
mysteries because she couldn't write.
- Ted Geisel (Dr.Suess ), was rejected by 27
publishers before he
sold his first children's story.
- Actor Tom Cruise is unable to read adequately due to severe
dyslexia. He never finished high school.
- President Woodrow Wilson was called backward and didn't learn
to read until he was eleven.
This list could go on and on. Do you think it doesn't apply to your
circumstances? Think again, please. These people had one thing in
common: they experienced failure after failure but kept on trying
until they reached success.
Here's the moral: don't worry about failure, worry about what you'll
miss if you don't try. What you'll miss if you don't try, may be the
very reason you were born into this lifetime.
Does the right attitude mean you'll never fail? No, far from it, but
don't let that deter you. Face your failures and learn from them,
for they are astute teachers. Fear of failure and a negative attitude
is the mental concrete that cements limitations into our minds, but
the past doesn't have to equal the future. Choose your attitude
wisely and well now, because it determines your destiny.
"Doubts that cloud the faith of an era will excite its geniuses."
~ Frederic Morton
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God loves YOU!
Expect a Miracle!
Have a blessed day!
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