Choose your attitude
The very first thing you have to choose in life is your attitude, your disposition, the way you view the world. Most people allow their circumstances to dictate their attitude, never realizing they have any say in the matter. If the sun is shining, then they feel great. If it’s raining, then they are in a foul mood. If work is going well, they will feel good about themselves. If people treat them poorly, they think poorly of themselves.
All of us have these tendencies, but truly successful people are those who have trained themselves to resist the temptation of allowing circumstances to form their attitude.
But why is having the right attitude that important? Simply put, because your attitude determines your perspective, your perspective determines your direction, and your direction determines your destination.
To put it another way:
- Your attitude determines where you look and what you look at
- Where you look determines which way you walk, and
- The direction you walk has everything to do with where you wind up.
When I was in driver’s education class back in high school, I remember being told that I should never look into the headlights of oncoming traffic, especially not late at night when I was tired. I was told it was better to look straight ahead, or better yet, at the white line on the right side of the road. Why? Because it is human nature to steer in the direction we are looking. The white line on the side of the road is a constant. It never changes and focusing on it will ensure that you drive in a straight line. Many a wreck has been caused by someone sleepily staring into the headlight of an oncoming vehicle and then veering into oncoming traffic.
Likewise, when you focus on the negative in your life, you will have or develop the tendency toward negativity. You will find a way to steer yourself into more trouble, more problems, more difficulty.
On the other hand, when you are looking at what is working and what you do have going for you, then you will find yourself steering toward solutions, possibilities, and answers. I believe one of the reasons Bill Porter has been so successful is that he doesn’t perceive obstacles. He certainly recognizes and confronts challenges in his world, but his preset attitude causes him to see a world of possibilities rather than limitations. Those possibilities have led him to the implementation of a plan and the execution of that plan has led to world-wide recognition and admiration.
Excerpted from The Seven Powers of Success; Unlock Your Strengths, Unleash Your Dreams. www.charlesmarshall.net © 2013 Charles Marshall
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