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Share articleHi Scott,
You might want to correct the typo in the title. This is a good article with good advice and I'm concerned people will blow you off when they read the title.
Take it from me. I'm the "Queen of the Typo"!
Elge
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Five Attitudes that Will Make You Soar! By Chris Widener
Understand this: Much of your world, and your experience in it, will be a direct result of the attitude you choose to have. Let me break that statement down a bit:
Written Jun 25, 2008, read 203 times since then.
Understand this: Much of your world, and your experience in it, will be a direct result of the attitude you choose to have. Let me break that statement down a bit: One, it is MUCH of your world.
Yes, there are some things that just happen and there is nothing we can do about it, but much of our world is not by happenstance, but determined by the attitudes we take. Two, your attitude is one that you choose.
You do not have to have a chip on your shoulder. You do not have to be sad or angry. You do not have to believe that you are incapable of achieving success. We can choose at any moment how we will believe and how we will interact with the world. Third, our experience is a direct result of our attitude.
For example, if we have a bad attitude toward someone, what kind of attitude do you think we are going to get back? That’s just the people side, but that makes up most of our world right there! So, if our attitudes determine to a great degree what kind of life we will have, shouldn’t we focus in on the best attitudes to have and then make them ours? Absolutely! If we want to soar with the eagles in this life, and if there are attitudes that will make us soar, shouldn’t we pursue them with all our hearts? By all means! So here we go! Five attitudes that will make you soar! “I can.”
This is the most basic of all attitudes. We simply must choose to believe that we can. In our house we are not allowed to say, “I can’t.” We can say, “I’ll try,” or “I tried and failed,” but not “I can’t.” Telling yourself that you can’t will in effect make it so you can’t. But telling yourself that you can will in effect enable you to achieve much more. Even if you actually only achieve 50% of what you tell yourself you can achieve, you will achieve at least that much more than if you told yourself you couldn’t. I actually have a standard way of going about getting myself off of the starting block: I simply say if somebody else has, then I can too. And if many others have, then surely I can too! I have to be smarter than at least one of those who has already done it. I have to be able to work harder than at least one other. There has to be at least one other person who has come from more difficult circumstances than me. And if they can do it then certainly, “I can!” “I will be generous.”
Another attitude that will make you soar is to be a generous person. The attitude (and discipline) of generosity increases your likelihood of success for two main reasons: One, you are happier about yourself and that puts you in a state of mind that is prepared for successful living. Two, people pay back people who are generous. Generous people receive in kind and that will raise you to levels yet unseen. “I will make a difference in the lives of those around me.”
People who soar are generally people who have the attitude of helping other people. Yes, they may do it for monetary gain, but they are others-focused. They want to change the way people live and experience life for the better. They are difference makers all around. I live in a town that is very affluent. Most of the people I know, work with, and have as friends are very successful in this world. One thing I can say, as almost a universal truth, is that to a person, they are people who are not self-consumed but genuinely care about others and will do what they can to help others. This is what I know to be true about the attitudes of the genuinely successful. “Not much will make me angry.”
Whether or not we get angry is a choice of attitude. We determine whether or not we will be angry. I have found that often I will meet with someone who is struggling with achieving something and in many cases I find that they are angry people. They have held onto an attitude that is at its root angry. When we take on an attitude that raise the bar on what will make us angry, we are positioning ourselves to be in a state of mind that is better able to live and work in this world in such a way as to achieve success. “I will look for the good in every situation.”
This is basic optimism. Successful people who soar through life are those who are optimistic about life. They see the good, think the best and strive for greatness, believing all the while that they will achieve it because it is possible! I suppose there are a few other attitudes that would make you achieve all that you dream of, but these are the basics and ones that we would do well to master first. Where do you see yourself? Do you need an attitude adjustment? Take a look again:
I can.
I will be generous.
I will make a difference in the lives of those around me.
Not much will make me angry.
I will look for the good in every situation.
I will be generous.
I will make a difference in the lives of those around me.
Not much will make me angry.
I will look for the good in every situation.
Make these attitudes your goal and as you get them you will watch yourself soar!
Have a nice flight!
Learn more about the author, Scott Thayer.
Comment on this article
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Posted by Elge Premeau, Portland, Oregon | Jun 29, 2008 -
Posted by Kate Stewart, Seattle, Washington | Jul 01, 2008Great article, Scott. Not many people realize the part choice plays in their life! I heard a therapist once say that "I Can" should be a mantra for us, to remind each of us that we can accomplish anything if we believe we can do it, and we can convince ourselves to believe it by repeating it. Funny how easy it can be to accomplish things when you break things down into small steps. Thanks for posting this!
-Kate
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Posted by CarolAnn Barrows, Bainbridge Island, Washington | Jul 02, 2008Hi Scott,
I LOVE the idea of "raising the bar on what will make me angry". This is exactly what I needed to hear this evening. I'm going to go now and raise that bar!
