#PositiveAttitude #attitude #talent #discipline
To your eyes, is the glass half-empty or half-full?
When working with a team on a project, are you the first to see the worst-case scenario, and be immediately convinced that the worst will happen?
When getting reassigned at work, do you automatically presume it will be the worst thing that could happen?
Vicki Hitzges discusses attitude in her little book, “Attitude Is Everything: 10 Rules for Staying Positive.”
Her 10 rules include: wait to worry; keep an attitude of gratitude; your health is your wealth; the serious benefits of belly laughs; joy boomerangs; losing the fight? write; keep the faith, baby; learn to say “no” graciously; understand the power of discipline; and surround yourself with positive people.
In the interest of space, let’s focus on the last two rules. Hitzges tells the story of Lilly Mae, a bright girl from a good family who had a solid education. “She knew a smattering about everything, from how the moon affects the tides to surviving a freezing weekend without a tent in the forest,” the author writes.
Unfortunately, Lilly’s parents never disciplined her. She never had to do chores, was never taught to say “please” and “thank you,” and never really obeyed her gentle mother, the author writes. As a result, she grew up overweight, with poor study habits and poor social skills, according to Hitzges. Yet, she could sing, play the piano and play the ukulele. She could transform leftovers into a feast. She, indeed, was talented.
“Talent is cheaper than table salt,” Hitzges quotes novelist Stephen King. “What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work,” Hitzges quotes King.
In other words, “talent without discipline won’t take a person far,” the author writes. “Talent with discipline races like a thoroughbred.”
Something else is true. One who has discipline can be more successful than a person with more talent and less discipline.
As you think of this concept, think of athletes, musicians etc. who make a living with their talent. They are essentially forced to be disciplined to hone their craft and practice with others, and on their own, tirelessly. Otherwise, in most cases, they won’t make a living with their talent.
Those less talented than others who make a living in, say, sports or music, do so strictly through hard work. If you can’t outrun someone, out-work him.
As for positive people, the author writes: “Spent much time around people who just drift through life? They don’t set goals, expect others to pick up the slack, just don’t care. Avoid them!” the author writes.
Another adage: “If you can’t change the people around you, change the people around you.”
Negative people will work really hard to try to talk you out of being successful. Hang around people who will support your endeavors, and encourage your success.
If you are a person who considers himself or herself disciplined, and have a need to find a vehicle that could help you become successful, and introduce you to positive people, there are many such vehicles out there. To learn about one of the best, message me.
Your success doesn’t depend on circumstances. Things will happen to you, but those things don’t determine your success. How you deal with them determines your success. Your positive attitude will help you combat any pitfalls in your life, and allow you to take advantage of the good things that come into your life.
Peter
Tag Archives: half full
HALF FULL, HALF EMPTY, NO MATTER
Take a large tumbler glass, fill half of it with water.
Then, rather than ask yourself whether the glass is half full or half empty, hold the glass out as far as your arm will extend.
Holding the glass out there for a minute or two is no problem. If you hold it out there for five minutes straight, you’ll start to feel the weight.
If you hold it out there for several hours straight, your arm, shoulder and elbow will probably hurt.
Mike Lantz, a double platinum presidential with Team National, talked about this at the company’s convention in March 2014 in Kansas City, Mo.
Lantz attributed this illustration to a friend in his men’s group.
The point is that the water in the glass, which provides the weight, represents all your negative thoughts.
If you hold on to those thoughts for a long time, they will hurt you. As humans, negative thoughts naturally enter into our minds. How often have we said to ourselves: why me? Or, what did I do to deserve this? Or, even worse, woe is me! I can’t do this! I’m stuck in this miserable life!
Some of us tend to hold thoughts like this, or grudges, for a long time. That hurts our ability to change our lives.
Everyone has the ability to better himself or herself. Remember that being broke is temporary. Being poor is a state of mind.
If you think you can’t do anything about your situation, you are wrong. But, if you decide not to do anything about your situation, you have made a choice.
Certainly, things happen to us that are beyond our control. But even the most devastating occurrence doesn’t condemn us, unless we let it.
Some of us have trouble figuring out how to get out of a bad situation. There are a number of ways through which one can change his or her life. For one of the best, visit www.bign.com/pbilodeau. Other people, or circumstances, don’t have to rule you. You can put your life in your hands.
So think of the glass as half full, and think of the water as all your negative thoughts. Dump out the water and start with a clean glass. Then, drink in all the good you can create for yourself.
Peter