3 of 6: ATTITUDE!

ATTITUDE. Good or bad, it's something that we all have. And, on any given day, we may have both...several times throughout the day!

Your ATTITUDE can and will either be a CURSE and poisonous OR it will be a BLESSING to those with whom you come into contact.  You literally hold the keys to LIFE or DEATH of a person's mindset in YOUR ATTITUDE. 

And, you hold that same key for your OWN life through your attitude. 

Am I over-stating the importance of ATTITUDE? You decide for yourself as you look over the following quotes...

"People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude." - John C. Maxwell

A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events and outcomes. It is a catalyst and it sparks extraordinary results. Wade Boggs
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_attitude.html

"A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events and outcomes. It is a catalyst and it sparks extraordinary results." -  Wade Boggs 

"Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude." -  Zig Ziglar 

 "Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference." -  Winston Churchill

"Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude." -  Thomas Jefferson

A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events and outcomes. It is a catalyst and it sparks extraordinary results. Wade Boggs
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_attitude.html

The things that I have stated so far in this article as well as the profound words found in the above quotes, just emphasize even more, how important it is to PROTECT YOUR MINDSET and, thus, your ATTITUDE.

I was reading an article just yesterday about a lady (she was the author of the article) who, over time and due to different things that she was not happy with, allowed her attitude to become more and more negative as that time passed by. And, as a direct result, she was "let go". In other words, she was fired and told to move on. 

Again, a bad attitude can POISON one's life...EVERY area of that life.

Now, let's end this on a "high" note and talk about the POWER of a POSITIVE ATTITUDE.

Your positive attitude can (and will) make all the difference in the direction of your life and ALL relationships in your life. That, my friend, is a FACT and one that you need to consider very seriously. Go back and read again what Thomas Jefferson said about the man with "the right mental attitude"...HE CANNOT BE STOPPED!

That's right, friend. What you allow INTO your mind and what you allow to STAY in your mind will have a direct impact upon the direction of your life!! (Yeah, that was worth TWO exclamation points). And, as a direct result, it will also have a PROFOUND and POSITIVE impact upon the lives of many people around you in any area of your life.

Now then, if you haven't done so yet, you need to listen to the podcast on today's topic. Just click one of the links at the bottom of this article to do so. There is SO MUCH MORE information and additional thoughts that I share with you there that is not found in this article. 

If you listen by going to iTunes, please take a moment and leave a review - I thank you in advance! Also, be sure to stop by the FYU fan page on Facebook and let me know that you left that review AND to just say "hello" and let me know that you are benefiting from Future You University. 

Join me in the next article as I continue to discuss these 6 important "tasks" for our life from my "POWER Board". 

And, until next time, whatever you do,  be sure to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Future You University   FYU on Facebook!   Podcast on iTunes   Podcast RSS feed

"O.P.M. Wisdom" - This Sets Us Apart

"O.P.M. WISDOM - THIS SETS US APART"

 Since this article is connected to the last one, please take the time to go back and read part 1, if you haven't done so already.  If you don't, you'll have no idea what I'm talking about in this one, o.k.?

In this article I'm going to specifically address those that STILL refuse to accept the FACT that we can learn from "Other Peoples Mistakes" and insist that they HAVE to make the mistake in order to learn. That is about as far from the truth as you can get - and I'll prove it to you.

Do you wear a shock collar?

In case you're not sure what I'm talking about, let me explain. A shock collar is a device - a collar - that is placed on an animal (a dog, in my experience) to help train them. A wire is placed around whatever perimeter that the human decides upon which interacts with the shock collar. If the animal gets within a certain distance of the wire, the collar will begin to beep, which will serve as a warning to the animal as it becomes trained. If the animal continues along it's path even closer to the wire it will receive a shock which should cause the animal to stop and retreat.  The idea is that, after enough times of this shock, the animal will begin to "learn" where the boundaries are as they relate to the perimeter that has been set by the human.

And, you know what? IT WORKS! The dogs that I had in one particular situation did learn the boundaries and they stayed away from the perimeter that had been set. (And, yes, of course my three sons had to hold the collars in their hands to see what it was like for themselves. OUCH!).

So, an animal can be trained. An animal can develop a learned behavior. Some may argue that the animal has been able to "reason" and make a decision. But, an animal can NOT "reason" and make a decision. Let me tell you what I mean.

Yes, an animal can learn what to do or not do based on their own experience - the "SHOCK" that they get (or the treat that they receive) based on their behavior. However, that same animal does NOT have the ability to learn that behavior by setting back and observing other animals go through the process first. See what I mean?

As humans, we have been blessed with the unique ability to OBSERVE and REASON which then can lead to a decision without having to experience the action ourselves.

We have the ability to have "O.P.M. Wisdom"! We have the ability to OBSERVE, TAKE NOTES and MAKE A DECISION based on what other people do. We may observe an adverse result to what a person does and then decide that we do not to experience that same, adverse result. We may also observe a very positive and rewarding result that we desire. We watch, observe, take notes and decide that we want to follow that same path so that we, too, can experience the same positive results.

To insist that you can only learn by making YOUR OWN MISTAKES over and over again is to say that you are not any smarter than animals. There is truth in that statement.

To refuse the idea of "O.P.M. Wisdom" is to reject the unique ability that you have been given by your Creator! Friend, you DO have this ability and you CAN learn from others without having to make the same mistake yourself.

On the positive side, observe someone that you want to be like and do what they do.  Maybe it's someone that has a very good family life...learn how that happens from that person and then do what they do! Maybe they are successful in business - do what they do. WHATEVER IT IS, if they are successful and you wish for the same success, find out what they do and what they have done and do what they do and do what they have done. FOLLOW THEIR PATH!

And, doesn't it then make sense that, if someone exhibits what you DON'T want in your life, that you can STILL watch, observe, take notes so that you know what NOT to do?

Bottom line, it is still up to you. There are people every day that ignore the mistakes of their own past and also ignore the failures of others around them. They are doomed to fail UNLESS and UNTIL they decide to "wise up" and desire something better for their life.

Hey listen, it is one thing to whine and complain about why things always turn out wrong and then keep doing the same stupid things than it is for someone to realize that what they are doing DOES NOT WORK and dedicate themselves to POSITIVE change! It is the difference between a WHINER and a DOER!

What will you do?

Have you ever heard this phrase -  "Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it." ? This if often attributed to Winston Churchill. Most, however, think that it came from what was written by George Santayana in The Life of Reason (1905): “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

You see, it's IMPOSSIBLE for me to go back and RELIVE history from 100 years ago. However, I can "watch" (study), take notes and make a decision based on the history that OTHERS lived and experienced.

Open your eyes. Pay attention. Watch. Observe. Take notes. Make a decision. And, take advantage of "O.P.M. Wisdom".

Until next time... Whatever you do, always be sure to... 

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Future You University   FYU on Facebook!   Podcast on iTunes   Podcast RSS feed

SEEING the OPPORTUNITY!

In my last podcast/blog I discussed the topic, “Opportunity IS Knocking!” and how important it is for us to realize that opportunity presents itself to us every second of every day. If you haven’t listened to the podcast or read the blog – you need to do that now before reading this one!

Yes, it is VERY important for us to understand that OPPORTUNITY is around us and that many times, it is “knocking” in order to get our attention – what will we do? What will YOU do?

Have you ever kicked yourself because of “missed” opportunities? My guess is that we all have! How do we prevent that from continually happening in our lives?

Here is a partial sharing of some quotes that I shared in this podcast (and, yes, I’m sure I’ve shared some of these before):
- Albert Einstein: “In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.”
- Helen Keller: “When one door of happiness closes, another one opens. But, often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.”
- Thomas Edison: “Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”
- Winston Churchill: “The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity, but the optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

Yes, even “opportunity” requires WORK! And “work”, for many people is a “four-letter word”! And, yes, EVEN IN DIFFICULTY – THERE IS OPPORTUNITY!



Here are some “steps” for us to use so that we may SEE the OPPORTUNITY:

1. OPEN YOUR MIND! In order for us to “see” and/or “hear” opportunity, we must first open our MINDS to the possibilities – a closed mind exists in darkness!

2. OPEN YOUR EYES! Only after opening your mind can you then open your eyes to SEE the opportunity that is around you each and every day!

3. OPEN YOUR EARS! Sometimes we can hear something before we see it – so it is with opportunity. But, once again, you cannot open your ears until you have first opened your mind!

Give all of this some thought as I continue to encourage you to be aware of the OPPORTUNITY that surrounds you every second of every day and, as always….

“Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)”
Mike