A friend gave this reading to me a very long time ago. As we approach the beginning of a new year, ! thought it would be appropriate to share it with you ...
Attitude by Charles Swindoll
The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.
Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company ... a church ... a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past ... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude ... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.
And so it is with you ... we are in charge of our attitudes.
Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company ... a church ... a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past ... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude ... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.
And so it is with you ... we are in charge of our attitudes.
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Getting Your Bearings ...
I have always believed that attitude is everything.
The people who experience the most happiness and success in their lives are not necessarily the smartest, well-educated, well-connected people. They are people who learn from the past and focus on the future.
Don't get me wrong, the past IS important ... for remembering what has worked for us and what hasn't. However, I would caution you not to expend too much energy in that direction. Second guessing yourself ... playing that "what if" game ... only leaves you feeling bad about yourself and your situation.
You may feel that you don't have a great deal of control right now. If you're facing major changes in your life, whether you sought them or they just happened to you, things can be very hard. You may think I'm oversimplifying, but think about it ... where is the best place to expend your energy? Does anything good ever come from dwelling on the negatives in your past life or career? Getting back your positive energy is key to your forward progress.
Remember ... the only thing we are truly in control of is how we react to our situation.
Wishing you happiness in your life and career in 2010 and beyond!
