How's Your Attitude

Attitude does matter, and the "right attitude" can help us to win in every situation in life.

Table of Contents:

1. Baby Steps
2. Feature Article: HOW'S YOUR ATTITUDE?
3. Quotes
4. Recommended Resources: Positive Thinking
5. Self-Care
6. Final Thoughts

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1. Baby Steps

Our attitudes have a profound effect on our success and well being,
and also affect those around us. Think, act and talk with enthusiasm
and a "right attitude", and you will be amazed by the positive results.

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2. Feature Article: HOW'S YOUR ATTITUDE?

Although our educational system in the United States is the best
in the world, I am amazed by what we don't learn in school. Our
entire educational system, from kindergarten through graduate
school, either ignores or is unaware of a critical success factor in
our lives-the right mental attitude.

Just how important is attitude? A study by Harvard University
revealed that 85% of the reasons for success, accomplishments,
promotions, etc. were because of our attitudes, and only 15%
because of our technical expertise. Yet, not only in the school
systems, but as a society, we seem to have this reversed.

Attitudes do make the difference. Professor Erwin Schell writes
that "when our attitude is right, our abilities reach a maximum of
effectiveness, and good results inevitably follow." And we see this
time and time again. Salesmen with the right attitudes outperform
their "attitude-challenged" colleagues. Students with great attitudes
get good grades, and enjoy the educational process. Right attitudes
make all the difference when dealing with people, including our
spouses, children, parents, friends, and co-workers. Attitudes help
us to win in every situation in life.

So, what can we do to improve our attitudes? Let's starts by
improving our enthusiasm. Enthusiasm, or lack of it, shows
through in everything we do and say. And our right attitude
is directly proportional to our level of enthusiasm.

Here are a few ideas for improving your enthusiasm, and your
attitude:

1. Lift yourself up a notch. Lift up your smiles, your eyes, your
thank you's and your talk. Instead of plodding through the day,
make it a point to be more upbeat.

2. Build people up. Talk about good news with your friends and
family. Encourage your children and others around you. Be helpful.
Offer praise as often as you can. David Schwartz, Ph.D., offers the
following question to ask yourself after you've interacted with
someone: "Does that person honestly feel better because he has
talked with me?" Make sure the answer is "Yes!"

3. Make people feel important. Improve your listening skills, and
be truly interested in what others have to say. Our interest sends
the message that what they have to say is important.

4. Practice appreciation. Compliments are easy to give, and easy
not to give. While most of us are quick to recognize and praise
big accomplishments, the little things are even more important.
Develop of habit of noticing, and commenting on, appearance,
routine tasks that have been completed, ideas and efforts. Be
grateful, and express that to others.

As you become more enthusiastic, you will notice two things. One
is the change in your attitude, and the other is the change in others.
Attitude is contagious, so we must choose carefully the people we
are around, and also be conscious of how our own attitude is
affecting those around us. Be a positive role model with a great,
enthusiastic attitude, and this will profoundly affect not only your
own success and well being, but others' as well.

As always, I'd love to hear from you! If you would like to share how
enthusiasm has positively affected your life, please email me.

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3. Quotes

Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines
what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.
Lou Holtz

Whether a glass is half-full or half-empty depends on the attitude
of the person looking at it.

It is not your aptitude, but your attitude, that determines
your altitude.
Zig Ziglar

Our attitude toward life determines life's attitude towards us.
Earl Nightingale

Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you
as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to
you as by the way your mind looks at what happens.
John Homer Miller

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4. Recommended Resources: Positive Thinking

Think and Grow Rich
by Napolean Hill

This is one of the classics of personal development literature,
and is a "must read" if you are serious about achieving your
goals.
To order tape set, click here
To order book, click here

The Power of Positive Thinking
by Norman Vincent Peale

A classic guide to self-esteem and success! Read it, then read it again.
To order book, click here

See You at the Top
by Zig Ziglar

Climb the stairway to personal success with Zig Ziglar, one of
America's best motivational speakers.
To order book, click here

Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude
by Napolean Hill and W. Clement Stone

This is a must-have for you personal development library, written
by two pioneers in the area of personal development.
To order book, click here

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5. Self-Care

What if you could limit your cancer risk without medicine, medical
professionals or deprivation? If it were easy, would you do it? Here's
the good news: It is easy!

In 1992, the National Cancer Institute launched a program called
"Five-A-Day for Health," proposing that people eat at least five
servings of fruits and vegetables per day. After looking at more
than 200 studies worldwide, the program was a response to the
overwhelming evidence that such a diet reduces risk of many
cancers, including those of the lung, colon and stomach.

The scary thing is, America has not responded to Five-A-Day. Only
one in three U.S. adults, and only one in five children, meets the
guideline. Not only are we becoming a fast food nation, but we are
also substituting Big Macs for salad, and candy for fruit.

A "serving" may consist of any of the following: one medium
piece of fruit, three-fourths cup of juice, one-half cup of cooked
vegetables, one cup of fresh greens in a salad, or one-fourth cup
of dried fruit.

Eat french fries if you must, but also give yourself the gift of at
least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Your body will
thank you!

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6. Final Thoughts

Attitude is Everything

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.
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 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.
-Anonymous

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Thank you for reading the LifeExcellence Newsletter. Be
ENTHUSIASTIC this week!
- Brian Bartes

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