Bear with me a little today. I read the article below and wanted to share. A little longer than usual, but definitely worth reading.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Hi there, Chris Widener here. There are lots of things in this life that we don’t get to choose. On the other hand, there are lots of things in this life that we do get to choose. Our attitude is one of them. Nobody else lives inside our brain. Nobody else controls what or how we think. It is up to us, moment by moment, to choose what our attitude is. It is up to us to determine how we will look at and perceive the world around us. It is up to us to decide how we will react to the world around us.

My advice? Choose a positive, optimistic attitude! Here are some thoughts on choosing your attitude.

We cannot choose our circumstances. For the most part, this is true. We cannot control if someone around us gets ill. We cannot control how another person treats us. We cannot control the global economy. We cannot control the direction our society as a whole will go. For some, this may seem scary. For me, though, it is freeing. I don’t have to control my circumstances—running the whole world would be a big responsibility. It is good to know that I am not in charge of, or in control of, all of my circumstances. This dose of reality frees me to focus on what I can control: my attitude.

We can choose our attitudes. That’s right. We get to choose what our attitudes are for every situation. The definition of attitude is “the feeling or opinion about something or someone, or a way of behaving that follows from this.” We choose how we feel about others and situations. We choose our opinion about people and situations. We choose the way we will behave in relation to other people and circumstances. We choose it. It doesn’t have to be bad, and it doesn’t have to be anything but what we want it to be. We have the option.

The choice of a right attitude will significantly determine all future circumstances. Choosing to have the right attitude will change the world around you. This isn’t any sort of magic; it is just how the world works. Now, don’t get me wrong, it won’t cure everything and turn your world into a virtual Shangri-La, but it will significantly improve the world you live in. For example, let’s say that every day you go to work and gripe about life and work from the moment you get there until the moment you leave. Will others want to be around you? Will others ask your opinion? Will others like you? Will others ask you to join them for lunch? Probably not! But what if you come to work every day and you are the positive optimist of the crowd? Will everybody love you? No, but significantly more people will than if you are the office pessimist! Your choice of attitude will determine what kind of circumstances you get!

Ultimately, what kind of attitude we have is our choice. Nobody else can force you to have a bad attitude. Nobody else can force you to have a good attitude. It is simply a choice you make.

So, what kinds of attitudes make a difference? Here are five attitudes that will make you soar:

1. “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 that 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 percent 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 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 people who have already done it. I have to be able to work harder than at least one other person. 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, too!

2. “I will be generous.” Another attitude that will make you soar is being 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 being generous will raise you to levels yet unseen.

3. “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 people-focused. They want to change the way people live and make life 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. One thing I can say, as almost a universal truth, is that, to a person, they are people who are not self-consumed, but who 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.

4. “I am not easily angered.” 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 angry at its root. When we take on an attitude that raises the bar on what makes us angry, we are positioning ourselves to be in a state of mind that is better able to live and work in such a way as to achieve success.

5. “I will look for the good in every situation.” This is basic optimism. Successful people who soar through life are those who are optimistic. They see the good, think the best and strive for greatness, believing all the while that they will achieve it because it is possible!

Where are you with your attitude? Do you have a good one? Why not sit down and give it some serious thought? Then, no matter where you find yourself, decide to take your attitude to the next level! If you have a bad attitude, decide to improve upon it by a couple of levels! If you have a good attitude, take it to the “great” level!

Your attitude is your choice. Choose wisely.

Have a great week, folks!

Chris Widener