The Attitude Factor

Use Your Head

In a May 1986 issue of the "Coordinator Magazine," Bob Conklin, The author of the Adventures in Attitudes program suggested that you should "use your head to work for you, rather than against you. The way you use your head, think, will be the blueprint of your life."

Conklin's belief that our thoughts create blueprints for our lives has been validated many times over in my lifetime. A recent illustration came from friend and colleague, Bob Jackson, who sent me a photo copy of an actual affirmation that he composed during an Adventures in Attitudes program back in 1999 that I co-facilitated. He had written a lofty affirmation about achieving "levels of success never percieved or understood before." As he shared this information with me, he was celebrating the release of his first book and preparing for his diseration for his doctoral work. Bob somehow brought these affirmations into his conscience thinking and they became a reality in his life!

"To think is to live" said Cicero. What are you thinking about today? What ever your thoughts are, they are creating a blueprint for your life! Be sure that it is a blueprint that you desire.

Life is Good

Bob Conklin, the author of Adventures in Attitudes, often talked about the power of the choices we make every day in what we pay attention to.  He likened it to a camera.  If we point our camera at the negative news in the daily paper we are likely to end up with some negative attitudes.  Point it at a lovely garden and end up with some positive attitudes. So, with that in mind I must recommend Life is good.  A simple concept - print a positive message on clothing (and other everyday products) and change the world.  You can read the full story of the two brothers who took this simple idea and turned it into a multi-million dollar business in a USA Today article.

I first discovered their products in a store in New Hampshire last year on a family vacation and was fascinated by the idea.  Perhaps you will be too.

So, if you'll excuse me now, I'll make another cup of tea in my "Life is good" mug and point my camera at some of the positives in life.

21 Days to a New Attitude!

It happened to me recently as I listened to a colleague discuss the great division between people on both sides of the political spectrum in this country. I realized that I had developed a "negative attitude" about the "other side." In a sense, I acutally viewed these folks (even ones I did not know personally) as "the enemy." How sad to discover this in myself- yet it was not the first time in my life I had made this discovery. How easy it is to get sucked in to negativity. So much easier than to try to see the good in the other point of view.

Many of us have probably realized (usually after everyone else does) that we need to work on our attitudes at various points in our lives. Those that have never made this realization, in my view, are highly suspect. But, if you are like me, when you come to this realization you may beat yourself up a bit and tell yourself things like "I should know better." Do not fret. Remember, taking the high road is a journey not a destination. The real point is to be on the journey, and to know when you have fallen off the path and to get back on quickly.

So what do you do when you realize that you need to do some more "self-work"? You've probably heard before that it takes 21 days to form a new habit. Well, the way that we think and choose to interpret our world and other people is really a habit we have developed.  If the negative attitude habit finds its way into your world, try this very practical advise offered by Patricia Wagner in her short article called "21 Days to A Positive-Attitude Habit" I plan to try using the activivies suggested immediately- I hope you will join me!

Yes! Attitude is Everything!

According to a recent study from the Forum for People Performance Management and Measurement at Northwestern University, called "The Impact of Employee Attitudes on Market Response and Financial Performance" a direct link exists between employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction and a company's financial performance, even if the employees have no direct contact with customers.

While I have always known this to be true, it was so kind of Northwestern University to prove it. I will surely encouage one of my children to go there for their education :-)