Continuing To Read And Listen

I've been watching a great program on television, a speaker named Andy Andrews. There are moments and waves of inspiration that effect each of our lives. For me a particularly high spot has come from listening to Mr. Andrews.

I won't say a whole lot about him today, but will do so over the next few days. When I get moved by listening or reading someone...such as I did with Paul McGee and his S.U.M.O book, I have to take a bit of time to collect my thoughts and really let the message soak in.

Said before many times from me and you'll have heard from others, reading and listening to others can have an impact. Keep yourself in a learning mode and I'll try to help by putting some of this great stuff out there for you.

A Glass Full Of Attitude

John C. Maxwell wrote, "do you feel the world is treating you well? If your attitude toward the world is excellent, you will receive excellent results. If you feel so-so about the world, your response from that world will be average. Feel badly about your world and you will seem to have only negative feedback from life."

Often I repeat myself in these articles but find that we have to remind ourselves constantly. How your life rolls out before you is a direct reflection of how you view the world. Attitude is determined by you and is influenced by many factors. If you view the world in a negative manner, chances are it will be a negative world you end up living in. But view the world in a positive light and the balance will tilt towards better things happening to you.

The old axiom that asks if the glass is half full or half empty misses the point of attitude. A positive attitude doesn't try to answer that question. What it trys to do is figure out how to fill the glass even further. It isn't about them (half full) versus those (half empty), it simply looks for a way to improve the situation.

Don't live life half empty, nor live it half full - live to fill it everyday.

An Attitude Filled With Light

When you step out of the darkness of a poor attitude, the light around you becomes brighter. It is similar to what people say about a woman that is pregnant. She carries a glow of wonder and life around her. You can notice it, you can feel it when you are near. This same thing occurs around those that choose the better side of life.

It is with that glow you will see that people are attracted to light, not to darkness. There will of course be curiousity to peek into that darkness. But darkness can not sustain you. Think of isolation methods in which a prisoner is placed alone and in a room without light. After varying amounts of time you will weaken. A sliver of light shining through a crack becomes the hope.

Light becomes the thing you gravitate towards, the one thing that provides warmth and happiness. It draws you out and allows you to see so much better. Options and decisions will become much more clear. With this your attitude will brighten as well and a glow will begin to develop around you.

You will begin to notice that others will be drawn to that glow, that light that is developing around you. Let the light flow through you and out to others. They will gain from your great attitude as it grows. You will pull further and further from the darkness of a poor attitude. Life will become clear. Find a candle to break the darkness.

"Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared." - Buddha (Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta, the founder of Buddhism, 563-483 B.C.)

Being Positive About Everything

In his book titled, 'You The Leader', Phil Pringle says that "...positive attitude is everything. It is vital to see the upside of everything." The book is about leadership and attitude from a theological view but has very relevant applications in the secular world. You can take learning from many different sources and this is one source I find very helpful.

So just how does one do this. We've seen the TV version of the wide-eyed, nothing ever bothers, nicer than thou characters. I basically worry about folks that are that way all of the time. In reality, we all have our down times but the trick is to understand the down time and adjust. To bring ourselves back up to a positive -not ridiculous - level.

By being positive about anything and everything becomes the key to being able to spot opportunity. Being positive about anything and everything becomes a key to being able to brighten the lives of others around you. When you work on your inner self and bring about a positive attitude, then you see more clearly. You see the opportunity that was always there.

A poor attitude blinds us to things that can benefit us. Think of a poor attitude as sitting in darkness. Difficult to see that which is within reach...but I'll talk more about that tomorrow.