14

Facts
About Attitude
One of the things that allow an
individual to become successful
is his or her attitude. Successful
people dont have any fewer
problems than unsuccessful
people; they just have a different
mindset in dealing with them.
Making your attitude your greatest
asset begins when you choose to have
the right attitude. Once that decision
is made, the following steps will help
you achieve an attitude that will be a
positive difference-maker in your life.
Fact # 1 : Attitude isnt everything
One of the things motivational speakers say a lot, which I disagree with, is that attitude is
everything. If you can believe it, you can achieve it, they say. What you set your mind to
can become yours. I dont think it works that way. I know a lot of good people who have
a wonderful attitude who havent reached their dreams yet.
I cannot always choose what happens to me, but
I can always choose what happens in me. Some
things in life are beyond my control. Some things
are within it. When you are trying to change
someone, just try and change yourself.
Fact # 2 : Your attitude cannot substitute for competence.
If you have a great attitude but you are incompetent, youre never going to get
where you want to go. Some people confuse confidence, which is a function of
attitude, with competence, which is a function of ability.
Let me explain it this way. I love
to sing, and I would love to sing
opera. Thats the good news. The
bad news? I cant sing. I could
spend thousands of dollars hiring
the best voice coaches in the
world and practice three hours
a day, and I still would never
become an opera singer. Its not
an attitude problem; its
a competence problem.
Fact # 3 : Your attitude cannot substitute for experience.
When I was a pastor in San Diego years ago, I had a church that was fairly large. I could no longer
afford to hire young staffers who didnt have experience working in large churches. I needed
people with experience and a breadth of knowledge with larger congregations, people who
I didnt need to train from the ground up. Attitude cannot substitute for experience.
Fact # 4 : Your attitude cannot change the facts.
The facts are the facts. No matter how good your attitude is, youll never be a center in the
NBA if you are 5 feet tall. Maya Angelou said, If you dont like something, change it. If you
cant change it, change your attitude. Dont complain.
Fact # 5 : Your attitude cannot substitute for personal growth.
Bruce Springsteen said it best: A time comes when you need to stop waiting
for the man you want to become and start being the man you want to be.
Fact # 6 : Your attitude will not stay good automatically.
John C. Maxwell says, Ive written three or four books on attitude, but my attitude still doesnt
stay good automatically. Its like the farmer says: The hardest thing about cows is they never
stay milked. Our attitude is just like that. It just doesnt stay set.
Fact # 7 : Your attitude makes a difference in your approach to life.
Alls well that begins well. Weve always heard this phrase the other way around: Alls well
that ends well. Ask any coach of a sports team, and theyll tell you the attitude of the
players going into the game will be a determining factor in the outcome of the game.
Fact # 8 : Your attitude makes a difference in your relationships with people.
When someone has a difficult time with people, almost always its an attitude issue.
People who fail in relationships almost always fail in the area of attitude toward
others. Your attitude has a tremendous impact upon your relationship skills.
Fact # 9 : Your attitude makes a difference in how you face challenges.
Successful people dont have fewer problems than unsuccessful people they
just have a different mindset.
Napoleon Bonaparte. His school
companions mocked him because
of his humble origins and poverty.
He responded by studying harder,
and soon he became the best
student in the class and went on
to become one of the greatest
generals in history.
Abraham Lincoln is considered
by many to be the best of the U.S.
presidents, yet he probably
would not have stood out as a
great leader had he not led the
country through the Civil War.
Often the circumstances seemed
to be instrumental in the
creation of great leaders and
thinkers. But that is the case only
when their attitudes are right.
Fact # 10 : We Must Evaluate Our Present Attitude
Most people are prone to go for the quick fix instead of taking a moment to step back and
evaluate the best option before we act. Sometimes when we evaluate ourselves and we look at
things we do not like, there is a tendency for us to over-engage in a lot of activity. Time spent on
the front end thinking about these issues will allow us to get right to the heart of the problem.
If we dont take the time to evaluate, we will
create extra work and grief for ourselves.
What thoughts control your mind?
Fact # 11 : We Must Have a Desire to Change
No choice will determine the success of your attitude change more than desiring to change. When
all else fails, desire alone can keep you heading in the right direction. Many people have climbed
over insurmountable obstacles to make themselves better people when they realized that change
is possible if they really want it badly enough.
You are the way you are
because thats the way you
want to be. If you really
wanted to be any different,
you would be in the process
of changing right now.
- Fred Smith
Fact # 12 : Change Your Attitude by Changing Your Thoughts
We are where we are because of the dominating thoughts that occupy our minds. Major premise:
We can control our thoughts. Minor premise: Our feelings come from our thoughts. We can control
our feelings by learning to change the way we think. Our feelings come from our thoughts.
Therefore, we can change them by changing our thought patterns.
The greatest
discovery of my
generation is that
a human being
can alter his life by
altering his attitude.
- William James
Fact # 13 : Take Responsibility for Your Attitude
The first rule in winning is dont beat yourself. Your attitude is totally in your control. You cant
control the length of your life, but you can control its width and depth. You cant control the
contour of your face, but you can control its expression. You cant control the weather, but
you can control the atmosphere of your mind.

Be pleasant until 10 oclock in
the morning, and the rest of the
day will take care of itself.
- Elbert Hubbard
Fact # 14 : Manage Your Attitude Daily
Maintaining the right attitude is easier than regaining the right attitude. Attitudes are nothing
more than habits of thought. This cycle can be positive or negative. The process for developing
a habit, good or bad, is the same. It is as easy to form a habit of succeeding as it is to succumb
to the habit of failure. Observe the following two cycles and see the difference.
Things turn out the
best for the people
who make the best
of the way things
turn out.
-Legendary UCLA
basketball coach
John Wooden
The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we
embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that
people 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 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it, and so it is
with you. We are in charge of our attitudes. - Chuck Swindoll
Thank You Very Much
Sompong Yusoontorn