In last week’s blog post, we discussed how significantly our lives are impacted by what we know, or our Personal Philosophy. I shared some strategies for refining your Personal Philosophy so that you can make sound decisions in your pursuit of the good life. This is a critical step in the success equation, because it is what we know, or our beliefs and values, that determine the choices we make in life, which either move us one step closer or one step further from our dreams.
So now that the foundation is laid, how do we start building the skyscraper? In today’s post, we move on to the second fundamental discussed in Jim Rohn’s book The Five Major 
Pieces to the Life Puzzle, which is Attitude. We’ve all heard the saying “your attitude determines your altitude”, and this is so important to really understand. This saying is a reference to flying, because the attitude, or orientation of the plane relative to the ground, literally determines how high the plane can fly. And so it is with success in life. It is our Attitude, or the orientation of our minds, that determines just how high we can fly!
While what we know determines our Personal Philosophy, it is what we feel that determines our Attitude. Here we’re moving away from the logical and into the emotional side of life. And in my opinion, there is nothing more powerful than attitude. How we feel about our experiences in life can either stop us in our tracks or inspire us to action.
“With the right attitude human beings can move mountains. With the wrong attitude they can be crushed by the smallest of grains.”
This is why it is imperative to do the necessary work to make amends with your past. No matter how bad it hurt, how angry it made you or how much of a failure you felt you were, we all have the same two choices: you can let the past overwhelm you or you can let the past educate you. In choosing the latter, we can bring our new wisdom into our current experiences and move forward toward a brighter future.
The past gave us a wealth of experiences, and the present gives us a chance to use them wisely! We all have the same 24 hours in a day…..it is our Attitude that determines how well we use the time we are given! So why do some choose to make the most of each precious minute while others choose to waste it away?
I think this boils down to our self-worth and sense of value or significance in the world. Our attitude is a manifestation of everything we feel about ourselves, and this is where our work on our personal philosophy becomes so imperative. After all, it is the choices we make based on the knowledge we have acquired (our personal philosophy) that shapes our attitude!
This is where personal growth and development comes in to play. The journey is not always easy, but keep in mind that the very worst days experienced by someone who devotes themselves to personal growth are better than the very best days of those who do not! 
“If there is one area in the knowledge department where we cannot afford to be lacking, it is knowledge and awareness of our uniqueness. We do not feel better about ourselves for the simple reason that we do not really know ourselves. For if we truly knew ourselves – our strengths, our abilities, our resources, our depth of feeling, our sense of humor, our unique accomplishments – we would never again doubt our ability to create a better future.”
Most of us are so busy living our lives that we don’t often pause to appreciate all that we do in a given day. Changing how we feel about ourselves begins with establishing a new philosophy about the value in each of us, particularly ourselves! We’re already pretty good at seeing it in others, it is seeing it in ourselves that needs some work!
“We become a powerful force when each of us understands how powerful all of us are and when all of us understand how valuable each of us is.”
So now that we have established how incredibly valuable we each are, there is one more essential piece to ensure that we make the very best use of our 24 hours. This is something I’ve talked about numerous times throughout this blog, and that is VISION! Your vision has to be SO incredibly strong and crystal clear that you will jump out of bed with passion and excitement each morning and not notice that you continue to work late into the night. This insatiable desire is what will have you doing whatever it takes to go over, under or even straight through any obstacle that may appear on your path. This is about taking intelligent action in the present, allowing yourself to be guided by your past and pulled by your future!
“We cannot move casually into a better future. We cannot casually pursue the goal we have set for ourselves. A goal that is casually pursued is not a goal; at best it is a wish, and wishes are little more than self-delusion. Wishes are an anesthetic to be used by the unambitious, a narcotic that dulls their awareness of their own desperate condition.”
Now that you have a brilliant vision and a positive attitude, is there anything that could get in your way? Before you head off feeling unstoppable, let’s not forget that you spend time with other people on a daily basis who can play a significant role in defining what it is you know and feel. This is where some really tough choices might need to be made.
It’s important to note that attitude is as infectious as laughing, yawning and crying. Yes, truly! So if you spend time with people who are enthusiastic, driven, open and positive, well that’s awesome! You have figured out one of the key fundamentals to living the good life! However, if you spend your days with people who are negative, unsupportive, watch endless amounts of TV, rarely if ever pick up a book and spend their time complaining about their misery instead of doing something about it, well…..this is where those difficult decisions must be made.
Are you spending your time with glass half-full or half-empty types?
You have probably heard that your income usually can be determined by taking the average of the 5 people you hang around most. Well, this theory works just the same with your philosophy, your attitude, your self-worth and your ultimate success in life.
Here’s an interesting thought to ponder. You probably have heard that 20% of the people produce 80% of the results in any given situation. Well get this….it is the 80% group (who is only producing 20% of the results) that will demand 80% of your time and energy! You have to be so careful who we choose to associate with, and if they are part of that 80%, how much of your vision are you willing to let them steal away? If it is the 20%ers who will inspire, educate and encourage you in the pursuit and fulfillment of your vision, who do you think you should be associating with? Do not forget what a valuable asset your attitude is, and so should be protected accordingly!
“Each of us has the ability to put our unique human potential into action and to acquire a desired result. But the one thing that determines the level of our potential, that produces the intensity of our activity, and that predicts the quality of the results we receive is our attitude.”
So what do with do with this new knowledge and these great feelings? Stay tuned next week as we move beyond mere potential and into the third fundamental, the requirement to actually achieving our goals and reaching our vision….ACTIVITY!
I’ll leave you with this beautiful and inspiring video from one of my favorite motivation sources, Simple Truths. Enjoy, and if you think others will enjoy this post, be sure to ReTweet and share with your friends on Facebook!
