=========== Positive Attitudes -- Inspirational Messages ============ by M.D. Smith -- Huntsville, AL ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The one thing certain about ATTITUDES is that everybody has them.. Whether we choose to make them positive and harvest the benefits or ...allow them to become negative and suffer the consequences is up to us. Everybody needs help from time to time...and this program is designed to help you change your attitude, or help someone else to change their attitude in a more positive direction. An old Navy Pilots saying is:. "YOU HAVE TO HAVE A HIGH ATTITUDE BEFORE YOU CAN REACH A HIGH ALTITUDE!" With that in mind, follow the directions on the following screens.. If you are not happy with your attitude and would like for it to be better, print out the questionnaire and work on improving all 30 items. When you feel that you are doing better more consistently, re-take the questionnaire. If you can raise your average by 20 points or more, you are a far more positive person than before. Remember, these are skill areas that take practice to become automatic. When they do, you will be seeing the fruits of your positive attitude in better results, feelings and accomplishments. ---------------------------------------------[ more ]---------------- Norman Vincent Peale, author of THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING tells of walking the streets of Hong Kong and passing a tattoo parlor. In the window he noticed samples of tattoos. One said, ""BORN TO LOSE". He went inside and asked the owner if he had ever tattooed that on a person. The answer was yes. Dr. Peale was astounded that any person would want such a negative attitude actually tattooed on their body. At this point the little man pointed to his head and said, "ALREADY TATTOOED HERE." What is tattooed in your mind, good or bad, might as well be on your body. I think the message here is that once you think you are a loser, you are. By the same logic, if you think you are a winner (BORN TO WIN), then you are. That's why the ATTITUDE you have, or you can instill in your people, will either make you or them or BOTH....winners. Cultivate that POSITIVE ATTITUDE. ---------------------------------------------[ more ]---------------- "THINGS TURN OUT THE BEST FOR THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE THE BEST OUT OF THE WAY THINGS TURN OUT." Art Linkletter Art Linkletter has written several books on looking for the best in people and things. He has had plenty of troubles in his life. If something turns out a certain way that we wish were better, we can use the outcome to move to yet better things, with a Positive Mental Outlook. We must see the uncovered opportunities in every setback. There are ways to solve every problem. If we don't see it, we just haven't looked far enough yet. ---------------------------------------------[ more ]---------------- Artur Rubinstein on his 84th birthday said: "As long as we have what we have inside, the capacity to love, to work, to hear music, to see a flower, to look at the world as it is, nothing can stop us from being happy...but one thing you must take seriously. You must get rid of the IFs of life. Many people tell you, `I would be happy...IF I had a certain job, of IF I were better looking, or IF a certain person would marry me.' There isn't any such thing. You must live your life unconditionally...without the IFs." ---------------------------------------------[ more ]---------------- "THE MIND IS ITS OWN PLACE, AND IN ITSELF CAN MAKE A HEAVEN OF HELL, A HELL OF HEAVEN." --Milton-- Often things happen to us that are BEYOND our control. However, the way we react to those things is certainly WITHIN our control. Contained in this program is 30 items that can help you feel and act more positively, but ONLY if you CHOOSE to be more positive. Everyone's life is a combination of good things and bad things. Yet, some people remain positive and happy in spite of a lot of hard things that happen to them. Others are miserable, even when good things happen to them. Heaven or Hell, it's as our mind makes it. ---------------------------------------------[ more ]---------------- "Master YOURSELF and you can master ANYTHING." Ancient Proverb "OUR LIFE IS WHAT OUR THOUGHTS MAKE IT." Marcus Aurelius Ruler of the Roman Empire "HE WHO LAUGHS, LASTS." Mary Pettibone Poole (1938) Use these, or find your own quotes to remind you to maintain a positive outlook. ---------------------------------------------[ more ]---------------- "WHEN SOMETHING HAPPENS TO US THAT'S BEYOND OUR CONTROL, THE WAY WE REACT TO IT IS WITHIN OUR CONTROL." For most of us, the most upsetting thing for our peace of mind is the way we react to things we can't control...or things we think we SHOULD be able to control. So it is OUR REACTION to the thing that is causing us grief. We must look at every negative happening as something we learn from, will avoid next time or challenge us to build success out of a failure. In this way, we WIN ! This is truly where a POSITIVE ATTITUDE makes all the difference. ---------------------------------------------[ more ]---------------- "Productive WORK and POSITIVE ATTITUDE are partners." Very few individuals can have much of a Positive Attitude unless they are engaged in interesting work that produces results. Malcomb Forbes said... "IF YOU HAVE A JOB WITHOUT AGGRAVATIONS, YOU DON'T HAVE A JOB." Not only are aggravations going to come along that you will need to overcome, but you may be tempted to take short-cuts to finish it easily. Then you will not be proud of what you produce. Way back in 1774, Philip Stanhope, fourth Earl of Chesterfield, wrote to his son and told him.... "WHATEVER IS WORTH DOING AT ALL, IS WORTH DOING WELL." You have likely heard that quote many times. There is much truth in both of these statements. Productive work helps most of us develop and maintain a strong, positive attitude. So don't shy away from problems and try to take short-cuts for the sake of finishing early. Do a good job, prioritize problems and do a job that you will be pleased to bear your name. ******************************[ end of messages ]**************************