“Today is the beginning of a new day. God has given me this day to use as I see fit. I can waste it or grow in its light and be of service to others. Today is important because I am exchanging a day of my life for it. When tomorrow comes, today will be gone forever. I hope I don’t regret the price I paid for it.”
—6th Grade Outdoor Education Camp Leader
–Jefferson County, 1986
Every morning for over twenty-five years now, I’ve been saying the above quote. Okay, not every morning. It was given to me along with the rest of my sixth grade class on a little piece of laminated paper during outdoor education week. I love that we have no idea how and when a little note of encouragement can grow in someone’s life and affect so many others. The morning affirmation above shaped my attitude from a very young age. Attitude really is everything, isn’t it? As we work our way through, your current attitude now will be a reflection of how much you are absorbing from before. So far we have explored some possible areas in our life that could use some improvement. Attitude is our reflection of those improvements. Coming soon will be the awesome results from our continuation of practicing a great attitude. People with great attitudes get what they want.
So how is your attitude most of the time? As you know, we all have thoughts. Our outward expressions of our thoughts show us our attitude. So if we have to think, which most of us do, then we might as well think good thoughts and practice a good attitude. They really are contagious. A great attitude starts with recognizing that every day is truly a gift. Every day truly is a new day. It is up to us to seize, grasp, and enjoy every moment of it. Clap your hands and say, “Yes! Yes! Yes!” Really, do it. I’ll wait. Okay, feels awesome doesn’t it? Attitude is about positive expectation. It is about gratefulness. It is about doing the things that make us happy. It’s time for success! Did you know that seventy-five percent of your success rate is based on your belief in yourself, your associations, and your attitude? Twenty-five percent of your success is based on your IQ.9 Sounds like we better pay attention if we want to get what we want.