Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens.”~ John Homer Miller
In my work with individuals over the past 31 years it has become apparent that those who achieve their dreams and goals maintain a certain mindset or frame of reference in their approach to their business and life. Your attitudes and expectations are, in fact, critical to the foundation and success of what you want to achieve.
Let’s take a look at 6 essential attitudes for achieving what you want in life.
Everyone is born creative; everyone is given a box of crayons in kindergarten. Then when you hit puberty they take the crayons away and replace them with dry, uninspiring books on algebra, history, etc. Being suddenly hit years later with the ‘creative bug’ is just a wee voice telling you, ‘I’d like my crayons back, please.”
Hugh MacLeod, from How to Be Creative
Photo Credit – Susie Sprinkel Hudson
Closing night. Full house. Final performance of an outstanding original musical, “
Love Makes the World Go ‘Round,” written and directed by Vanda Eggington and presented by The American Coast Theater Company. I am seated with my wife Ramona in the second row, center, as we proudly watch our son Nicholas perform as part of a wonderful cast.
A revolving stage, painted as a map of the world, placed the actors at just the appropriate place for them to sing and dance each number. The stage turned every time, perfectly, during each performance for several weeks – until it abruptly stopped during the final act on the final night, leaving each actor out of position and facing every which way but the right one.
Do you …
… Please others because you are afraid of offending them?
… Have trouble saying ‘No’?
… Allow others to manipulate you into situations that you don’t want?
… Always put others first?
… Have trouble standing up for yourself?
… Avoid social situations because you get too anxious?
… Feel taken advantage of?
If you answered ‘Yes’ to any of the above questions, then this post is for you!
Without making the fundamental choice to be the predominant creative force in your life, no matter what you do to attempt to benefit yourself or enhance your life, you will merely be finding more sophisticated ways of responding to circumstances.”
Robert Fritz, from The Path of Least Resistance
It is so easy to allow opportunities in life to pass us by, as we often react in
fear rather than choose our response to particular situations that we
find ourselves in.
Recently my daughter celebrated her 21st birthday, and I thought back to an
incident I had with her that was published many years ago in the book A Cup of Chicken Soup for the Soul. In sharing this story with you, I am reminded again to always look for opportunities that are given to us.
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I had offered to watch my 3-year-old daughter, Ramanda, so that my
wife could go out with a friend. I was getting some work done while
Ramanda appeared to be having a good time in the other room. No
problem, I figured. But then it got a little too quiet and I yelled
out, “What are you doing, Ramanda?” No response.
