Table of Contents
If A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z Equals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 ,12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26.
Then…evaluation of Knowledge, Hard Work, and Attitude
K + N + O + W + L + E + D + G + E
11 + 14 + 15 + 23 + 12 + 5 + 4 + 7 + 5 = 96%
H + A + R + D + W + O + R + K
8 + 1 + 18 + 4 + 23 + 15 + 18 + 11 = 98%
A + T + T + I + T + U + D + E
1 + 20 + 20 + 9 + 20 + 21 + 4 + 5 = 100% (Coincidence or not?)
A Definition of Attitude
Think of your attitude as the mental filter through which you experience the world. People either see the world through a filter of optimism (the glass being half full) or through a filter of pessimism (the glass being half empty). This is quite co-related to fixed mindset and growth mindset as well.
Below are the examples to explain the difference between a positive attitude and a negative attitude.
| Negative Attitude People | Positive Attitude People |
| Mindset as I CAN’T | Mindset as I CAN |
| Dwells on problems. | Concentrates on solutions. |
| Finds fault with others. | Looks for the good in others. |
| Focuses on what’s missing. | Counts his or her blessings. |
| Sees limitations. | Sees possibilities. |
Everyone Starts With A Clean Mental Window
Let’s take a few moments to discuss why your attitude is your window to the world. We all start out in life with a good attitude—or, a clean mental window. Just watch young children. They’re always laughing and giggling. They love to explore new things.
Consider the attitude of a child who’s learning to walk. When he stumbles and falls down, what does he do? He doesn’t frown or blame the carpet. He doesn’t point fingers at his mother or father for giving him lousy instructions. And he doesn’t quit. Oh, no. He smiles, gets up again, and makes another attempt. And another. He keeps going for weeks and weeks with a positive attitude until he gets it right! His window is neat & clean, and he feels like he can conquer the world.
“Two things define you: your patience when you have nothing and your attitude when you have everything.” -George Bernard Shaw
But as you know, there comes a point where life starts throwing some dirt at our windows. And here’s what happens: Our window get-
- splashed by criticism from parents and teachers.
- blurred by ridicule from peers.
- smeared by rejection.
- soiled by disappointments.
- clouded by doubt.
The problem is, the dirt keeps building up, and all too many people do nothing about it. They continue to go through life with a filthy window. They lose their enthusiasm. Also, they get frustrated and depressed. And most tragically, they give up on their dreams—all because they failed to clean their attitude window.
Wash Your Window
While interacting with a group of people in one session, a professional with around 15 years’ experience asked one interesting question. He asked, “What should I do to come out from feeling of self-saturation?” The response from my side was to do a self-analysis of his life on various important dimensions as relationship, achievement, financial wellbeing, career growth, social contribution, etc. Then judge his performance. He needs to then make an improvement plan for the areas in which he is lacking. There is a very simple phenomenon of life, if you start focusing or improving one area, you can feel the major improvements in other areas as well. This is how our mind works.
So regular cleaning of your mental window is a must to have a positive attitude. With this, you can clearly see the world with many possibilities.
Control Your Attitude
It’s your job to keep your window clean. Sure, I can give you a little encouragement. And other people can encourage you, too. But in the end, nobody else can do it for you.
You see, you always have a choice. You can leave the filth on your window and look at life through a smeared glass. But there are consequences to that approach—and they’re not very pretty. You’ll go through life in a negative and frustrating way. You’ll be unhappy. And you’ll achieve only a fraction of what you’re capable of achieving.
There’s a better way. When you choose to take out your squeegee and clean your window, life will be brighter and sunnier. You’ll be healthier and happier. You’ll set some ambitious goals … and begin to achieve them. Your dreams will come alive again!
Dr. Viktor Frankl’s Opinion on Attitude
Let me tell you about a man who is well qualified to speak on the subject of attitude. His name is Dr. Viktor Frankl, and he went through hell on earth—and managed not only to survive … but to inspire millions of people. You see, Viktor Frankl endured years of horror as a prisoner in the Nazi death camps.
To make matters worse, his father, mother, brother, and wife died in camps or were killed in gas chambers. Every day, Frankl and the other prisoners suffered from hunger, cold, and brutality. Can a person control his or her attitude in a situation like that? Here’s what Dr. Frankl had to say about the importance of attitude in his best-selling book, Man’s Search For Meaning:
Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way…. Even though conditions such as lack of sleep, insufficient food, and various mental stresses may suggest that the inmates were bound to react in certain ways, in the final analysis, it becomes clear that the sort of person the prisoner became was the result of an inner decision and not the result of camp influences alone.
Now, if Dr. Frankl and the other prisoners had the ability to choose their attitudes in the face of such unspeakable suffering, who are we to claim that we cannot take control of our attitudes? (Content is inspired from ‘Attitude Is Everything’ by Jeff Keller)
