Dear Jan,
My family keeps kidding me that I have a bad attitude. Maybe I do … But what difference does it make? Hey, I’m over 21, and I’ll have any attitude that I want! When you can show me that life will be any easier if I change, well then, maybe I’ll consider it …
So What!
Dear So What,
I think it is a pretty safe assumption that life for you must be frustrating, unfulfilling, and certainly not the motivator that gets you out of bed in the morning.
How do I know? It’s your attitude!
Life, or what is also called our reality, is a reflection of what we believe and how committed we are to that belief. These are our perceptions and attitudes — gained from the experiences, cultural background, and concepts that we have accepted as our truths.
You Are What You Believe
The child who grows up in a secure, loving environment would have the perspective that life is effortless and easygoing and would then radiate optimism, flexibility, and be undaunted in his/her aspirations.
The same individual, after experiencing a lengthy “deprivation” cycle later in life, would abolish the original perspective and embody the new attitude: that of deficiency.
Because of this, he/she would now take on a luckless, deprived, and victimized attitude and belief, and this new cycle would continue until such time as his/her attitude changes to one of confidence and trust.
What You Radiate You Receive Back
You always get back what you radiate, since like attracts like.
On my first trip to Glastonbury, England, several years ago, I purposely sought out a bed and breakfast (B&B) inn each night at whatever town I happened to be on that day.
B&B owners were by and large very personable and enjoyed conversing, especially to someone like me who was eager to learn of the people, traditions, and history of the local region.
At one such place, situated at Lands End, the owners had both just left careers in the educational field to make a major life change.
That evening, as we sat around the fireplace and comfortably chatted, our discussion soon took on a philosophical tone, and the remainder of the night, we concentrated on the question: Who achieves success and how do they do it?
All too soon, the late night hours drew to a close without our being able to come to any conclusion. There were only four hours remaining before I was to start out for my next destination.
On the way up to my room, I was handed 15 books, all of which were about people known for their successes. Nodding determinedly to my hosts, I doggedly declared that by the time I was to leave in the morning, I will have the answer to our discussion.
And so, rather than sleeping, I spent the time scrutinizing those 15 books in the hopes of learning what it was that made certain people dramatically stand out from the general mass.
It was clear that each successful person had his/her unique set of circumstances, motivations, and experiences, but alas! there was still one very distinct similarity: INTENT!
Intent Is The Key To Success
Each successful person clearly intended to and very definitely expected to be successful. They each lived life as if they had already attained success and let nothing deter them from a laser-like focus of having success.
Failure was not accepted as a negative but rather as a stepping stone on the path to the end result. They were committed to their intent!
And so I left Lands End a far wealthier person having learned another wonderful universal truth: reality is what we believe it is — or choose to believe it is.
If our life is not giving us what we desire, then we need to change the programming that is holding us back from having the reality we deserve.
