e e “ Yes You Gan “e+ How to Become a World-Class Individual: B Q Strategies * °s WY for Success “y » @ BEN HENRY CSAJ Publications, Kingston, Jamaicastrategy 3 Develop the Attitude of Gratitude @ | wake up every morning and thank God for ‘another day of lfe. Denis Waltley, my hero, feels the same way about getting up in the morning. His response on opening his eyes to another day is “Wow! One more day, safe again:” Ie is important that you develop the attitude of _graticude. First, thank God for lfe. The fact that you ‘woke up this morning is cause for celebration. ‘Thousands of people across the world died in their sleep. Second, every day is a good day —rain or shine. | remember geing out on the road the day after Hurricane Ivan made his unwelcome vist to us. Iwas walking down Altamont Terrace and saw a huddled figure walking towards me. | greeted him, “Good morning!” His response, “What's good about the morning? Don't you see Ivan ‘mash’ up the country?” | replied, ‘Si, the fact that you woke up alive after Ivan is cause for celebration, When youare alive, everything else is possible” He mumbled something which | didnt catch as he went along his way. Every day is a good day ~ rain or shine. Be thankful Be thankfl for what you have in life. What do you have in fet First of al you lve in a great tle country called Jamaiea. Be thankful for that. We have a few problems, such as crime: unemployment, especialy among our young people: and the indiscipine in che society, But these are solvable problems. I will be bold enough to say that this land called Jamalea is “as good as any, better than many. and inferior to none”. | have borrowed this phrase from my friend, Linton Smith of Corporate Solutions, a Kingston-based rmanagement-consulting firm. Second, you have a good social network: great friends, relatives and loved ones who love and care for you. Be thankful. Third, compare your life with cothers,and you would be surprised how blessed you are. Ifyou have got good health.be thankful. you are working, be thankful, you are in school, college or university be thankful Think about the positive things in your life that you should be thankful for. List your accomplishments to date,and you would be surprised at what you have accomplished. Be equally thankful for what you don't have in lfe. What don't you have in fe? You don’ live in some areas of the Middle East or some other strife-torn area of the world, Be thankful for that. You don't have to endure starvation like so many millions of our fellow humans. Be thankful for that. We don't have the kind of catastrophic dsasters that overtake other countries from time to time. Be thankful for that, THINK ABOUT IT. You are doing great. Your accomplishments. Your blessings. Your goals. As someone sald, "focus on the haves of your existence, not the have nots.” We should show respect for the privilege of walking on this earthsey ° strategy ° k Positive all the Time e Every diy for the past fifteen years, | have been reading Swindol. It is powerful and | would urge you t© make it a daly part of your life, ‘An axtitude is the state of mind with which you approach a situation. It is displayed by your actions and your speech. An attitude contains your beliefs {and supports your opinions about a certain person ‘Our attitude projects our personality. The same forees that shape our attitudes are the same cultural forces that help form our personality, ie, our home environment, our school environment, our work environment, our parental guidance, our friends, etc. All of these things can cither have a positive or Negative influence on you, Attitudes are normally formed through observations. However friends can $erVe as an influencing factor in forming new attitudes. "There is very litle difference in people. But that Uile difference makes a bi diference. The litle difference is attitude, The big difference is ‘whether itis positive or negative." + W. Clement Stone Positive attitude is often used to describe the actions of a person who displays the folowing positivetits: confidence, patience, humility, understanding, pleasantness, responsiblity, consistency, creativity loyal, thoroughness, self-control, productivity, punctuality, sensitiv, cost-consciousness, courtesy honesty and communicativeness. This person also displays an enthusiastic, courageous, optimistic, cheerful, considerate, friendly, sincere, warm, relaxed and decisive personality. Someone with such personality and such characteristics will reap suecess, recognition, security, happiness, personal growth friendship, love, and inner peace. Negative attitude is often used to describe the actions of a person who displays the following faithfulness, initiative ‘alts: envy, greed, conceit, suspicion, critical, inferiority, sept laziness, indifference, carelessness, intolerance, ‘egotism, tardiness, insincerity, dishonesty, deviousness, selfishness, belligerence, incommunicativeness, and antisocial behaviour. This person also displays an inconsiderate, pessimistic, cruel, weak, cold, rude, sour irritable and undetermined personality Someone with such personality and such characteristies will reap worry, tension, frustration, Job weariness, unhappiness, flue, sickness, poverty, loneliness, fatigue, boredom, and dissatisfaction, Why is your attitude so imporsane? Because it affeets how you look; what you say and do; how you feel, both physically and mentally; and how successful you are in achieving your goal. You choose your attitude According to John Maxwell, our attitude deter mines our relationships with people. According to Matthew 7:12, treat people the way you want to be treated. The Stanford Research Institute found that the money an individual makes in any endeavour is determined only 12.5 percent by knowledge, and 8755 percent by the individual's ability to deal with people. Your Attitude Creates Your Altitude Maxwell says that often our attitude isthe only difference between success and failure. He believes ‘that the following blessings are critical to one's success = health, experiences, connections frlends, family, aptitude, money. attitude and goals. You could be the ‘most competent writer in the world, but ifyou don't have the right attitude, you will nt succeed. (Our attitude can turn our problems into blessings. In Awake My Heart, Sidlow Baxter writes, "What is the difference between an obstacle and an oppor- tunity? Our attitude towards ie. Every opportunitybasa dficulty,and every dificuty has an opportunity” According to Maxwell, "When confronted with a di ficult situation, a person with an outstanding attitude makes the best of it while he gets the worst oft. Life ‘can be likened to a grindstone, Whether i grinds you down or polishes you depends upon what you are made of" Maxwell uses the story of David and Goliath to bring out his belief that our atticude can give us an uncommonly positive perspective. When Goliath came Lup against the Israelites, the soldiers all thought, "He Is too big. We can never kill him." David looked at the same giant and thought, "He is so big can’t miss.” "The optimist says the glass is half fl; the pessimist says the glass is half empty." According to the Jamaican Attorney. Derek Jones, ‘the optimist pushes a door that clearly says, "Pull", ‘A positive attitude is a persons passport to a beter tomorrou." Author unlowm ‘An individual with a positive attitude has a high selfresteem. There are three components of self- ‘esteem. The first component is self-knowledge, which 7 ‘975, This is who I am." The second component is self-confidence, wnich says, "This is what | ean do." ‘The final component is self-worth, which says, "What ‘can do and say are important.” The "High Self-Esteem” Individual + "Lam me and lam okay.” + "The real secre: of my success is enthusiasm.” + "Lama winner? + "believe in myzett” "don't engage 1 vicious gossip." + “don't have te be everybody's friend, but | am aware of how | am PERCEIVED. if | don’ ike the perception, | will change it” "Lam aware of the four essential conditions of suceess « choice, love, passion, and skill" "realize da sucess snot the esl of sponta scoun combustion muse sce myelion hrs + "compliment mse when I doa good ob. don't wait for others to give it to me mt * "subscribe to te Japanese proverb which goes tke isl seven me. stand up eg never, sve wp “Tro it’ nice to be important, ei more important tobe nce