Leadership Memo 2023-8
Attitude. Attitude is so crucial in our lives. A positive attitude gets us beyond common hurdles. It will clear the deck. It will free us from hang-ups. But what about during the tough days, when things don’t go our way or when the bottom drops out of our lives? Let’s be honest. Most of us must admit we don’t handle them well. Others who love us try to help, but they tend to complicate matters.
Take the four guys who went mountain climbing one weekend. In the middle of the climb, one fella slipped over a cliff, dropped about sixty feet, and landed with a thud on the ledge below. The other three, hoping to rescue him, yelled, “Joe, are you okay?”
“I’m alive . . . but I think I broke both my arms!”
“We’ll toss a rope down to you and pull you up. Just lie still!” said the three.
“Fine,” answered Joe.
A couple of minutes after dropping one end of the rope, they started tugging and grunting together, working feverishly to pull their wounded companion to safety. When they had him about three-fourths of the way up, they suddenly remembered he said he had broken both of his arms.
“Joe! If you broke both your arms, how in the world are you hanging on?”
Joe responded, “With my TEEEEEEEEEEEETH . . . “
No, other people can’t help much on tough days. They may be good companions, but they sure can’t stop the pain.
So—what’s the answer? Our attitude. Let me drill that down further.
- Let us not lose heart. On tough days, you gotta have heart. Don’t quit, whatever you do. Persevere. Stand firm. Be strong, resilient, determined to see it through. Build a protective shield around your heart, stabilizing you.
- Let us do good. Our tendency will be anything but that. Fume. Swear. Scream. Fight. Pout. Get irritated. Rather than parading through that shop-worn routine, stay quiet and respond with a receptive, enthusiastic attitude to challenges and focus on what is possible.
- Let no one cause you trouble. Superb advice! Refuse to allow anyone (or anything) to gain mastery over you.
- Let grace be with your spirit. Allow the full impact of grace to flow through your thoughts, your attitudes, your responses, your words. Open the gates and let those good things stampede freely across your tough day. You sit on the fence and relax. It works. It really does.
When we have the right attitude, every day has sunshine. We don’t have to have cloudless days for there to be sunshine days. Attitudes are contagious, so make yours worth catching.
If you want to discuss how those 4 points can practically apply to your situation, reach out to me today, and let’s have a conversation!
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