Positive Mental Attitude - The Choice Is Yours...Choose Carefully!

The other day I was reviewing performance numbers for one of our client's team members. I noticed a particular trend that I found fascinating. This person's performance indicators on Fridays were consistently lower in comparison to the previous four days of the week.nnI sent the person an email saying, "Are Fridays bad for you?"nThe response was... "Yes."nnOuch.nnThe problem isn't the day of the week. The problem is attitude. This person hasn't decided to make Fridays the best day of the week.nnWhen I was young, I didn't believe in the self-help books. I thought they were useless. If someone would have said, "Choose your attitude!" I would have said, "Mind your own business! My life has been challenging. Bad stuff happens! Leave me alone."nnI firmly believe that I can choose what kind of day I will have and it is completely and absolutely up to me. I have experience!nI didn't always believe this. The fact is that it has taken me years to realize the power of my own thinking. My journey is still rolling forward and I am learning every day. n nThe most important thing that I have learned is that what I think matters and greatly impacts my life.nnWhen I was 7 or 8 years old, I had a stepfather tell me that I was stupid. He planted a "seed of doubt" that I allowed to take root and grow. By the time he left my life at the age of 12, I thoroughly believed I was stupid. nnIf you believe you are stupid like I did, what kind of grades do you get in high school? Well... I lived my beliefs out. I didn't study nor did I apply myself. The grades I received matched my effort - about a 2.14 GPA as I recall it. I acted like I was in fact, stupid.nnI took a year off after high school knowing that in order to succeed, I needed to go to college. The first year I returned, I paid for school via a combination of money I had saved and a student loan. I was paying my way.nnI vividly recall telling myself that if I earned good grades, I would get a scholarship the next year. nnThat first semester of college I earned a 4.0 and I received a partial scholarship for the next year.nnWhat was different? I believe two things... I "owned" my education. I was paying for it. We tend to take better care of things we "own". I also wanted that scholarship and I was willing to do what it took to get the 4.0. n nI was only as stupid as I believed and acted. My changed belief about myself caused me to stop acting stupidly.nnLittle did I know that I was creating my future and it was it was in fact mine to create. It was the first of many powerful decisions that I have made in my life.nnThat powerful decision was the decision to not be stupid any longer. n nLooking back, I can clearly see that power and I am now using it much more frequently and on purpose to attract into my life what I really want. nnThe almost sick irony in all of this is if you believe that you can't choose what kind of day you can have - you are absolutely correct. Whatever decision you make, you decide the "truth".nnThe reality is... If you believe I am wrong or I am correct, you are absolutely right. nnIf you believe you can decide what kind of day to have, you will then have the power to determine what kind of day to have. nnIf you believe that other people can impact your day negatively, you will allow other people to impact your day negatively.nnWhich decision do you like better?nnYour attitude is yours for the choosing. Decide on purpose.nI know it works for me. It can work for you too if you decide.nnChoose carefully.n