The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home.

“The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it."

“And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes.” - Chuck Swindoll

Well-said Chuck.

It’s a good life!

Brian

There’s a story of identical twins - one a hope-filled optimist who could see no wrong and the other a hopeless pessimist who believed the worst about every situation. The twins’ concerned parents decided to bring them to the local psychologist.

On examining the two boys, the psychologist suggested a plan to balance their personalities. "On their next birthday, put them in different rooms to open their gifts. Be sure the pessimist gets the best toys you can afford and the optimist gets a box of manure."

On the day of the twins’ birthday, the parents carefully followed the instructions and observed the results. As they peeked in on the pessimist, they could heard him loudly exclaiming, "I don't like the look of this computer... I'll bet this iPod will break... Timmy has a bigger toy car than this..."

Tiptoeing across the hall, the parents peered around the door to see the optimist twin throwing the manure up in the air and laughing excitedly: "You can't fool me! With this much manure, there's gotta be a pony here somewhere!"

So how are you looking at your circumstances? Are you complaining about what you have or don’t have? Are you willing to put up with some short-term discomfort for the pony on the other side? It’s your choice. I hope you make the right one.

It’s a good life!

Brian

I heard an incredible aviation tale recently. According to the story, at approximately 4000 feet, pilot Henry Dempsey heard a noise from the rear of the plane and went to investigate. As he did so, turbulence suddenly knocked him against the door, it gave way, and Dempsey fell forward out of the plane.

The co-pilot, realizing something was wrong from the ‘door ajar’ warning lights, called in a Coast Guard search mission, changed course and landed at a nearby airport. All this time, however, he never realized that as the pilot fell forward, he had clung to the door – literally for life. As the plane touched down, Dempsey was suspended upside-down with his face just 12 inches from the ground. He had held on so tight, the fire dept had to pry his fingers loose.

So for all of us working through the turbulence of today’s market, holding on for dear life is a pretty good strategy. Renew your focus on the lead-generation activities and stay so committed to your business it'll take the fire department to pry your fingers from it.

It’s a good life!

Brian

I talked to three women in the last ten days who are all Members of our ClubNet Coaching program. Each has been with us many years and all have two things in common at this time:

1) Each is fighting for their life as the disease of cancer wages war on their bodies.

2) Each has an attitude and a spirit that is not only inspiring, but also quite humbling to come into contact with.

I hate to admit it, but I called each one of these ladies to make their day. I know these folks hold me in high regard and because of the nature of my schedule it’s very difficult for me to take time to call folks. So as I dialed each number, I was praying for words of wisdom and encouragement that would truly brighten their day. Each time I hung up the phone, however, it was I who was inspired…inspired by their attitudes, their hopefulness, and their looking to the future.

“I’ll see you at MasterMind, Brian. I know it’ll be a life-changing event.”

“I’m going to a closing this afternoon before my chemotherapy treatment.”

The truth of the matter is that each one of these gals brightened my day with their indomitable spirit, energy and zest for life but I also feel the pang of conviction to be more thankful for my life, my health, my family and for what I do. It’s so easy to get caught up in worries about the market, politics, war and gas prices. In our hearts we know we’re blessed; it’s just so easy to forget it.

So to you three ladies, I thank you. I thank you for your ordinary, everyday example of living the good life and helping me to renew my commitment to treat each day as a gift and for reminding me that all the struggles and challenges of each moment are just part of the joy of the journey.

It’s a good life!

Brian