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“Pessimistic people tend to view problems as internal, unchangeable, and pervasive, whereas optimistic people are the opposite.” —Davies Guttmann
I’ve learned that I can’t talk my way out of a problem that I behaved myself into.
“There is no doubt in my mind that there are many ways to be a winner, but there is really only one way to be a loser and that is to fail and not look beyond the failure.” —credited to Kyle Rote
If you think someone or something other than yourself is responsible for your success or happiness, then you will be neither happy nor successful. You have to learn how to bounce back from rejection.
Resilient people don’t focus on the negative experience. They focus on what they can learn from the experience.
I think it is very easy for us to lose perspective in life and get discouraged. Too often we see a single victory as a finish line, or a single loss as a grave. The reality is that life is a long game. If it were a baseball game, there would be thirty thousand innings. (That’s one inning a day for more than eighty years.) If it were a race, it would be more than eighty thousand miles. (That’s a 5K every day.) If it were—You get the idea. We need to have the right perspective and remain positive because there are still a lot of at bats or miles ahead of us.
I’ve always felt that people with great attitudes add value to everything they do. That’s one of the reasons I’ve taught leaders about the importance of attitude. Now I have stats to back my belief. I recently read an article in Fast Company about the consulting firm DHW. Here’s what the article reported: You probably heard that a happy employee is a productive one who can boost the bottom line. How much? Here are some numbers: • 33% higher profitability (Gallup) • 43% more productivity (Hay Group) • 37% higher sales (Shawn Achor) • 300% more innovation (HBR) • 51% lower turnover (Gallup)
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If you’re a leader, you can’t afford to ignore the importance of attitude. And if you’re not a leader—you can’t afford to ignore the importance of attitude. If your attitude is wrong, it’s difficult for anything else in your life to be right.
Perhaps the finest example of positive attitudes in the midst of difficult circumstances that I’ve ever seen is displayed by the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura. They have been called the Paraguay Landfill Harmonic Orchestra. The first time I saw them was when I was in Helsinki, Finland. I was there to speak, and right before I went onstage, they played. The audience and I could see instantly that they were different from any other orchestra. Most of the musicians were children. Maybe that didn’t make them different from all other orchestras, but something else did: their instruments were made
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Most people would say that if you have nothing, you can do nothing. Favio and the children he helps prove that’s not true. The members of their little orchestra may have a dump beside them, but they have a great attitude inside of them. As I watched their faces as they played, I thought of the words of American author, philosopher, and civil rights leader Howard Thurman: “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” —Howard Thurman
Poet T. S. Eliot said, “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”
I would rather come up short attempting something big than to be successful at something small that wouldn’t make a difference.
In the words of Steve Jobs, “Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”
guru Steven Pressfield says this: “The amateur believes he must first overcome his fear; then he can do his work. The professional knows that fear can never be overcome.”
“Show me a guy who’s afraid to look bad, and I’ll show you a guy you can beat every time!” —Lou Brock
I Don’t Count Losses—Instead I Count Lessons
Mass movements don’t begin with the masses. They always begin with a few. But if those few are the right people, there is the potential for a mass movement.
winners stretch to a challenge and whiners shrink from a challenge. When you cast vision for something big, it is both a uniter and divider. People of high capacity who like a challenge rally to you. Small people leave. The size of the vision determines the size of the person who signs up.
Nelson Mandela said, “There is no passion to be found playing small—in settling for a life that’s less than the one you are capable of living.” I know there are people who believe that playing big is dangerous, but do you want to know what’s more dangerous? Never taking a risk. When you’re doing nothing, nothing good happens.
“There is no passion to be found playing small—in settling for a life that’s less than the one you are capable of living.” —Nelson Mandela
There once was a man who never risked. He never tried, He never laughed, He never cried, Then one day, when he passed away, His insurance was denied. They said since he never really lived, Then he never really died!
“If you want some things you’ve never had before, you must be willing to do some things you’ve never done before.” —Bill Purvis
the differences between Moment Leaders and Movement Leaders. Take a look at the differences: Moment Leaders ask, “How long will this take?” Movement Leaders ask, “How far can I go?” Moment Leaders think Great things can happen easily and quickly. Movement Leaders think Everything worthwhile is uphill. Moment Leaders lead with emotion and let it control them. Movement Leaders lead with character and let it strengthen them. Moment Leaders are bigger on the outside than on the inside. Movement Leaders are bigger on the inside than on the outside.
Writer Anaïs Nin said, “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.”
If you’re not living on the edge, you are taking up too much room.
“God loves us, not because we are lovable but because He is love.” —C. S. Lewis
In his book A Gentle Thunder: Hearing God Through the Storm, my friend Max Lucado writes a wonderful description of how God feels about you and me: If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If he had a wallet, your photo would be in it. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning. Whenever you want to talk, he’ll listen. He can live anywhere in the universe, and he chose your heart. And the Christmas gift he sent you in Bethlehem? Face it, friend. He’s crazy about you.
God puts no limitation on faith; faith puts no limitation on God.
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck.
Author Robert Anthony said, “Some people drink from the fountain of knowledge—others just gargle.”
Johnny Weissmuller was called the greatest swimmer in the world. He held over fifty world records. Doctors and coaches said, “No one will ever break his records.” Do you know who breaks his records now? Thirteen-year-olds! A challenge can always make you better.
Tony Robbins says, “Where focus goes, energy flows.”
There is no growth in your comfort zone and no comfort in your growth zone.
Paul Martinelli, the president of the John Maxwell Team, says, “Everything you want in life is outside your comfort zone.”
want to live until I die and not get the two confused. How
Over the years, I’ve closed a lot of doors. I’ve even developed a set of questions for when to close doors. Ask yourself these questions. Every yes is a sign that it’s time to turn around and close the door behind you: 1. Is this door less promising today than the day I opened it? 2. Did this door have surprises behind it that are not beneficial to my development? 3. Have I failed to discover anything of value or to do everything that is behind this door? 4. Am I missing other doors of opportunity because this door is so time-consuming? 5. Would I avoid going through this door again, knowing
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1. Don’t be afraid of backtracking. When you do it correctly, you haven’t lost ground; you’ve just found your footing.
Don’t close a door until you know the lesson you have learned from that experience.
The essence of it is contained in a quote often attributed to Mother Teresa: “I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things.”
A Chinese proverb says, “One may be a leader for a time, but by helping others succeed, one will be a leader forever.”
Leadership by assumption is ineffective.
“Victory is much more meaningful when it comes not just from the efforts of one person, but from the joint achievements of many.” —Howard Schultz
Several years ago, I came across a story attributed to Robert Schuller, the author of Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do. Here’s what it said, When I was in London, I visited a hall where a man named Mallory was honored with a banquet years ago. In the 1920s, Mallory led an expedition to try to conquer Mount Everest. The first expedition failed, as did the second. Then, with a team of the best quality and ability, Mallory made a third assault. But in spite of careful planning and extensive safety precautions, disaster struck. An avalanche hit and Mallory and most of his party were
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