Do you know your ABC’s?
I was attending a workshop recently – yip, I regularly attend workshops and training to constantly grow and stretch myself too – and the facilitator mentioned his ‘ABC’s’ were the same as Allison’s. Allison is the South African woman who was raped, stabbed, had her throat slit and was left for dead many years ago. She survived against all odds and has gone on to inspire people around the world with her story and her ABC’s. It turns out that my ABC’s are the same as hers too! I turned to my fiancé quite excitedly and said I wondered how many facilitators and inspirational speakers have the same ABC’s? To which he replied, “What are ABC’s?” That is when I realised that it was about time I talked more about one of my secrets to success. I call them my ABC’s of life. Let’s start this week by taking Key Steps together to master our ABC’s…
A is for ‘Attitude’
- What’s your attitude? What attitude did you bring to this email, to work today or to your loved ones this morning? If I’ve just elicited a puzzled look from you, don’t be alarmed, it is quite common for people to have a low level of attitude awareness. Most people know if they are hungry, late for a meeting or if their head hurts, but they usually don’t have a good handle on their attitude. In fact, we are quicker to comment about another’s attitude than we are to develop an awareness of our own. That is a mistake because attitude is everything. It governs the way you perceive the world and the way the world perceives you. So, if someone was to comment on whether you have a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ attitude, what would they say? What is your attitude to work?… to your partner?… to your country?… to your family?… to life at large? Isn’t it wonderful that if you don’t like the answer, it is up to you to…
- Choose your attitude! As Gandhi says, “Our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world as being able to remake ourselves.” One of the greatest discoveries of our time is that human beings can alter the course of their lives, simply by altering their attitude of mind! How often do you stop to realise that your attitude is the one thing you have absolute control over? Because you do! The loudest and most influential voice you hear is your own inner voice, sadly it often sounds like a nag, a moaner or terrible critic (I know, because I speak from experience). Tune it out when it sounds like that (I did and it changed my life). Your inner voice can work for or against you, depending on the messages you allow. It can be optimistic or pessimistic. It can wear you down or cheer you up. You control the sender and the receiver, but only if you consciously take responsibility for it and control over your inner conversation. Make a commitment with me today to stop several times today (and every day going forward) and listen to what your inner voice is saying, weed out negative thoughts and replace them with positive words and energy. It’s up to you, YOU CAN…
