By: Iyo_Embong

ATTITUDE

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, then circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think, say, or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, or a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day 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% how I react to it. And so it is with you. We are in charge of our attitudes.

“Very interesting,” you might say, “but what does that have to do with me?”

Well…you are also in some circumstances or other, and it’s not all peaches and cream, is it? There’s some stuff you don’t like — maybe something about your circumstances, perhaps, or maybe some events that occurred in your childhood.

But here you are, with that past, with these circumstances, with the things you consider less than ideal. What are you going to do with them? If those circumstances have made you uniquely qualified for some contribution, what would it be?

You may not know the answer to that question right now, but keep in mind that the circumstances you think only spell misery may contain the seeds of something profoundly good. Assume that’s true, and the assumption will begin to gather evidence until your misery is transformed from a raw deal to the perfect preparation for something better.

Ask yourself and keep asking, “Given my upbringing and circumstances, what Good am I especially qualified to do?”

The power of choice is real.

We can . . .

• Choose to love–rather than hate.
• Choose to smile–rather than frown.
• Choose to build–rather than destroy.
• Choose to persevere–rather than quit.
• Choose to praise–rather than gossip.
• Choose to heal–rather than wound.
• Choose to give–rather than grasp.
• Choose to act–rather than delay.
• Choose to pray–rather than despair.
• Choose to forgive–rather than curse.

Each day brings a new opportunity to choose. What kind of choices will you make today?

CHARACTER

We are not born with character. It is developed by the experiences and decisions that guide our lives. Each individual creates, develops and nurtures his or her own character. Being a man or woman of character is no easy task. It requires tough decisions, many of which put you at odds with the more commonly accepted social norm of the times.

Making the right ethical choices must become a habit. Decisions cannot be situational, based on other’s actions or dependent upon whom is watching.

Cowardliness in character, manifested by a lack of INTEGRITY, or HONOR, will sooner or later manifest itself as cowardliness in other forms. People who have the courage to face up to the ethical challenges in their daily lives, to remain faithful to sacred oaths, have a reservoir of strength from which to draw upon in times of great stress – in the heat of battle.

In the battle of life, IT IS NOT THE CRITIC WHO COUNTS; nor the one who points out how the strong person stumbled, or where the doer of a deed could have done better.

The credit belongs to the person who is actually in the arena;

• Whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood
• Who strives valiantly
• Who errs and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming
• Who does actually strive to do deeds
• Who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotion, spends oneself in a worthy cause
• Who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement
• And who at worst, if he or she fails, at least fails while daring greatly

Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those timid spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the grey twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.

DREAM

I once was asked: “How have you done so much in your lifetime?”

I replied, “I have dreamed. I have turned my mind loose to imagine what I wanted to do. Then I have gone to bed and thought about my dreams. In the night I dreamt about my dreams. And when I awoke in the morning, I saw the way to make my dreams real. While other people were saying, ‘You can’t do that, it isn’t possible,’ I was well on my way to achieving what I wanted.” “We grow great by dreams. All big men are dreamers.”

Some of us let these great dreams die, but others nourish and protect them; nourish them through bad days until they bring them to the sunshine and light which comes always to those who sincerely hope that their dreams will come true.

So please, don’t let anyone steal your dreams, or try to tell you they are too impossible.

“Sing your song, dream your dreams, hope your hope and pray your prayer.”

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. Is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be. You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we’re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others

What does it take to succeed on a big scale? A tremendous god-given talent? Inherited wealth? A decade of postgraduate education? Connections with the top people in your field?

Fortunately for most of us, what it takes is something very simple and accessible: CLEAR , GOALS! “An average person with average talent, ambition and education, can outstrip the most brilliant genius in our society, if that person has clear, focused goals.”

If there was ever a time to dare, to make a difference, to embark on something worth doing,

IT IS NOW!

Not for any grand cause, necessarily… but for something that tugs at your heart, something that’s your inspiration, and something that’s your dream.

You owe it to yourself to make your days here count. HAVE FUN. DIG DEEP. STRETCH.

DREAM BIG!

Know, though, that things worth doing seldom come easy. There will be good days. And there will be bad days.

There will be times when you want to turn around, pack it up, and call it quits. Those times tell you that you are pushing yourself that you are not afraid to learn by trying.

PERSIST!

Because with an idea, determination, and the right tools, you can do great things. Let your instincts, your intellect, and your heart, guide you.

TRUST!

Believe in the incredible power of the human mind. Of doing something that makes a difference. Of working hard. Of laughing and hoping. Of lasting friends.

The start of something new brings the hope of something great, most of all…

HAVE FAITH IN GOD!!!!

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!!!

By: Iyo_Embong