Every day the world you live in is created by your attitude. Either you dictate it, someone else does, or your attitude does. This is the first focus of the show. Next, hit on motivation...which is motive…which is…your reason. If you aren’t clear on this, you are a race car with an empty fuel tank. But, as you’ll hear in the show, we look at what you think you actually want and find what to cut loose and free you from, in order to hone in what you really, truly want.
Picking up where we left off in Show #367, today I give you 11:55 of Zig from Strategies for Success – Disc 2, Developing and Maintaining the Right Attitude – The Formula for Keeping the Right Attitude.
Again, this is not currently available, but as soon as the repackaging is done, I’ll let you know!
OK, let’s just get right into today’s topic, folks. Buckle in, and here is Zig:
I wish I were sitting across a table with you at a great coffee shop, sipping a piping hot Americano, and I could ask you, “Hey, tell me some impressions you got from what Zig said. What stood out? What was convicting? What excited you? What troubled you? What in that maybe even frustrated you or you disagree with?”
Since we’re not, let me pull out some of the highlights and put a magnifying glass on them.
He leads off telling of the little girl boarding an airplane for the first time, and how she is just wowed. Zig describes the perspective of the “Gosh Attitude.” Folks, if that sounds unauthentic to you, it’s understandable. But you probably just haven’t had someone in your life who has the “Gosh Attitude.” I have. His name is Scott Stearman. We live up in the little town of Woodland Park, Colorado, together. Scott is notorious for stepping out of a car or home or building and, as the rest of us are talking and focused on…whatever is at hand, Scott wakes us from our “normalcy” to sweep his arm at the surrounding mountain majesty and exclaim, “Look where we live!” Folks, every time…it jolts us to the reality that right there, in the midst of grandeur, we take it for granted. We miss it. We “navel gaze,” as my wife oft says.
Let me tell you something drastically important, folks. You live every moment from an attitude. It’s not reality, it’s an attitude. You probably did NOT choose it, you just let yourself fall into one.
People treat their days like every morning is waking up to the lottery or Russian Roulette. You win a good day or lose to a bad day, and it’s just…random.
But it…is…not. For a majority of people, if I snuck to their home early in the morning and smeared dog feces on the front door of their house, put it on the door latch of their car, and sprinkled it on their windshield, they would reasonably be upset. What a foul, bad thing to happen to them! They are victims! They have to take time to wash it off, probably be late to work, worry they got it on them and will smell. Few people would not be upset and struggle to have a positive attitude to the day. Their performance would lag, they’d be shorter with people, less inclined to do important work, and would likely be more eager than ever to get the day over with so they could get home and do something feel-good for themselves. Probably take a bath to ensure they were free of yuck!
Now, on the other hand, what if I snuck to their home and left…$500 in an envelope on their front step? And on the envelope, wrote their name and just a note that said, “I appreciate you and just wanted to thank you for being you!”
How would their day go then?! How would yours go? You know…it would be great.
Now someone will want to argue that those issues create real, factual circumstances that viably create hardship or ease and ensuing real feelings.
And I’ll grant you that. On one hand, you’d have a messy task that might cause you to be late to work and feel dirty and victimized. The other might alleviate a financial stress or give you freedom to buy something nice for yourself. And help you feel appreciated.
But, regardless, you’re saying that your attitude, that world you live in for the day, is dependent on outside circumstances. Circumstances you can’t control. If I really decided to show up and leave badness or goodness on your doorstep, you’d be saying that I…have control over your attitude.
Are you willing to give me control of the world you live in on any given day? Week? Month? Would you, do you, give that control to your spouse? Your kids? Your boss, coworker, the traffic or another driver, your debt collectors, a negative family member, the weather? That last one, folks, we’ve had more snow in the high Colorado mountains this year than I can remember. There have been many mornings I’ve had to get up early to sweep a foot of snow off two or three cars, move them to plow our parking area, move them back, and plow out the long driveway. In the freezing cold in my old Jeep that doesn’t heat up. I’d love to just appreciate the beauty of the white glory and love the fresh, crisp air. But, you know what? I’m usually struggling to maintain basic civility.
Afterward, I have work to do. Driving into town with my kids…I’m looking to get inspiring music going, get my kids talking and some laughter happening. At work, I yell a big, enthusiastic “Good morning” to the staff, even though I may not be fully feeling it yet. I give a rousing “Good morning” to my partner, then into my office. Make sure the blinds are fully up to let the sun shine in. Then, maybe good music. Do some pull-ups. Check out how high The Ziglar Show is in the rankings. And thank God I’m healthy, my family is well, remind myself I adore living up here even though the spring snows are challenging. Remind myself that when May hits, I again realize that anything is worth living here, as the weather and beauty are the best on the planet.
And, finally, I’ve got my attitude where it should be, my world where it needs to be, regardless of the circumstances.
I know you get the point, but folks, our attitude is the world we live in, and we can and must intentionally, proactively do whatever it takes to alter it.
Do whatever it takes. Find your attitude adjusters. Not Zig’s. Not mine. It doesn’t have to be the self-talk cards, though they are tremendous and you can get yours for free at Ziglar.com/selftalk. But make your list. Ideas?
- Music
- Message
- Prayer
- Meditation/Silence/Reciting
- Exercise, a walk
- Great coffee!
- Count your blessings
- Call an encouraging friend
- Have a good cry
- Whatever it may be!
Alter your attitude. Create the world you will live in this day.
And, folks, if you have a big trauma or pain or person who has harmed you and your attitude in life overall, you’ll need bigger medicine. There is nothing more important, no better investment for your life, and, therefore, the lives of everyone you come into contact with. Get help. I say that as a guy who has invested in multiple counselors in recent years.
Zig talked about the neurotransmitter measurements before and after his seminars. We’re energized physiologically when we’re energized psychologically. I’d include emotionally, as well.
Zig talks about cells and the storage of neurotransmitters, and in laymen’s terms is saying it is scientifically proven you cannot just GET motivated…temporarily, but if you will continually feed yourself inspiration and motivation, you can become inspired and motivated. It’s who you are. And from that you will BE inspiring and motivating.
But it takes daily working out, just like it takes if you want to lose weight and/or gain muscle.
On that note, Zig talks about the results in weight loss being greater due to motivating messages than from all the numbers of books and plans on the topic.
We’ve hit this head-on in recent shows. Folks, remember, “motivation” comes from…motive. With anything you want to achieve, what is your motive? What is your…reason? If you aren’t crystal clear on this, then no set of steps or tips or keys or strategies will do anything for you.
I said for many years that I wanted to learn to play guitar. But I never took the first step. When my oldest son took lessons, learned to play, and then began playing frequently in our home, I realized very plainly that I, in fact, did NOT want to learn to play guitar. I’m not a patient, detailed man, and I saw the need for much patience and detail. Next, I realized I merely wanted live guitar around. Once it was, I had zero desire for it to be me that was playing it. I realized I had no true motive to fuel me to learn to play guitar.
So, with the things you desire, that brings up a big question and something to ponder. The question is: What is your motive?
Then, you need to ponder with any desire if you truly do desire it. Ask yourself why. You may find there are desires you have, things you’ve been pursuing or feeling guilty for NOT taking action to pursue them, that when you get real with yourself, you’ll find the truth that you don’t really desire them all that much. Or your desire was off-base of the root issue.
Many of you may find freedom in letting some desires -- that are clouding up your attitude and time -- go! Which is wonderful, because it frees you up to give more effort to the desires you have that need more of your focus, attention, and effort. And those you must first get clear on what your motive is -- your motive that will fuel the hard work of pursuing and achieving that desire.
Write your desire down. Your goal. Then write down what your motive is, or motives are. And ask yourself, is the motive, the reason, the payoff…is it big enough and important enough to you to do the daily, hard work? To overcome the pain and obstacles that will happen?
If so, great. Now you know the score. Dig in. If not, then have peace in letting it go! If you’re living in shoulda/outta/wisha, you probably have your answer. You don’t want it enough. So cut it loose and give yourself a break.
And hone in on what you really want and need.
Motivation. Motive. What is yours?