Attitude is Everything

You are what you think. Earl Nightingale spoke those words half a century ago in a speech entitled "The Strangest Secret." What made the secret so strange was that the concept was so incredibly simple. Nightingale didn't uncover any new truth, he simply repeated his Lord and Savior. In Matthew 21:22, Jesus tells us, "If you believe, you will recieve whatever you ask for in prayer."

The self-help section of your local bookstore is loaded with hundreds of titles, most of which begin with the same principle: your attitude is what determines your success in career/weight loss/romance/rasing Norwegian Hamsters. You name it, if your attitude isn't in tune with your desire, you'll flounder alongside the other 95% of the population who never achieve their goals.

‘Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond imagination. It is our light more than our darkness which scares us. We ask ourselves - who are we to be brilliant, beautiful, talented, and fabulous. But honestly, who are you to not be so?

You are a child of God, small games do not work in this world. For those around us to feel peace, it is not example to make ourselves small. We were born to express the glory of god that lives in us. It is not in some of us, it is in all of us. While we allow our light to shine, we unconsciously give permission for others to do the same. When we liberate ourselves from our own fears, simply our presence may liberate others.'

- Marianne Williamson in Return to Love: Reflections on a Course in Miracles

The above quote hit home for me the first time I heard it. Does it ring true with you? Have you always feared what may happen if you were to really apply the God given talent living inside you?

The 95% figure I used in the first part of this article isn't something I pulled out of my boxers. The truth is, a vast majority of the population lives in a state of ";I'm stuck with whatever life hands me."; How often have you heard comments like, ";I'm just not one of the lucky ones"; or ";If I could just get one break I'd (fill in the blank).";

This is America in the 21st century. We've grown up with a corporate attitude that says you must get a good job for a solid company and work hard toward a comfortable retirement.

It's a trap.

Right now, millions of people are working at jobs they hate. Know what's keeping them from stepping out and pursuing their dreams? Their jobs. To put it simply: most Americans have it too good.

Wait a minute, Ron. Didn't you just say most people are miserable?

Yes, I did. Have you ever heard of men who spent so long in prison they didn't want to get out? We grow comfortable in our bondage. Just like the Israelites who wanted to return to slavery in Egypt rather than wander in the desert in search of the Promised Land. We're the same way. We're a stiff-necked people who would rather subjicate themselves to an average life than trust in God and ourselves to reach our full potential.

So what is success? Here's my favorite definition:

Success is to have a goal and be in the process of taking steps to achieve that goal.

Note the definition doesn't say you have to be at your goal. You simply must be taking steps toward it. Every day.

So what's your goal? What is the first step you must take to achieve it? Take a class at the community college? Send in an application? Get voice lessons? Whatever it is, take it. It may take years, but once you've started the journey, you'll only see the destination, not the starting point.

You've got nothing to lose but your chains.