You’ve probably heard the saying – “Your attitude will determine your altitude.” What does this mean? Well, imagine you have a choice of hiring one out of two candidates. One with an excellent qualification but has a bad attitude and the other with a poorer qualification yet with a very pleasant and excellent attitude. Which one would you hire? I am sure you would hire the one with the good attitude because with good attitude, he can learn all that he lacks in qualification.
The Oxford dictionary defines attitude as:
“A way of thinking, a posture of the body; informal self-confidence or hostile behaviour”.
This definition says it all.
Attitude is a mindset that says, ‘I will do this or I will not.’ In life, challenges and troubles will come but just because they come does not mean they have to overcome us and the difference between who wins or loses at the end of the day is determined by the attitude that is adopted during such turbulent time.
Attitude is all about doing the right thing just because it is the right thing.
In life, we all started on the same level of two talents, but where we end up will be determined by our attitude; we will either become a five-talent or one-talent person.
Often times, we cannot choose what happen to us but we can and must choose how we respond to the situation. Unfortunately, most people choose to sulk, complain and blame everybody and everything, but such people end up depressed, dejected, defeated, distracted, angry and bitter. The right thing will be to look at the situation in the eye, roll up your sleeves and refuse to be defeated. Sooner rather than later, your positive and right attitude will overcome the negative circumstance – attitude in life is everything. We have all met people and heard stories of people who have everything one can wish for in life; they literarily have every opportunity at their feet, yet are unable to achieve anything because of bad attitude. On the other hand, there are people who have no thread of cotton on their back yet possess great and wonderful attitudes and so are able to rise above impossible situations.
There is no alternative to having, maintaining and displaying the best of attitude at all times. What you need to remember is that government is about people and their livelihood; and people are not perfect.
Attitude, do not be deceived, is like smoke, you cannot cover it up; somehow, it will come out.
KEYS TO MAINTAINING A GOOD ATTITUDE
Attitude generates from the heart and that is why God looks at the hearts of men. We are all capable of displaying good or bad attitudes however, the choice we have to make is that in all things, I will maintain or display good attitude.
- Be willing to do whatever you are asked to do.
When people ask me how I manage to maintain my busy schedule, I tell them that I choose to do whatever it takes to get the job done. Develop a ‘can do’ attitude and nothing will be too difficult for you. A helper does not initiate things. He waits and whatever the owner of the job wants doing or is doing that is what the helper gets involved in doing as well. For example, my degree is in accounting but one day, when my officer needed someone to edit the church’s video for broadcasting purpose, he asked me to go and learn how to edit and so I did. Within two months, I had learnt enough to start editing our programmes for television broadcast even though I had never seen an editing suite before then. You may ask, “How is that possible?” The answer lies in having a ‘can do’ attitude.
2. Never lose sight of the reason behind the task / job.
As long as we keep this in front of our eyes and on our hearts, nothing that is thrown at us will deter us from getting the job done because we realise that at the end of the line, there are people. Again, this is easy if you have caught the heart of placing the right value on the well-being of people.
3. Be grateful for your position.
Sometimes, it is very easy for us to assume the posture of, ‘Look at me, I have arrived.’ It is always a privilege for me to serve and it should be for you too. There are more qualified and suitable people for your position, but you have been chosen and unless you keep a simple heart and a sober judgement of yourself, pride does come before the fall. I have seen first hand people in different privilege positions who started out very well and as soon as they become power drunk and full of themselves, they become a different person all together and such people never lasted or go the distance. One of the big lessons I learnt earlier in life is how to manage power, position and influence. Power, like money is an amplifier. It will amplify what is in your heart and expose to all what you were made of. Remember the old saying:
“Power corrupts, but absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
4. Develop a servant heart.
Serving is not a swear word, it is an honourable thing to do. It takes a real man / woman to lay down his or her life to serve others. Whatever you make happen for someone, God is obligated to make it happen to you. When you willingly serve and make someones’ calling, gift or assignment happen, the same will be sown back into your life.
Understand Authority
God ordains all authorities. (Romans 13:1-2) states that if you disobey any established authority, you have disobeyed God.
“Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and God appoints the authorities that exist. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.”
You can only exercise authority to the degree that you submit yourself to a higher authority.
Instructions and reproof are the ways of life.
Do not become too big for correction & reproofs.
Proverbs 9: 8-9 says, “Do not reprove a scoffer, lest he hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you. 9. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.”
The attitude you choose will make you either a wing or a weight and our actions and sometimes inactions usually have consequences, and they affect not just us, but other people around us.
The locust as an insect cannot really fly by itself. However, in other for it to travel as far as it does, all it has to do is wait for the wind to start blowing; it then opens its wings and allows the wind to carry it in whichever direction it is blowing. I am not suggesting that you should lead a purposeless life, after all the bible clearly admonishes us not to be tossed by every wind of doctrine. However I am saying that just like the wind, propel yourself to greater heights by relieving yourself of all unwanted and extra luggage.
Make a decision that whatever you have been assigned to do will never be revisited because you will do a good job at it.
Finally, check your motives watch your attitudes and examine your ways and you will always come out on top because attitude is everything.
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