Attitude, Ability and Altitude all work hand in hand for your success.
Do you want to change you Altitude? Do you want to fly higher than you ever have before? Than you need to focus on your attitude and your ability. Stick with me on this one.
Attitude: I am not talking about some false set of behavior where you think you are better than you really are, or better than everyone else. I am talking about having a “Can Do” Attitude when you are faced with challenges. Don’t let people tell you that you can’t do something and don’t let people tell you that you are better than you really are; don’t tell yourself either. Take a “Can Do” Attitude into every situation that you face. This will help you honestly do your best.
Ability; you can always improve on something. Let’s say I want to be known as the Best Bass Player on the Planet. It always seems to go back to music with me. Let’s face it, not a lot of people know Bass players for just playing the Bass Guitar or the Upright Bass, most people will know the singer, the song writer or some other musician. But for me to be a better Bass Player, I need to practice. I need to believe I can get better or I will not put the time in. I need the right attitude to help me increase my ability. Maybe I will realize that I should also help out writing and arranging songs, or I should learn to sing, or maybe I will get hired to play the bass because I can fix the minivan that a group is touring in and their Bass Player quit. Sounds crazy, but I am sure stranger things have happened. I cannot reach the next level of ability if I do not have an open and honest attitude about what it takes to get better.
Keep a “Can Do” Attitude and Increase your Ability. Then you will see in increase in your Altitude. You will see an increase in your ability to rise to the occasion when the Stakes are high or make good decisions when the Risks are high. When I say Altitude I am not taking about getting High on Drink or Drugs or Yourself or Life in General. I am taking about your ability to fly high with open eyes and an open mind and make the best of any situation. This is the level that will bring you success.
Do you feel like a winner? Did you do anything to justify that feeling? Did you do the work? Did you put your time in? Your Attitude will go a long way in pulling you through tough times. Keep the right Attitude and increasing your Ability will come easy. This increased ability, through checking the facts and putting in honest effort will give you that chance to fly high. This increased Altitude will lead to success. You will be visible because you can rise to the occasion and risk above risk. You will be in demand.
So maybe you don’t want to play the Bass Guitar, maybe you want to write software programs and apps or you want to be a top stock advisor. Do you have the correct attitude and ability so that people are drawn to you and see you as an expert? If you see yourself as an expert, are you reflective enough to go about against the very best without rubbing people the wrong way? Keep a “Can Do” Attitude, Seek to increase your Ability, and watch you Altitude Rise as a result. Attitude, Ability and Altitude all work hand in hand for your success.
Don’t let short term pain block your healing.
Life happens. Sickness happens. Injury Happens. These things are a part of life. I have a new stance. I do not have sickness or injury; I have the power to recover from sickness or injury. This can be a painful process; I am not trying to ignore that fact. I am trying to give you the courage to face this process and win. I am saying; do not let short-term pain block your long-term recovery. Do not let short-term pain block your healing.
Welcome to 60 Seconds of Motivational Mojo. I am here to tell you that life is not fair. Life can be cruel. I am here to tell you that you have a part in your outcome. You can share in the outcome of your destiny. You can be a part in shaping your future. How you choose to face each day will start to add up, one way or another. Life can be painful. Your health and vitality can ebb and flow, but you can make up your mind to put your best foot forward every day or just accept what life throws at you.
I have been blessed to see firsthand people battle back from all types of illness and injury. I have seen the effects of immeasurable will power. I have seen people battle strokes, cancer, diabetes and recover from car accidents. These people made up their mind that they would not be defeated and continued to face every day with a will to live. I have also seen people who are paralyzed continue to live their life to the fullest. This decision can be difficult. I am sure there is lots of pain in these processes; the process of fighting different illness’ and injury. But these people have one thing in common. They did not let short-term pain stop their long-term gain. They did not let short-term pain block their recovery. They did not let short-term pain block their healing.
Healing is a choice as much as it is a gift. I know that pain is real. I have battled back from bumps, bruises, pulled muscles and general pains of this life. My pain is nothing compared what I have seen others come through. But each time I face any pain, I face a choice. Choose to do the things that will help me recover or choose to avoid the pain. Recovery, Rehabilitation and Restoration can be a painful process, but I will trade short-term pain for long-term gain anytime.
Whenever I am recovering from injury, I need to stretch and strengthen the injured area so blood can flow and repair the damage. I have been fortunate not to have suffered from any broken bones that I know of, but I have torn some muscles, I am sure of that. I have been able to recover because I am stubborn enough to believe in healing over and through the pain.
Now let me state for the record, some suffering is avoidable. Sometime people force others to suffer for their own personal pleasure or amusement. I think this is wrong. I can only hope and pray that people can endure and escape from these kinds of people. We have to be aware of this, so we can help change this; we all benefit from a world with less suffering. I hope and pray for only the best for my fellow inhabitants of this earth.
I am trying to focus on the fact that our will power and our gift of healing is something we need to hold on to: We need to have the courage to face short-term pain instead of trying to avoid it or lessen it for the long-term. Would you trade a little pain for the rest of your life, instead of a lot of pain today and then a pain-free life? When I put it that way it is an easy choice. Well the choice is not that easy, what about a month of pain for a year of pain-free life? You must be convinced that things will get better. Do the work, recover, rehabilitate, restore and endure. Every time I had to recovery from injury or illness has been a painful process, but I refuse to avoid the pain which really only prolongs the pain. I would rather face the pain, conquer the pain and recover than to avoid it and never recover. This only will lead to an endless parade of pain killers and pain management, not a life at my fullest potential.
I would like to see all of us living to our fullest potential. Do not let injury or illness keep you from being the best you that you can be: Do not trade the pain of recovery for pain avoidance and prolonged suffering. Choose to be free of pain, by conquering and recovery from illness or injury. Do not let short-term pain block your healing!
We are a Beautiful Mess.
We are a Beautiful Mess.
Each one of us is a mess. We are a mess and yet we are a flawless design. We may try to cover it up; we may try to look perfect even when we don’t feel so good inside. Welcome to 60 Seconds Of Motivational Mojo, where I am here to tell you it is ok to be a mess. You are a Beautiful Mess. We are a Beautiful Mess.
I believe we are part of a Grand Design. Many will argue that we are just one of millions of chances on millions of worlds circling millions of stars. And yet those same people will deny that any of those millions of chances from millions of worlds circling millions of stars has been successful in contacting us. I do not believe we are an intergalactic accident any more than I believe we are the only living breathing intelligent life forms. I believe that we were perfectly made, and then we made a mess of ourselves. We are a Beautiful Mess.
The more I see little kids, toddlers and babies; the more I see innocence. The more I see little kids, I see what we were meant to be; we were meant to laugh and play and share and be curious about each other in an innocent and loving way. We were meant to shine, but instead we dull our brightness. We dim the lights that are inside of us. We grow older and we learn to hate, and be afraid of each other and take advantage of each other. Live is a mess and we made a mess of our lives. We try to hide it; we try to cover it up. We all want to appear perfect no matter how messed up we feel inside. We are a mess.
Wouldn’t it be great if we could just start over? I say that we can. I think we can, but we are just too afraid. I think it is easy, you just watch little kids play. Just watch little kids who are sharing with each other. Just watch little kids who have not yet learned to be mean and greedy and jealous for anything. We just need to let the little kid in our hearts out to play. We should clean up the mess that we are on the inside, and not try to cover it up on our outside. You are not the clothes you wear or the house you live in. You are not how much money you make or the possessions you have. You are how you treat others. You are how your treat the less fortunate, not how you cozy up to your boss.
One day we will learn that we were supposed to treat each other, better than we would treat ourselves. One day we will learn that we are supposed to help each other and not take advantage of each other. One day we will learn that we were not supposed to take anyone for granted, or make anyone feel second best. Until then we will remain a mess. Not matter how beautiful the mess is on the outside, we will still all just be a mess. Be beautiful on the inside no matter how messy it is on the outside. To truly be a beautiful mess, you got to be doing the best you can with no strings attached. It is ok to be a mess. Remember you have what it takes to be a beautiful mess.
Don’t cover up the things you do wrong, learn from them. Treat others better than you want to be treated. Don’t be afraid to admit you don’t know everything. Work together to learn together and to grow together. Let the kid inside of you out to play. Share with others. Be nice to each other. Basically stop all the madness of this messed up life and be beautiful again. I know my life is a mess. I can’t fix it without help. But I can do the best I can to be the best that I can be from this day forward. I would rather looked messed up on the outside and be beautiful inside than to look like I have it made on the outside and be ugly inside.
Be a Beautiful Mess!
Rehabilitation, Recovery and Restoration:
Rehabilitation, Recovery and Restoration:
These topics are basically one in the same. Rehabilitation, Recovery and Restoration, they are essentially what life boils down to. Stick with me a minute and let me explain.
Rehabilitation: to restore to a condition of good health, ability to work, or the like.
Recovery: the regaining of or possibility of regaining something lost or taken away.
Restoration: a return of something to a former, original, normal, or unimpaired condition.
I find myself in a constant state of recovery from something. The work week, over doing it at the gym, trying to repair or restore relationships from the past. It seems like life turns into a series of trying to maintain what we once had and build on where we are now.
We all have to get better at something. A lot of times the things that will make us better are the same tools used in Rehabilitation, Recovery and Restoration. I am not here to sell you on a 12-Step or 7-Step guru program. I am going to break it down to One Step. We all need to face the facts. We are where we are and who we are; the only choice we have is what are we going to do about it? One Step at a time, face the facts.
Do you need to lose 10 pounds? What are you doing to lose those 10 pounds? Will you Diet, Exercise or some combination of the two? If you choose to diet; which diet? If you choose to exercise; which exercise? You see, I cannot tell you your exact situation so I cannot tell you some One Size fits all Diet or Set of Exercises to help you reach your goals. I will tell you, face the facts and adjust accordingly.
My knees hurt, I need to exercise more, I need to lose some weight, I am stressed out by life because life happens. So how do I change it? I have to look at my life step by step and face the facts one day at a time. I constantly feel like I am recovering from something. So it is just what life becomes.
I hope and pray that all of us, who have been damaged in any way will find a way to recover and be restored. We each have a role in our own restoration, rehabilitation and recovery. We have to take it one step at a time regardless of what program you choose. You have to believe you can see it through. The will to live, the will to succeed, the will to help others; these are hard to measure but easy to spot.
I am amazed at some of the people in my life who have bounced back from incredible things; health issues, financial issues, emotional issues. Life is full of stories of success and failure; which stories are you choosing to listen too? Choose to listen to the ones where people refused to give up and give in. Take them deep inside yourself and learn to recover! You have what it takes, you do not have to give away your own personal success story, you have to face the facts one day and one step at a time.
Rehabilitation, Recovery and Restoration: Find a way:
So much to teach, so much to learn:
So I have been on a mission. I am on a mission to learn to become a better leader. I am also on a mission to become a better teacher. I am on a mission to become a better servant. Yes, I want to become a good coach, mentor, and instructor. I basically want to learn. I want to learn to become better at everything I do. I have learned that teaching is learning. I have also learned that you can learn Mastery which involves Teaching, Coaching and Mentoring. So I am trying to do those things so I can master the things I want to be very good at doing.
People can learn by doing, and you can learn more be listening to experts and you can learn even more by coaching and sharing. So I have done all I can to help others. I have spent a lot of time on stage performing. I have learned a lot about mixing sound, but I never took the time to be a sound man for someone else. So for the past month, I have asked myself, can I set aside my ego and make sure everyone else can be heard? Can I make sure the best possible sound is coming out of the sound system? Can I help make everyone else and learn in the process?
So what I have learned. People are more receptive to your teaching if you are receptive to learning from them. So I began by having people teach me what they know first. I have also learned that I have a lot to learn. So you have to open yourself up to learning. This may sound crazy, but you must admit that you have things you need to learn. So simple and yet so hard; this may seem really basic, but it is still true. I have also learned that coaching, mentoring and teaching is basically sharing. Sharing is most effective when it is a two-way street.
Most people do not pay attention when things sound good, but they look around when things so bad. By learning what others were doing behind the soundboard while running the sound system made it easier for me to compare notes and show the next person. So once I learned what others were doing, I learned that some of the things I thought I knew we just not true. It is better to know for sure than to think you know. So always confirm what it is you think you know. I have also learned that sometimes it is better to get out-of-the-way and let others do what they need to do than to hover over them and make things harder to get done. This is a great big metaphor for making space for people. This is also a lesson I was able to teach while running sound. If everyone is fighting for the same space not everyone is getting heard. Learning how to make space for everyone makes everything better.
Sometimes the best way to be a leader is to be a better servant. I believe in learning by doing, by listening to experts; and then by coaching, mentoring and teaching others. In my quest to learn to become a better leader, I have learned that I have more to learn. For all the things we have made better, there are still lots of things we need to figure out. I guess that is the final lesson of mastery; there is always more to learn and there is always more to teach.
Leaders Sharpen Leaders:
Leaders Sharpen Leaders:
As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17
So if iron sharpens iron and one person sharpens another; I say Leaders Sharpen Leaders. Leadership is more than just a title, Leadership is more than just a position. Leadership is a transfer not only of a vision, and putting people in the best place to succeed; Leadership is the building up of other Leaders. Leaders Sharpen Leaders.
Are you a fan of American College Football? In 2015 the National Championship was won by a team using their third string quarterback. Their opponents made it to the championship game replacing starter after starter who had fallen to injury. So I say to you, that this means the coaches made sure not only they had a player to lead their teams, but they had multiple players who were able to step up and not make excuses. Leaders Sharpen Leaders.
How many times have you seen it where a successful team loses a coach or a key player and quickly falls apart? How many times have you seen it where a Company or an Organization losses a key person and then seems to sink into obscurity or even go bankrupt? How many times have you seen a Great Leader turn a bad situation into a good situation, but then after they are gone things go bad again? Well, I challenge the thought of a Good Leader who leaves chaos and disorder after they depart. A Good Leader would sharpen the skills of those around them to be able to take over in their absence or after their departure.
How many times has Steve Jobs been quoted as a Visionary Leader? How about Bill Gates or Larry Ellison? They are all regarded as Great Leaders and Captains of Industry, but dare I ask; why did they fail to train their replacements? What happened to their companies after they departed? Have you read the book Good to Great? Some of those Great Companies fell flat on their faces. What happened? Leaders did not sharpen the next set of Leadership.
Listen, I am no Billionaire, I am not even a Millionaire; yet. I have tried and failed at many things, but I am still trying. I have traced the bulk of my failures back to just a few things; failure to follow through and failure to lead. I have spent a lot of time trying to correct my bad behavior. Sometimes my anger has undermined ability to lead. So I have spent a great deal of time studying coaches who seem to be able to just keep winning and teach others to win after they have gone. This is how dynasties are created. Champions are rare, dynasties are even more rare. Leaders must Sharpen Leaders.
I have been blessed to be able to say I have stood up, dusted myself off and I have regular talks with a group of people I can call my mentors. I have people I can admit my failures to and try, try again. When I am down and out, they are there to pick me up; just a I try to pay this forward and encourage others to stay at it until they find what they are looking for… Leaders Sharpen Leaders.
Have you seen people who are very much “My way or the highway?” They may find limited success, but are they developing leaders? Have you seen people take shortcuts to get results? Again, are they developing the next wave of leaders who will be capable of taking over in their wake? Leaders must Sharpen Leaders. The Ohio State Buckeyes and the Oregon Ducks were two great examples of people being ready to step up and continue to win when people were lost to injury and other problems. This speaks volumes to their coaching staffs getting players ready to lead. “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another” Leaders Sharpen Leaders!
Never confuse Attitude with Talent:
Never confuse Attitude with Talent:
- Manner, disposition, feeling, position, etc., with regard to a person or thing; tendency or orientation, especially of the mind:
- A special natural ability or aptitude:
- A capacity for achievement or success; ability:
Sometimes when we see a successful person or a successful team we look for secrets to their success. Sometimes we look at their personality traits and hope we can identify and isolate what makes them successful. A lot of times successful people have a certain attitude we can identify with and we think that is the reason they are successful. I say be careful with confusing Attitude with Talent. I believe that Talent is the leading indicator of Success. I think we all have a Talent and it is up to each of us to develop and harness our Talent. I think the right Attitude can help, but I think Talent is the key. Welcome to 60 Seconds of Motivational Mojo. I hope you find today’s topic worthy.
Attitude can come in all shapes and sizes. Attitudes can be good or bad and can cover a whole range of human emotions. Attitude can give you confidence and can help make you successful. But Attitude in and of itself is not Talent. I believe at the core of every successful team or organization you will find Talent. Talent alone will not guarantee success; talent has to be harnessed. Attitude can help harness the power of Talent, for good or bad. Some will tell you good and bad are relative. Let’s not stray, Sometimes people identify with an Attitude because it taps into their emotions, but Success is more a product of Talent than Attitude.
Some people like Punk Rock and some people like Jazz. Do not confuse the style of Music with the level of Talent from Musician to Musician and Group to Group. Some Punk bands have lots more Talent than they are ever given credit for having. Some Jazz Musicians are given credit they do not deserve purely by association of the company they keep. The reverse is also true. Sometimes people like a certain style of music so they give every musician in that category more credit than they may deserve. Other times people do not like a style of music so they cannot recognize any talent in that segment based not on their knowledge of music, but purely based on their taste in music. Do not confuse Attitude with Talent. Many times that most popular artist is not the most talented, case in point Jazz Fusion: No one can deny the level of talent that has come out of Jazz Fusion, but it did not make it popular. Again, a Popular Attitude or style does not mean you lack talent, but Pop Music Artists are rarely given credit for having the most Talent.
So the same is true of more than just music. For me music is a very simple and universal example. You can look at many different businesses and see many different Management and Leadership styles. You will find many different words for Attitude, Culture or Passion. You will find many different justifications for each of these Styles. I say without Talent, Attitude alone will not get you very far. Attitude is easy to copy, but Talent has to be developed over time. To be successful, I honestly believe Talent is always at the core and proper Attitude harnesses this Talent. Not all types of Attitude will create a Positive Environment, and you may not be able to adjust to all types of Attitudes, Management and Leadership Styles and Environments. Being able to separate Talent from Attitude will make things easier. Be careful not to confuse them. Never confuse Attitude with Talent:
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