In the interest of full disclosure to my readers, the Earl Nightingale quote that opens this post is a rediscovery of something I innately followed throughout my life, but far too often let lapse from time to time. As I get older, the lapses tend not to happen as often.
For the uninitiated, Earl Nightingale was a radio host, writer, motivational speaker, and the unofficial “father of the audiobook”, who’s work Lead The Field I am listening to. Sadly, we lost this tremendous man far too soon in 1989.
I’m actually on my fifth replay of this three-hour long audiobook. It is that inspirational, educational, informative, and essential an audiobook!
I highly recommend that my readers seek it out on YouTube and invest three hours of your time to absorb the invaluable knowledge conveyed in the audiobook. Trust me, it is worth it and it will change your outlook on life, which might inspire you to change your life.
That said, the quote that opens this post is a salient tenet of the audiobook that I feel deserves a blog post about it…
According to Merriam-Webster, “attitude” is defined as “a feeling or emotion toward a fact or state (of being)”.
A person’s attitude can be good or bad, but as the biblical saying goes, we reap what we sow. I posit that this salient truth is not biblical, but rather scientific.
If you sow corn seed, you will reap corn.
If you sow discontent, you will reap discontent.
If you sow contempt for other people, you will reap resentment and contempt from other people.
Conversely…
Great attitudes reap great results.
Good attitudes reap good outcomes.
Poor or bad attitudes reap bad outcomes.
In my lifetime, this truism always held true. If you surround yourself with people of good will and good attitudes, you will reap the benefits of happiness and success, or at the very least, contentment.
Every cohesive and productive organization that I was a part of had an abundance of great attitudes from the leadership up top, to the lower echelons at the bottom. Great attitudes are infectious. Conversely, bad attitudes are equally infectious and deleterious to good order, productivity, and successful outcomes.
As an individual, a consistently good, positive attitude on your part can and often does go a long way towards transforming the people around you.
Be mindful of the fact that not everyone will be receptive to your good attitude. In fact, there are some who will actively try to undermine your good attitude. Recognize that as the battle of wills that such a thing is and maintain your frame. You will always win in the end.
Never let the bastards get you down!
Our attitude toward others always determines their attitudes towards us.
-The Rational Ram
The Rational Ram 