I didn’t want to read another book on attitude. Then I realized I had to fix my  attitude about it.

This drove home to me the principle reinforced by John Maxwell, that we are in control of our attitudes. In the book Attitude 101 Maxwell condenses volumes of work available on attitude to give you and I thoughts on the impact of attitude, the formation of attitude, and the way to approach your future with the right attitude.

Attitude 101 is the third book reviewed on this blog about attitude. “Attitude is Everything” by Jeff Keller is great attitude philosophy and “The Difference Maker,” also by John Maxwell, delves into the idea that our attitudes can provide us with a competitive edge.

This book is part of Maxwell’s “Real Leadership” series and is a half-size, ninety-seven page, one-sitting read. Yet the wisdom contained in this small book has a big impact.

As far as impact of your attitudes, Maxwell defines attitude as “an inward feeling expressed by action” (pg. 13). If your attitude is good, others are aware of those actions that exemplify your inward feelings. But if your attitude stinks, you are betrayed by the inevitable overflow of your attitude. According to Maxwell, “most bad attitudes are the result of selfishness” (pg. 11).

Check out this week’s video for an explanation of how you are in control of the formation of your attitudes and your thought habits can be changed:

Another tool we have to use is our word choice in forming our attitudes. Maxwell shares on pg 48 a list of common words that we should replace in our vocabulary. Remember, attitudes are the outward expression of inward feelings. If we can change our inward thoughts, this sort of outward language follows:

Eliminate These Words Completely

1. I can’t
2. If
3. Doubt
4. I don’t think
5. I don’t have the time
6. Maybe
7. I’m afraid of
8. I don’t believe
9. (minimize) I
10. It’s impossible.

Make these corresponding words part of your vocabulary.

1. I can
2. I will
3. Expect the best
4. I know
5. I will make the time
6. Positively
7. I am confident
8. I do believe
9. (promote) You
10. All things are possible.

Language reflects reality and definitely affects our perception of the facts. Tell yourself a positive story and watch your feelings change.

What is the possible future of having a great attitude in life? Does it mean that everything comes easy and you never struggle again? Certainly not. However, adversity can serve to lift you when you have the right attitude.

Think of running around as a kid with a kite. Could that kite fly without wind? No, there had to be wind to lift the kite, but it was anchored at the same. That resistance lifted it higher and higher with tension on the line. In the same way, with the right attitude we can use the winds of adversity to lift us higher and higher while staying anchored by the line of truth.

John Maxwell will be the first to tell you that attitude doesn’t replace aptitude. But having aptitude without the right attitude means someone may replace you.

Until next time (Next week I’ll be traveling, unlikely I’ll be able to get a blog up),

Keep reading friends!

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