HERE’S THE ONLY THING YOU NEED TO KNOW:

That’s a pretty strong statement, isn’t it? So, what is the only thing you need to know?

We get what we expect.

A person with a poor attitude becomes a magnet for unpleasant experiences. Those bad experiences reinforce the poor attitude. Think about the last time you had a “bad day.” It all started with … what? Maybe it was breakfast on your pants. You had to change clothes, which made you late to drop the kids off at school, which further delayed your arrival at work. Then you began looking for more bad stuff to happen to you. Like a train wreck, you couldn’t help yourself from looking for more bad things happening to you. Then you didn’t have to look. Bad things just snowballed and hit you from every direction. Yep, you’d become a magnet for unpleasant experiences.

When a person has a bad day, everyday, they end up living defensively. They live a dark, unhappy life. They become an example of a self-fulfilling prophecy. It is hard to break that cycle. But, you CAN!

Attitude Is Everything

We get what we expect. Think of your outlook as a kind of paintbrush of how you paint your world. We can paint a happy, prosperous world, filled with hope and satisfaction.

People have a hard time believing that the world is a reflection of their attitude. They think, “If people were nice to me, I’d be nice to them.” But, that’s like sitting in front of a cold stove waiting for heat. Until you put in some fuel, there isn’t going to be any heat. It has to start somewhere. Yes, it has to begin with us.

Let me tell you a story. I was walking on a beach, just looking at the ocean. A woman walked by. I stopped her and asked, “What is it like living here? I’m thinking about moving.” She said, “The people aren’t friendly at all. My neighbors never greet me. I’m moving away to find a better place, myself.” Oh my. I thanked her and walked on. A second woman approached me, smiling. I asked her the same question. She said, “The people here are just wonderful. Everyone is so kind and friendly. It’s a lovely place to live.” That is two very different views of the same place. Each woman got what she expected.

We get what we expect.

Expecting Success

Successful people have a successful attitude. A person who has success, whether it’s at home, work or both, have a good attitude about themselves and about life and the things they want to accomplish. You will find they expect things to work out, so they do. If they experience a failure, they shrug it off, knowing that is just part of life. Then they move on to try again. They have the right attitude.

Because they expect success, they are constantly preparing. That is what luck is: Luck is what happens when preparedness meets opportunity. And, opportunity is there all the time. You just have to be able to spot it and know it when you see it. Because you are now expecting success, you will see it and recognize it.

We get what we expect.

You also need a definite purpose. Success always comes when you reach a goal you have worked for long and hard. It’s putting the intangibles into reality. Put your dream in motion; don’t listen to naysayers at temporary defeat. Each defeat has the seeds of success inside. Keep on keeping on. Do you remember Edison and the light bulb? What if he had quit after a thousand tries? Or, two thousand attempts? He made his intangible dream of a light bulb into reality after three thousand tries to find a lasting filament. Edison expected success, and he got it!

This Week’s Coaching

A Chinese proverb says, “You see what you look for.”

Notice what you see this week. Are you looking for success? Are you looking for problems? Are you preparing for success? Or, have you given up already? The next time you “get up on the wrong side of the bed,” say what a friend of mine says, “I’m glad I got the bad thing that was going to happen today over with already. It can only be a good day now.” What is your attitude? What are you expecting?

A dream with a plan is a goal. A goal without a plan is just a dream.
All things are possible,
Elisabeth

Elisabeth Adler-Lund
Executive and Life Coaching
Telephone: 916 • 803•1494
E-mail: eal@EALCoaching.com