In Chapter 8 of this book, author David J. Schwartz talks about how “Make your attitudes your allies.” If you are interested in personal development of any kind, I highly recommend reading this book.
Quest to improve myself:
In my quest to improve myself and my life, I set out to read a list of personal development books. The magic of thinking big It was number one on my reading list. I wish I could tell you that I have been reading this book every day constantly, but I haven’t. Just today while on a date for my daughter, I pulled this book out of my bag and decided to finish reading it rather than have my head buried in my cell phone. Judging by where I had left my bookmark, I had only gotten to chapter 8 the last time I read this book.
When I started reading this chapter, the following really caught my attention. So much so, I have to admit I tweeted it.
“How we think is reflected in how we act. Attitudes are mirrors of the mind. They reflect thought”
I couldn’t help but remember the saying that “actions speak louder than words”. Have you ever had an experience in your life where you dealt with a person who said all the right things but the way they acted towards you just didn’t fit what they said?
Throughout this particular chapter of the book, the author talks about how attitudes manifest in actions and also “sound”. The author affirms that we can all read the attitudes of others through expressions, tones of voice and inflections. This I found very intriguing.
Professor Erwin speaks:
Another part of this chapter that I really liked was a section in which Professor Erwin H Schell, a respected authority on leadership, was quoted as saying:
“Obviously, there is more than facilities and competition that contribute to achievement. I have come to believe that this linking factor, this catalyst, if you will, can be defined in one word: attitude. When our attitude is right, our skills peak in effectiveness and good results inevitably follow.“
For me personally, this statement gave me hope for the things I want to achieve in my life and in my business because I know that with the right attitude I can achieve anything I want. How does this statement make you feel?
Do you believe that your attitude and the attitude of others can truly affect your ability to be most effective in everything you do?
Three attitudes that you should make allies:
In this chapter, the author goes on to share three attitudes that he says we should be our allies in everything we do. They are:
1. Grow the attitude of i am activated
2. Grow the attitude of You are important
3. The attitude of service first
So you might be wondering what exactly this means. I know I did it!
1. i am activated – this means being enthusiastic about what you are doing. If you intend to truly activate others and get them excited about your cause, or any cause, you must be the first to get excited.
The author says: “In everything you do, bring it to life!“After all, her enthusiasm (or lack thereof) shows in everything she does. You can see it in her handshake, her eyes, her smile, and even the way she says ‘Thank you.’ Aren’t you Agree that most people would rather be around someone who is alive, enthusiastic rather than someone who is more of a whiner or half-dead person?
2. Grow the “You are important“Attitude: It’s a proven fact that most people just want to feel important and everyone wants to feel like someone.
In the book, David Schwartz says “The desire to be important is man’s strongest and most pressing non-biological hunger..”
Most people make the mistake of looking at a person and thinking that they can’t do anything for me and that they are not important to me. What they forget, however, is the fact that a person will do so much more for you when you make them feel important. It really pays to make the “little” person feel like a big person. (there’s a lot more in this particular section – you should read this for yourself)
3. If you want to make money, adopt the attitude of putting service first: This section of the book is about how to make money. Review how the desire to earn money and accumulate wealth is natural. Money has the power to help the unfortunate and is the means to live life fully. David J Schwartz includes a great statement in this section made by the great minister “Russel H Conwell, author of Acres of Diamonds: “Money printed your Bible, money builds your churches, money sends your missionaries, and money pays your preachers, and you wouldn’t have many of them either if you didn’t pay them.“
I loved this statement! It was powerful for me. As I grew up in the church most of my life, I always felt guilty for wanting more money but not more.
The book goes on to say that if you want more money in your life, you must plant the seed of service. Put service to others first in your life and money will take care of itself. It really is as simple as: Always give people more than they expect to receive.
I hope you have enjoyed this brief review of Chapter 8 of this book. I really encourage you to check out the book for yourself.
For your success,