How Important is Your Attitude?

Your attitude is one of your most valuable assets! Stanford Research Institute reports that only 12.5 percent of our success in life is determined by knowledge; the other 87.5 percent comes from attitude. More than skill, knowledge, or aptitude, our attitude dictates our success in life.

Did you know that? Perhaps you’ve never thought of it that way before. Chuck Swindoll, bestselling author, writes, “I believe the single most significant decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of attitude. The attitude I choose keeps me going or cripples my progress. When my attitudes are right, there’s no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme.”[1]

Most of us believe we possess a positive attitude. But what would happen if we asked our best friend or spouse for a no-holds-barred honest assessment of our attitude? Chances are high their comments might include:

*Not too bad after three cups of coffee

*Little things get blown out of proportion

*Irritable and moody

*Overly sensitive

*Whiny

*Frets and worries over everything

*Unforgiving toward certain people

In the midst of foreclosure notices and layoffs and personal and professional pressures, it is hard to maintain a positive attitude 100 percent of the time. Why? Because we’ve become reliant on outside influences, such as friends, family, teachers, bosses, and media to color our perspective. We wrongly believe attitude is something we’re given or born with, rather than a choice we make.

That was the mistake I made in my early life.  Due to many factors, including abuse, my childhood lacked a positive, healthy environment. Bitterness, anger, and envy hovered over me like an unwanted black cloud. I made major wrong decisions and bad choices and lived with the consequences. In other words, my past circumstances contaminated my attitude.

Then I discovered that a positive attitude is not something that goes on around you, but rather, it resides within you. A healthy, positive attitude comes from within your heart, mind, body, and spirit. It can’t be bought. It can’t be manufactured. You can’t inject it, transfer it, or swallow it because you already possess it. It begins with a decision—one that you make. 

The Bible clearly says, “But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart” (Matthew 15:18, NIV). The English word “heart” referred to in this scripture translates to the Greek word kardia—the fountain seat of thoughts, passions, desires, purposes, and endeavors. These components interrelate and produce:

*Positive or negative words.

*Positive or negative actions.

A from-the-heart positive attitude requires a lifelong commitment to change the way we view everyday experiences as well as the challenges we encounter. It can only happen with a sincere desire to experience a new, positive you. I know that was the only way I ever made it out of any of the deep, dark pits I was in—and it’s the only way I stay out of them today.

God filled me with a desire and the power to transform my attitude from negative to positive.  I’ve discovered the honest-to-goodness, power-filled benefits of a positive attitude, including:

*More energy

*Less stress

*Ability to rebound from defeat

*Better physical and mental health

*Improved coping skills

*Flexibility in day-to-day living

*Enhanced relationships

When you’re willing to honestly look into your heart and do something about what you discover, then with the help of Jesus Christ, you can begin to experience godly, positive change from the inside out.