Over the years, I’ve had a lot of people challenge my attitude….”You can’t be “on fire” all the time!” If I’ve heard that once, I’ve heard it a million times.
Let me set the record straight, I do not have a great attitude 100% of the time. However, I would say that the majority of the time, I’m in a great mood. Part of that is the way God wired me, but part of it is also the way I live my life.
Through my life experience and through what I observe in others who have great attitudes, I believe that if you’ll do the following, you’ll have a great attitude all the time as well:
Have a Relationship with God – Everybody I know who has a seriously relationship with God would tell you that ever since they made Jesus the Lord of their life, their lives have never been the same. In fact, they would tell you that their lives really didn’t start until they had a relationship with God. Life begins with God.
Have an Eternal Perspective – We’re going to be around forever. This life, as we know it, is the shortest thing we’ll ever do. When you realize that, it’ll change the way you live.
Realize the Brevity of Life – Life is short. A few more breaths and we are out of here. My mom died when she was 55, my mother in law when she was 47. While I am believing that I will live a lot longer than that, If that was me, I have between 20-28 years left. That will go by in the blink of an eye. Life is too short to not enjoy, to not make a difference, and to get caught up in a bunch of stuff that won’t matter just a few weeks, months, or years from now.
Create and Be a Part of a Great Family – Family is everything. If you’re in an awesome family, be grateful and continue to make it great. If you’re not, create one. If you’re young and don’t have a great family, do everything you can do make your family great. Try to find other families who are great that you can spend time with. That will teach you the qualities of a great family so when it is your turn to raise a great family, you’ll be ready for it.
Have Great Friends – Great friends not only love you for who you are, they love you enough to not let you stay where you are. They bring out the best in you and they make life more enjoyable. If you have a few truly great friends… you’re blessed.
Always Do the Right Thing – Be a man or woman of character and integrity. Do everything you can to develop your character.
Workout and Eat Right – These are keys to being in the best shape of your life. The more you do both, the better you’ll feel about yourself all the time. You will also be able to enjoy life a lot more!
Be Smart with Your Money – Learn how to handle money. If you learn how to handle money wisely, you’ll save yourself a lot of grief, worry, and pain.
Work Hard – Have you found that when you take shortcuts and procrastinate, you feel worse than you do when you actually just suck it up and get to work on what you don’t want to do? When you know you have worked hard all day and accomplished a lot, you’ll feel great.
Don’t Miss Anything – Experience everything you can! Plays, games, workouts, vacation, networking events, festivals, etc. Don’t miss anything!
Have Goals – Have something you’re striving for. People who have written goals and are pursuing them are always happier than those without goals.
Have a Plan for Personal Growth – Growth = happiness. Determine to become the best you can be. Do something everyday to become more than you were yesterday. Get around great people, read great books, listen to great sermons/lessons, and go to great places.
View Everything as a Once in a Lifetime Experience – Everything. Every relationship. Every phone call. Every meal. When you see life through this lens, it’s hard for things to become boring and mundane.
Travel – I heard this quote recently, “”The world is a book and those that don’t travel read only a page.” Travel! See as much as the world as you can! It will give you a perspective of life you’ve never had before.
Serve – Life isn’t about you. Find somewhere and someone to serve. Volunteer at your church or at a local non-profit. It’ll be life changing experience for you and the people you serve.
Thoughts?
Which of these areas do you need to work on to ensure you have a better attitude?
What are some other things you can do to maintain a great attitude?
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