The Greatest Holiday Gift…

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude to me is more important than facts….Charles Swindoll.

I just took my team to Anthony Robbins again this year. I get a huge kick from seeing my team take that first step onto the fire, and looking ahead and walking steadily over the burning coals, knowing at that moment, their minds control their reality. They overcome the fear of “I can't” to “I CAN!” That night 5,000 people made a shift of state and attitude, and overcame fear. For that weekend, with all the excitement, bonding and reaching within ourselves, anything and everything felt possible. Did the events in our world change? No! Only the story we told ourselves; only our attitudes!

“My moment,” at this year's Tony Robbins, was when he spoke about “changing our story”. The story in our head that keeps telling you why it's okay to do the things you do, or don't do. Our stories are so good, they become our reality. In most cases, people settle at a certain standard because it is comfortable, and we can get by. But in fact, we are not being all that we can be. Who wants to be ordinary? Did we really dream of being ordinary at high school or college? So what happened to our attitude or belief about life?  

Today, we live in a time of constant change. Today is not the same as even a few months ago and who knows how next year will unfold.  What can we do to stay in the game, with the right   ATTITUDE? The remarkable thing is, we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we embrace for that day.

Most people fear taking risks when opportunity stares them in the face; so we pull back; we are not “all in.” Unfortunately, most of us settle for “ordinary” or “average”. But in today's world  “good” is not good enough anymore. “Very good” is not even getting us the rewards we seek.  WOW is what we need to be in these times to make a difference and stand out from the crowd.  Nobody gets to WOW without making it a priority. WOW!  – That's to how many times this year I have heard people complaining about how their relationships or businesses are not working, but when you start asking questions about their commitment, it soon becomes clear they are not “all in”. My wife and I have a saying that we tell each other, “Be the best you can be. When you start with yourself, everything else becomes better.” In other words, change your attitude and be the very best you can be. Be “WOW”, make that your priority, and see how everything in your life changes.

“Oh Wow. Oh Wow. Oh Wow.”” These were Steve Jobs' last words, according to his sister, Mona Simpson. That got me thinking. That's what I thought when I first saw the iPhone! That's why I keep going back and getting the next new version each time it comes out. I know I am not alone, Apples Profits; and $60 Billion in the bank, is testament to that. Wow!, Like him or not, Steve Jobs has left us with some amazing toys to play with. He raised the standard to WOW! He became the best of the best.

So, as we near the holiday season, take a moment to see how you can make a small shift in any part of your life from ordinary to WOW! Change your story in your head; then change your attitude to make you the best you can be.

The best Holiday gift we can give ourselves is… (NO, not another Apple product, although I am seriously  tempted), but  to become a little better every day. Change your story to a positive one; Have the right attitude for success in all areas of your life; Be the best you can be; Turn your back on ORDINARY! Be WOW!

Ralph Harris
Editor