ARTICLES

DATE: 14 September 2003

SPEAKER: Pastor Tayo Adeyemi

TITLE: 'A' is for attitude.

TEXT:

Proverbs 18:24, 23:7, Gal 6:7

We all want good results from life - everybody wants to be successful in their family life, career, business, ministry. Perhaps the most important single factor to guarantee good results and success in life, day in day out is a healthy attitude. Success is not the function of luck or chance. Success does not just happen - it is an exact science.
- Success is a specific effect for which there are definite causes. - This room is a specific effect for which there are definite causes. And if we put those causes into play, we can produce the same effect over and over and over again.
Success is predictable - it is not an accident. There are definite principles that if applied consistently will produce success in any area of life. One of those principles is the principle of attitude. If you want to be an "A" person in life you must have an "A" attitude. If you want to have an "A" marriage, an "A" career, and "A" ministry, you must have an "A" attitude. "A" IS FOR ATTITUDE
What is attitude?
i. The dictionary defines attitude as the way a person views life or tends to behave towards it.
ii. The position or bearing that indicates feelings, words and actions.
iii. An inward feeling expressed by outward behaviour. A reflection of the person inside.
It is your feelings, words and actions that determine the feelings, words and actions of others towards you. Your attitude towards the world tells the world what you expect in return. You have the power to control your life. How? Because you have the power to control your day. You control your day with your attitude As goes your day, so goes your life.
Your life is an effect for which there are definite causes. And all day long you are producing causes. The world only gives you the corresponding effect to the causes you are producing.

YOU GET BACK WHAT YOU PUT OUT

Your environment is a mirror - often a merciless mirror. Your attitude towards life will determine life's attitude towards you. If you are cheerful and grateful for the miracle of life, others will reflect the good cheer back to you. For example, if someone is coming toward you, smiling from ear to ear, you are likely to smile back even if you don't know why they're smiling. Some people say, "if only people will be nice to me, I'll be nice back". That's like the man who sits in front of a cold fireplace saying, "if you give me some heat then I'll put some wood (or coal) in you". Life doesn't work that way.
It has to start somewhere - LET IT BEGIN WITH YOU. William James, the father of psychology in America said "Human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes and minds" Your attitude toward the world does not affect the world as much as it affects you. If you want things to change, you must change. How? By changing your attitude.

NOTHING CAN CHANGE UNTIL YOU DO

Life can be summarised in one simple equation: Outstanding attitude = Outstanding Results
Good attitude = good results
Average attitude = average results
Poor attitude = poor results
"A" is for ATTITUDE
In flying, the attitude of a plane is its position in relation to the horizon. When it is climbing, it has a nose-dive attitude. When it is diving, it has a nose-down attitude.
The attitude of the plane determines its performance so to change the performance you must change its attitude.

SEVEN TRUTHS ABOUT ATTITUDE

1. Attitude Determines Approach
If your attitude toward the world is great, the world's attitude toward you will be great. Your approach to anything in life will determine your success or failure at that thing.
Some people go through life as if they are carrying Limburger cheese on their moustache. You can't tailor make the situations you face in life, but you can tailor make your attitude.
"A" is for attitude
2. Your Attitude Determines Your Relationship With People

Matthew 7:12 - Act to people the way you want them to act toward you.
Everything in life you want to get done, you must do with and through people. Your success comes from God, but it will come through people. Every penny you will ever earn will come from people, so be nice to people. Smile more. If everyone is mean to you, maybe you need to check your attitude.
"A" is for attitude
3.Attitude is the Key Difference between Success and Failure.
People do not differ greatly in their talents and abilities - the big difference is in attitude.
Successful people come in all ages, shapes, sizes, colours, background and degrees of intelligence. But they all have one thing in common - they expect more good out of life than bad. They expect to succeed more than they expect to fail.
God is not a respecter of persons. Neither is life. Life has no favourites - it doesn't care who succeeds or fails. And it doesn't care whether or not you change. But it can only give you back what you put into it. The higher you go in any organisation, the nicer the people become. The bigger the people are, the easier it is to talk to them.
They did not become nice people when they got to the top. They were nice people and so they naturally got to the top. They don't have great attitude because of their positions, they have the position because of their attitude. Good attitude is not the result of success - success is the result of good attitude.
You may be very good at what you do - that's your aptitude, but if you have a bad attitude, you're still a failure. Even robots and computers do a great job. But only a human being can ennoble work with a great attitude.
"A" IS FOR ATTITUDE
4. Your Attitude at the beginning of a task will affect the outcome.
All's well that ends well - but also all's well that begins well. People with a negative attitude towards learning generally do not learn much. If you take the attitude that you can't do something, you won't be able to do it. Coaches understand this principle in the world of sport.
"A" IS FOR ATTITUDE
5. Attitude can turn problems into blessings
If life gives you lemons, make lemonade. But you'll only be able to do it if you have a good attitude. Sidlow Baxter said, "what is the difference between an obstacle and an opportunity? - your attitude"
Two men looked out of prison bars - one saw mud, the other saw stars. When you are confronted with a difficult situation, your attitude is what helps you make the best of it. Inside every problem there is an opportunity and inside every opportunity there is a problem. You decide which one you see.
"A" IS FOR ATTIUDE
6. Attitude gives you uncommon perspective
An uncommon perspective gives you uncommon achievement. When Saul saw Goliath, he saw a problem, when David saw him, he saw opportunity.
"A" IS FOR ATTITUDE
7. Your attitude is not automatically good simply because you're a Christian.
Your attitude is a choice you make - a deliberate step you take. Just because you became a Christian does not mean your attitude will change - you must decide to change it. Romans:2 How do you change your attitude? By practice. Remember that transformation comes not by trying but by training.

THREE DECISIONS YOU NEED TO MAKE

1. Decide to be grateful.
Nothing you have today is your entitlement Gratitude has a way of lifting us up, because it helps us to focus on what we have and not what we don't have. Psalm 34:1-3 Begins with the will vs 1 Flows to the emotions vs 2 Spreads to others vs 2,3
2. Decide to have positive expectations Proverbs 23:184 Expect good things to happen to you, expect people to be nice to you. What you expect from people determines your attitude towards them - and they reflect your attitude back to you.
3. Decide to be nice to people
Treat everyone meet with respect - as if they were the most important person in the world. You do this for three reasons i. As far as that person is concerned, they are the most important person in the world. ii. That's the way we ought to treat people. iii. It helps you to develop a good habit.
No one forces you to think or feel or behave the way you do - it's your choice. And you can choose to have a good attitude. It's not the world outside that determines the outcome of your life, it's the world inside.
"A" IS FOR ATTITUDE
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