“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of Attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, and money, than circumstances, than failures, successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, gifedness, or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for the day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you. We are in charge of our Attitudes.”
-Source Unknown
My great uncle was a clothing designer for Stanley Marcus, CEO of Neiman Marcus. He believed a person’s attitude determine their success. He had a newspaper clipping that discussed the importance of attitude, and before he passed away, he mailed the clipping to me for safe keeping. The quote above is from the clipping.
We do not always have control over what happens to us; however, we do have complete control over our attitude and how we will manage the situation.
The first week of January, I believe is one of the most critical weeks of the entire year. Our attitudes and actions set the tone for how the rest of the year will unfold. How we envision solving current problems will determine the outcome. The ability to achieve our goals is driven by our attitude and how we approach setbacks and challenges.
Today is Thursday, December 20th and all around us is the excitement of the approaching holidays, along with the bittersweet joy of saying goodbye to the old year and welcoming the new year.
There are a few years in my life that I was glad when the calendar flipped and then there are my favorites that were filled with joyous memories.
I have learned that how the year unfolds is influenced by my attitude and perception of reality starting on January 1 and the following six days. How I approach the first week of January has a profound impact on the rest of the year.
Be mindful of the influence of others and their attitudes. Often, we overlook how family, friends, and co-workers can influence or derail our positive energy and outlook.
What I do know is the most important thing I can do for the first week of January is to “hit the ground running.” To jump-start the year by putting 100% of my energy and effort into creating a positive vibe for the year.
Our attitudes and what we are willing to accept determines what we receive. As business owners, remaining positive about the new year, customers, and service offerings is critically important. Individuals can sense negative energy. Regardless of what our competitors, government agencies, or others are doing or not doing, we still have the control to do something about the situation.
My challenge to you, the reader, is to think for the next week or so, how you and your team can “hit the ground running” the first week of January.
Be aware of your attitude. Discuss any negative thoughts or comments from team members and then create actions items to address these issues immediately.
Change your routines. Work to break negative or outgrown habits. Complete any loose ends from the previous year. A former client scheduled an office cleaning day on January 2nd. Posted on the company whiteboards were projects and tasks that had lingered too long. The goal for team members was to complete, delete, and clean out the previous year.
The cleaning also involved wiping down desks and shredding of dated files that were no longer needed. The client would joke that the company “cleaning day” was the best idea she had had as a business owner.
When your team returns on January 2, 2019, start the day by cleaning out 2018 and making plans to kick off the year with a positive attitude.
On behalf of the Develare Team and myself, I would like to wish you a Happy New Year and Much Success for 2019!
