Getting An A.Q. Checkup

One of the challenges we all face is our attitude. This message is custom-designed to address our A.Q., or “Attitude Quotient.” But first, let's raise our attitude awareness.  

How about you right now? Is your attitude and outlook nose down or nose up? Are you “never better” or “never worse”? Is the glass half-full or half-empty? I don’t know about you - I’m just trying to get water in the glass. Do you more often sing, “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head,” “Make the World Go Away,” or “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning”? Don’t get me wrong. Tough things do happen. And no one alive sings, “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning” all the time. 

Most of us would admit that our quality of life is better when our attitude toward life is more positive than negative. Webster defines attitude as “a mental position or feeling about an object; an inward feeling expressed by behavior.” Whether we admit it or not, our attitude drives our behavior. When your attitude is not having a good day, try not to let your ‘not a good day’ attitude on the inside of you rule your manners on the outside of you. 

Recently, I found a great description of attitude. “It is the ‘advance man’ of our true selves. Its roots are inward, but its fruit is outward. It is our best friend or our worst enemy. It is more honest and consistent than our words. It is an outward look based on past experiences. It is the thing that draws people to us or repels them from us. Attitude is never content until it is expressed. It is the librarian of our past. It is the speaker of our present. It is the prophet of our future.” 

Think about this. Ability is what you are capable of. Motivation determines what you will do. Attitude determines how well you will do it. It’s impossible to determine how many jobs have been lost, promotions missed, sales not made, marriages ruined, and potential lost because someone “copped an attitude.” A lousy attitude lengthens the distance to any goal or miracle you pursue. A bad attitude is like a flat tire. You are not going anywhere until you change it. Yes, pain does happen. However, how we react to pain is the key to a better quality of life. Pain is inevitable, but misery is optional. 

The story of the Prodigal Son illustrates two types of sin. The younger son illustrates the sin of the flesh, while the older son illustrates the sin of attitude. Even though the older son did everything perfectly, his attitude undermined him. Learn to be aware of your attitude! Just like an airplane, is your nose up or down? When planes are nosed up, they climb. When a plane is nosed down, it descends. Your attitude determines your altitude. Is your nose up or your nose down? 

My job in life is to help people, leaders, churches, and organizations reach their goals, dreams, and full potential. To do that, they need to have the right attitude. Ask any employer, school principal, government official, or neighbor, “What is the hardest thing you have to deal with?” Generally, the answers are some versions of the following: dealing with someone with a destructive, nose-down attitude. Here’s what they have learned. Beware of negative people, they have a problem for every solution. Hint: Don’t be that guy! 

A bad attitude can infect, affect, and release problems throughout a crowd, team, family, or church that have the potential to undermine morale and production. When a teenager gets a bad attitude, the household is in turmoil. The converse is also true. A person with a great attitude can increase morale and production. That’s the power of attitude. 

Many times, attitude is the difference between success and failure. Years ago, the Stanford Research Institute reported that the following formula determines the money you make. One’s product knowledge, ability, and IQ skills were 12.5% of wage determination criteria. One’s ability to deal with people, attitude, and positive outlook on life were 87.5% of the wage determination criteria. In other words, 87.5% attitude awareness plus 12.5% ability equals a 100% better life. That’s called influence and affluence.   

Now, let me tell you a secret: a bad attitude cannot happen in your life without your permission. From Victor Frankl, the survivor of a Nazi concentration camp - “The last of the human freedoms is to choose one’s attitude in any given circumstances.” We become servants of the choices we make. Once we choose a bad attitude, we become a servant to that bad attitude.  

The world doesn’t care whether we free ourselves from a bad attitude. The world marches on. My advice to myself, first, and you, wonderful readers, second, is that if you don't like something, and it's not essential or significant, remove its only power: your attention.

Adopting a good attitude awareness doesn’t change the world so much as it changes us. The change cannot come from others. It comes from us. Apostle Paul knew this principle. In his letter to the Philippians, he wrote, “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). What was that attitude? Selfless, confident, serving, and secure. I call that nose up through the ups and downs of life.

This article was for me. How about you? We all just got an A.Q. checkup, from the neck up.