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It’s All About Attitude
By Jeff Earlywine
When I was a fifteen year old kid a very large, and very drunk, cowboy made me an offer. He said, “Son, if you will ride a bull I will give you my cowboy hat.” Well, I really wanted his hat, but certainly was not drunk and new better than to agree to this deal. Bulls have a way or “horning in” on your business if you know what I mean.
In fact, bull riding is one of the most dangerous sports in the world. People attend rodeos to see cowboys strap themselves to the back of an animal that has the power to not only buck them off, but to inflict major harm and injury to the rider. The cowboy only has to stay on the bull’s back for a short eight seconds. But that eights seconds turns into minutes as soon as that gate is opened and the fury of the bull is unleashed with powerful jumps, kicks, and convulsion-like moves; all meant to literally sling the cowboy "into" the ground.
It is often said that rodeo bulls have “bad attitudes.” This usually means that the bull is mean and nasty, and that the cowboy will have a difficult time making his ride last for the eight seconds. Bulls with the worst attitude seem to be given certain names to add to fear of the rider; Mudslinger, Yellow Jacket, Hammer, Hurricane, and Ugly.
It seems to me that many times during our regularly programmed day we symbolically strap ourselves to the back of a bad attitude. We hold on to that attitude with all our strength not willing to let go. We seem to think that if we hold on long enough we will conquer it and win a big prize. However, the people we care about and love are standing on the sidelines watching and wondering when will the eight seconds be over?
I recently interviewed a person that has had many bumps and bruises in life. Such a tough life that anyone would agree; she defiantly has the right to have a bad attitude. The amazing thing is her outlook on each day of her life is one of power and success. She knows that she is someone special and has a lot to offer her employer, her family, and herself. So, what does she have that causes her attitude to be positive each day?
In interviewing her I found FIVE things that only takes eight seconds to apply. It has been said that attitude determines your altitude. If you apply these five tips you will find that your life will climb to exciting new highs.
- Smile. It has been proven that smiling results in chemicals being released in the body resulting in increased health and energy.
- Speak something positive about yourself. Each day we hear all kinds of negative remarks about ourselves. From heart-piercing jokes from friends to television advertisements telling us that we must be in perfect physical shape to reach our goals in life. Creating a habit of positive self-talk will build our self-esteem with tremendous benefits.
- Count your blessings – family members, occupation, material things. We are so blessed. Stopping to count your blessings will cause you to be satisfied with who you are and what you have. Having goals to achieve greatness is important, but not being satisfied with what God has blessed you with will only cause you to become frustrated and desiring the perferbial “grass on the other side of the fence.”
- Treat someone you care about or work with as if they are the most important person in the world.
- Don’t take yourself so serious – learn to laugh, especially at yourself.
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