ATTITUDE - This is the first article in the ATTITUDE series. Access the second article: THOUGHTS Need TENDERNESS & TIME in Training

Advance and Aim for an AWESOME life

Your attitude will determine your future. It sounds simple, but it’s harder to do. When you turn on the television, read the newspaper there’s negativity being broadcast, so it’s easy to ‘tune in’ to that type of thinking. BUT you have a choice. Advance and aim for an awesome life…or not. The Choice is yours.

If you want to have a fun and exciting life…you just do as Nike says…Just do it!

Your past has created who you are today. It’s been based on the decisions that you’ve made and for most people some have been good and some ‘not so good’. It’s the choices you’ve made and you learn more from the ‘not so good’ decision’s you’ve made.

You’ve had some failures and some successes and that’s okay because that’s what life is about….creating steeping stones to your future. The key now to your future success is to release your past, and move onto your future.

Often you’ve had experiences, which I call ‘critical turning points’ in your life. This is where you’ve had a ‘situation’ that becomes a turning point for major decisions about your future. If you’ve had a major health scare, it may be that you’ve got to change your diet dramatically and exercise regulary.

Statistics worldwide prove that greater health is maintained by regular exercise. It’s not an old wives tale and unfortunately our younger generation is having major health challenges, firstly with their diet and also their exercise. Most baby boomers (like me) walked, or biked or some people like my mother, rode a horse to school. So we exercised regularly. Today many children are transported to school in a parent’s vehicle or the bus,
so the early morning exercise is non-existent. This includes adults as well as we’ve become couch potatoes who watch television, use the remote to change the channel, sit at the computer and generally do not get as much exercise as previous generations. I’m sure there are not many people who spend time digging the vegetable garden anymore!

Congratulations to those who do.

So…. if you’re feeling sluggish and not enjoying life as much as you’d like, here’s seven steps to help you.

• Step One TURN OFF THE TELEVISON
• Step Two – FIND A TYPE OF EXERCISE THAT SUITS YOU – walking is great!!
• Step Three –Write in your diary 3 or 4 times a week as “make you beautiful” time.
• Step Four – Write out the attitude poem below and read it regularly.
• Step Five – Get a health check if necessary.
• Step six – Write yourself an affirmation. Eg: I am exercising and my body is trim and taut. With an affirmation you write it as if it has happened and repeat it 2/3 times per day.
• Step Seven – Get your gear on….and ….JUST DO IT!

A great New Zealand Motivational speaker Tony Christianson always inspires me. He’s from Tauranga and was a ‘mystery’ speaker at the National Speakers Conferences in USA a couple of years ago. Tony had a sign writing business, has a pilot’s licence, black belt in a martial art, was a regular competitor at international sports in a number of fields and his list of accomplishments goes on and on. An autobiography has been written about Tony and when people hear his message they are in awe of him. You would be too as….Tony lost both his legs in his teens. He’s overcome huge challenges physically and mentally, and it’s Tony’s attitude that’s helped him succeed. Just like this poem.

Attitude
Attitude is more important that facts.
It is more important that the past, than education than money,
than circumstances, than failures, than success,
that what other people think or say or do.
It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill.
It will make or break a company…a home… a relationship.
The remarkable think 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 fact that other people will act in a certain way.
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.
Charles Swindoll

If ever you’re not achieving, it helps to remember people like him and others who support charities and achieve great things and overcome their challenges. They’ve become winners, they’ve had physical challenges but their mental thoughts and attitude have ensured their success.

In a local newsletter I had a little chuckle with some of the new fitness classes that were advertised. I especially like this one “Born Again Bodies” and another was LEGS – Linda’s Easy Going Strollers, for women who have various health challenges.

I walk or jog regularly through a gully with native bush and a 20-foot waterfall in central Auckland. It’s an unknown haven situated behind the grounds of UNITEC. It’s wonderful to hear the birds sing and see the ducks diving in the stream and the dewdrops glistening on the leaves with the morning dew. I try to ensure I’ve ‘sparked’ up each of my senses as these are the ‘real moments’ in life and I stop and take time to breathe them in. This is what makes life ‘special’. What are you doing? If not much, I urge you to go and explore.

Seek out these moments during your physical exercise programme. If it’s ‘attitude’ and inspiration and getting your thoughts right, there’ a free ‘e-book’ called The Purple Tick for positive Thinking on my website, along with other articles you can download to keep you motivated. Email me for The Choice Poem. These will help you to Advance and Aim for YOUR Awesome Life!