In aviation, the word "attitude" is a term that refers to the angle that the plane meets the wind, if the wings are level with the horizon and whether the aircraft is climbing or descending. The pilot who fails to take responsibility for the attitude of his or her aircraft is in serious trouble. And likewise, any leader who fails to control his thoughts and take responsibility for his attitude runs a similar risk.
As a financial advisor, you not only set the pace for your employees, but you're responsible for setting the tone as well. For better or worse, the leader's attitude is contagious and permeates throughout his organization. Positive, upbeat companies are always led by positive, upbeat managers. While we're not always able to control our circumstances, we can and must control how we respond to life's difficulties, setbacks and challenges. We have a choice about how our day is going to be.
How often do you talk to yourself and what do you say? Research in the field of psychology indicates that the average person maintains an ongoing mental dialog, or "self-talk," of between 150 to 300 words per minute. Unfortunately, not all of these thoughts are positive. In fact, it has been estimated that of the thousands of thoughts we have each day, approximately 40 percent of them tend to be negative and self-critical in nature. Most of us are generally unaware of this negative background chatter, let alone its sabotaging effect on our emotional state, performance and well-being.
"Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Choose your words, for they become actions. Understand your actions, for they become habits. Study your habits, for they will become your character. Develop your character, for it becomes your destiny."
– Anonymous
Earl Nightingale, co-founder of the Nightingale-Conant Corp., concluded that life's "strangest secret" is that you become what you think about all day long.
If you want to know where your predominant thoughts lie and what you believe, look at what you're experiencing in your life. Your thoughts are creative by nature and express themselves through your emotions, which in turn, drive your actions. Everything you say both positive and negative is in fact an affirmation and reflects your belief.
Whatever you think, feel or say about your life today is the scaffolding that builds the events you will experience in the future.
