The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary
Vince Lombardi

InspirEmail

InspirEmail No 172 - January 4, 2010
'Inspirational messages to refresh the spirit and boost the emotional bank account'

Take a year-end attitude inventory

It's a wise custom to end an old year and begin a new one with serious self-reflection. What did you learn this year that can improve your life and make you a better person?

Start by examining the way you think and feel about your job, your relationships, and yourself. After all, the single most important factor in personal happiness and your impact on others is your attitude.

In the geometry of life, the axiom is 'positive attitudes produce positive results.' They make success more likely, failures less harmful, pleasures more frequent, and pain more bearable. Some people tend to bring warm sunshine wherever they go; others bring cold chills. What do you bring?

To find out where you can improve, take an honest inventory of your predispositions, the attitude you're most likely to start with.

Are you generally optimistic or pessimistic?

Do you tend to assume the best or expect the worst of people?

Is your first instinct to be empathetic or judgmental?

Is your first instinct to be supportive or critical?

Do you send the message that you enjoy life or that you're barely enduring it?

Do you come across as the captain of your own ship or simply a passenger?

Wherever you are on the positive-attitude spectrum, think how much better things could be if you were more consistently and self-consciously optimistic, empathetic, supportive, grateful, enthusiastic, hopeful, and cheerful.

So why not resolve to think, act, and speak more positively about yourself, your family, your co-workers, and everyone else in your life?

Written by Michael Josephson

Michael Josephson is one of the most sought-after and quoted ethicists. Founder and president of Josephson Institute and its Character Counts project, he has conducted programs for more than 100,000 leaders in government, business, education, sports, law enforcement, journalism, law, and the military. Mr. Josephson is also an award-winning radio commentator. You can subscribe to his regular free Character Counts Commentaries on the website. To view the contact details please visit . . . Positive Inspirational Links >>>

January Featured Inspiration

Rules for a better way to live

Rule One ... for a better way to live

Count your blessings. Once you realize how valuable you are and how much you have going for you, the smiles will return, the sun will break out, the music will play . . . read more >>>

Recipe for a Happy New Year

Take 12 fine, full-grown months; see that these are thoroughly cleansed from all old memories of bitterness, rancour, hate, and jealousy.

Cut these months into 30 or 31 equal parts. This batch will keep for one year. Do not attempt to make more than one batch at a time - many people spoil the entire lot in this way.

Prepare one day at a time as follows:

Into each day, put 12 parts of faith, 11 of patience, 10 of courage, nine of work (some people omit this ingredient and spoil the flavour of the rest), eight of hope, seven of fidelity, six of open-mindedness, five of kindness, four of rest (leaving this out is like leaving the oil out of the salad - don't do it), three of prayer, two of meditation and one of well-selected resolution.

If you have no conscientious scruples, add a teaspoonful of good spirits, a dash of fun, a pinch of folly, a sprinkling of play, and a heaping cupful of good humour.

Pour love liberally into the whole, and mix with vim. Cook thoroughly in a fervent heat. Garnish with a few smiles and a sprig of joy; then serve with quietness, unselfishness, and cheerfulness and a Happy New Year is a certainty.

InspirEmail

Take a year-end attitude inventory

January Featured Inspiration

Rules for a better way to live

Recipe for a Happy New Year

- Inspirational Quote -

You can't have a better tomorrow if you are thinking about yesterday all the time Charles F. Kettering

You can't have a better tomorrow if you are thinking about yesterday all the time
Charles F. Kettering