Are You a Cow or a Bull? Change Your Attitude

A few years ago I was driving with a friend of mine in Indiana. As we wound through the country passing trees and cornfields, Larry and I were talking about people and work ethic and attitude. Larry is a successful entrepreneur but is a down to earth Indiana boy at heart. He said, People are either Cows or they are Bulls. Being a city boy, I asked what he meant. He said that when the wind blows, a cow, gets pushed by the wind into a corner and he will eventually freeze and die. But when the wind comes a bull will actually turn his head into the wind and push through it. That, according to Larry, is the difference in life.

Zig Ziglar said, "Your attitude not your aptitude will determine your altitude in life." The attitude of an airplane is the point of view given depending on the direction and angle of the plane. So a pilot's definition of attitude is the angle at which we see things.
The word attitude comes from the Latin word "apt." It refers to how you carry yourself or your positioning. When models were being sculpted, their posture or pose was referred to as their attitude. Attitudes are an outward expression of an inward belief. Positive attitudes come from constructive beliefs. Negative attitudes come from destructive beliefs. My wife and I jokingly call it a "Baditude" when people's attitude is not right. If we are going in the wrong direction we say, "Someone has a baditude," and it is a fun way to bring the other person back on course. If your attitude is negative, pessimistic, apathetic, or closed off, then it is time to make a change on the inside. The wrong attitude is probably the cause of more failure than any other principle, philosophy, or policy.

a=1, b=2, c=3, d=4, e=5, f=6, g=7, h=8. i=9, j=10, k=11, l=12, m=13, n=14, o=15, p=16, q=17, r=18, s=19, t=20, u=21, v=22, w=23, x=24, y=25, z=26

There is a strange phenomenon that happens with the word "attitude." If you were to number the alphabet like you see above, so that a=1, b=2, and so on. Then words would carry a numeric value.

Knowledge 11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 91 would equal 91%, Hardwork - 8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98 would equal 98%, but attitude - 1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100 would equal exactly 100%.

I don"t think that means that attitude is all you need, but it illustrates a very powerful point. Knowledge and hard work are extremely important but your attitude comes first. It will be what drives your hard work and leads you to knowledge. It will be the catalyst. Author Dennis Waitley in the Winners Edge said, "The winners edge is not in a gifted birthright, a high IQ, or in a talent. The winner"s edge is in attitude not aptitude. Attitude is the criterion for success." We have all met people who have all the talent, intelligence, and skill, but their attitude destroys their chances for success. I am not suggesting that attitude is all that you need. A positive attitude will not make up for lack of knowledge, skill, or experience. What it will do is drive you in the direction of obtaining all you desire. Your attitude is the "You" that you present to the world. It is the action or lack of action that you take. It will direct whether you confront problems or run away from them. It will make or break your relationships. With equal experience and qualifications, it will be the difference between you and the other candidates to get the job. It will allow you to learn and grow and develop, or it will make you shrink and die.
Thoughts create you, beliefs guide you, and attitudes drive you.

Make sure your attitude is in check. Be optimistic, upbeat, and excited. The right attitude will have a major impact on the results in your life!