Character Development Lesson One

Importance of a Proper Mental Attitude

There is no doubt in my mind that a proper attitude is the key to success. I believe that the most important thing that I can do for you as a teacher, is to help you understand the importance of a proper mental attitude.

Let me share some things with you that I have heard over the years about attitude:

• I have heard it said that there are over 50,000 schools in America today that will teach us how to do everything from trimming toenails and fingernails to how to operate heavy machinery to how to become a doctor or a lawyer. However, there is not a single school in existence today that will teach us how to be any better than mediocre unless we have the proper mental attitude.

• I have also heard it said that your attitude, as you undertake a project, is the most dominant factor in the success of that project. In short, your attitude is really more important than your aptitude.

• Charles Swindoll said this about attitude: “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than 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 church…a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we embrace for that day. We cannot change our past…we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is pla 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. And so it is with you…we are in charge of our attitudes.”

• If attitude is that important – then what exactly is it? If you look attitude up in the dictionary it says, “A manner of thinking, acting or feeling.” So your attitude is how you think. What you do always comes after what you think.

This is the way I believe your attitude works. What you allow to influence your mind determines what you think. What you think determines the choices you make. The choices you make determine the habits you develop. The habits you develop determine who you are and what you will become, because when you choose a habit you choose the end result of that habit.

Here are some examples of attitudes that each of us chooses every day. These choices either move us towards our goals or keep us from reaching our goals.

Enthusiasm – or – sour disposition

Hard work – or – lazy

Persistent effort – or – quit

Commitment – or – go along with the crowd

Love – or – hate

The little yes’s and no’s that we choose each day will determine who we are, what we have, and what we will become ten years from now. The difference between accomplishment and failure is simply having a proper mental attitude.