On March 22, 1982 I had an epiphany !
An epiphany is a moment in your life which you will never forget as long as you live. It is a watershed moment that changes your life and your behaviour forever.
I did not recognize my epiphany at the time. It was only as the days and weeks went by, that I began to realize that something profound had taken place. There was nothing startling about the epiphany. Actually, it was just a few words spoken by a student in a training workshop I was conducting. The student probably had no idea that she had spoken words that would dramatically affect my outlook and behaviour. She probably had no idea that her words would set me on a path away from frustration, disappointment and failure, and start me on a road leading to peace of mind, success and happiness.
On that memorable day we were discussing Attitude in the training workshop. There were about fifteen to twenty participants. We discussed the suggestion of experts that Attitude is more important than Skills and Knowledge. We talked about the famous words of Charles Swindoll in his poem on Attitude: “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.”
We discussed the teachings of some of the great educators of our day. Teachers such as Stephen Covey, Zig Ziglar, Brian Tracy, Norman Vincent Peale and others who maintain that 85% of our success is the result of our Attitude.
We finally came to the crucial question, “What is Attitude? How can we define it?” A number of students suggested, “Its how we act.” Some thought it was a gift from our parents. Others thought it was the result of the environment in which we were born. After a long pause, one student said, “Attitude is a Habit of Thought”. I asked her to repeat that. I had never heard it put like that before. She went on to explain how we can fill our mind with patterns of thought and repeat those patterns over and over again until they become a habit. . . . a habit that would eventually dictate our future. I wrote it on the board. “Attitude is a habit of thought.” I did not immediately grasp the depth and wisdom of the statement.
Little did I know at that time and in that day, that those words would change my life. Little did I know that as I began to implement the concept that it would eventually help me to establish habits of thought that would take me out of worry, stress and frustration and take me to a new place. Little did I know that a New Day had dawned and a whole new paradigm had started to replace the old paradigm of fear, failure and loss. What a day that was on March 22, 1982!!
Attitude is a Habit of Thought
Excerpt from: Life One-0-One: Find your Purpose website: http://www.lifeone0one.com
You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZH0OmqyIyI
Vince DaCosta
Author, Professional Speaker, Corporate Trainer
Vince DaCosta is a specialist in Communication and Leadership techniques.
He is an award-winning speaker, has been presented with the Distinguished Toastmaster award, the prestigious George Keenan District 60 award, a Presidential Citation and has presented seminars at the International Convention level. He is a past International Director of Toastmasters.
He is the author of :
Influence, Persuade and Win / 96 Powerful Ways to Persuade.
Life One-0-One: Find your Purpose
Vince is a successful entrepreneur, President of his own company, which specializes in the design, and delivery of management training programs. His clients include: General Motors, Chrysler Corporation, I.B.M., Loblaws, Imperial Oil, State Farm Insurance, Ontario Hydro and other large and small organizations.