Your philosophy (the way you think) creates your attitude, your actions & your results... and that creates your life.
“Do the thing and you shall have the power.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Take for instance the transformation of Nike with there then-new ad, “Just Do It” that appeared on the scene in 1988. Nike spent a staggering...
We have been brainwashed into the mindset of doing. This goes in complete contradiction to who we are and the soul of our being, but that is reserved for another topic/book.
There are two prevalent thoughts on the subject of how we think... our philosophy. These thoughts come across as attitudes. Identifying these attitudes help us figure out what needs to be changed and managed.
Let’s discover who we are:
1. Entitled Attitude (most common)
This attitude is ego-centric. A good litmus test is to see how you think. Perhaps your internal voice may say things like “What have you done for me lately?” or a simpler one that I have heard numerous times that says, “Pay me more, then maybe I’ll work harder!” This seems to be the like the man standing behind the donkey pushing the donkey’s... expecting the donkey to be motivated to move. Sooner or later being on the southend of a northbound donkey is going to get you a kick you won’t enjoy... but expect it. Sometimes time is the way to get patterns of entitlement to perk its ugly head.
2. Value-Driven Attitude (least common)
This attitude is quite the opposite of ego-centrism. Perhaps a better suited word would be altruistic. This altruistic attitude is having the motivation to help others despite any recognition or reward. Perhaps your internal voice suggests thoughts like, “What can I do to help you?” or... ready for this one... “I’ll work harder, and then I expect to get paid more.” This person becomes the carrot farmer to grow carrots, works the farm to harvest carrots just to motivate the donkey to move.
Only a true litmus test can truly identify who you are; your job and destination won’t. Perhaps you have held a job that was 100% commissions, (which I feel is a great way to identify someone’s true colors, you only get paid for how hard you work), or maybe you have worked on the other side of the spectrum, salaried and little accountability. Either of these scenarios can evaluate your type of philosophy by looking at the work you produce.
Here is the real litmus test... What if we were rewarded for our philosophy and/or output? Would our philosophy of life change then?
If our life is off balance then look at our results compared to our actions, look at your attitudes... look at your thought-life and thought-patterns? Learn to discover the first person in the mirror you see everyday, YOU.
Here is the most critical part of everything... LIFE IS BY ACTION NOT BY ACCIDENT!