Skip to main content

Words Can Be Magic

"Every day, we put in place plans and ideas that will determine the shape and substance of our tomorrows." Consider for a moment the power of that simple statement.

It was 60 years ago when Earl Nightingale wrote and produced what has become known as The Strangest Secret. An audio recording that sold over a million copies, making it the first spoken-word recording to achieve Gold Record status.

The premise of that powerful message was simply this, “We become what we think about.” A truth that had been handed down through generations crafted in many different languages. The bible states it this way, “As you sow, so also shall you reap.”

Or this one, “Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” - Robert Louis Stevenson

Face the facts; we all want excellent results from life, in our home, our work, and in all our interactions with other people. Be it financial, intangible, or both. Earl said it best, “The most important single factor that guarantees good results, day in, day out, all the months and years of our lives, is a healthy attitude!”

Attitude is defined as, “the position or bearing as indicating action, feeling, or mood.” And it is our actions, feelings, or moods that determine the actions, feelings, or moods of others.

Attitude is the magic word.

Have you ever caught yourself sharing the misery of your “difficult staff” with other associates on break, or before and after work?

If so take the following challenge:

The next time you begin to talk about a colleague with anyone else make it something constructive and positive. Try it. It’s not easy. (I’ve found that most people only feel good about themselves when they find someone more miserable than they are. That’s absurd!) Then as you walk away from the conversation smile, pat yourself on the back, and think about how good it feels to build up others instead of tearing them down. I’m convinced when you treat people exactly like you expect to see them you get the results you expect.

Zig Ziglar called this, “A check-up from the neck-up.” An attitude adjustment.

It’s like mining for diamonds. Miners move over 23 tons of dirt to find a single gem diamond – but they don’t go into the mine looking for dirt — they go in looking for the gems!

Earl Nightingale simplified it so well; “Our environment, the world in which we live and work, is a mirror of our attitudes and expectations.” 

Interesting. This says to me that the attitude and expectations of my friends and associates is simply a reflection of me!

Yes, I am responsible. Believe it or not it all begins with that magic word Attitude.

"Attitudes are not the result off success, success is the result of great attitudes." - Earl Nightingale

So start today, create a new habit of treating people exactly like you expect to see them - with love, respect, and dignity, and look for the gem in other people.

Congratulations. When you look for those essential qualities in others — surprise, you will find them and nurture them in you!

Updated January 17, 2019

Comments

Most Popular of All Time

Truth for Sale

This episode is inspired  by Elton John & Bernie Taupin On Memorial Day, I took my first bike ride  since the accident , seeking proof that my legs, lungs, and nerves still remembered the road. The morning air carried that familiar Southern California mix of ocean haze, exhaust, eucalyptus, and sun-baked asphalt. My tires hummed across pavement I’ve ridden for years. Somewhere between the steady click of the chain and the rhythm of my breathing, Elton John and Bernie Taupin’s The Captain and the Kid found its way into my ears. There’s a strange kind of magic when the cadence of a ride syncs perfectly with a song you know by heart. Suddenly, the music and lyrics stop being background noise and become a lens. And through that lens, the road started talking. I've been cycling on this road some, Can't help feeling I've been showing my friends around. I've seen it grow from next to nothing, To a giant eatin’ up our town. Called up the tealeaves and the tarots, Asked the...

Epictetus, Ego, and Acronyms

In this episode, Destroy Communication, One Three-Letter Acronym at a Time This week, I want to explore a deeply relatable, universally feared workplace character: the "know-it-all." Now, I’m not pointing fingers here. If we are being completely honest, we have all played this role. We've all uttered some version of, "Yes, absolutely, that aligns with our strategic objectives," while our internal monologue is screaming, "I don't even know what the objective is, let alone the strategy." What got me thinking about this was a chapter in Ryan Holiday's book, Wisdom Takes Work . Holiday leans on a powerful piece of Stoic truth from the ancient philosopher Epictetus: "It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows." It's a brilliant quote that strikes right at the heart of the human ego. You can't learn what you already know, and you certainly can't learn what you pretend to know to save face. Though to be ...

Breaking the Script

In this episode, The Art of the Short-Circuit. We spend a surprising amount of our lives on conversational autopilot. You see it everywhere. At the hardware store. At the post office. In office hallways, where two people can exchange greetings, discuss the weather, and continue on their way without either one actually hearing what the other said. "How are you?” "Good. You?” “Busy." “Yep." It's less of a conversation and more of a system check. Most of us aren't being rude. We're just moving fast. We have emails to answer, meetings to attend, errands to run, and a hundred other things competing for our attention. Before long, our interactions become little more than verbal lane markers helping us navigate the day. I like to break the script. When I run into someone, instead of the usual greetings, I'll ask: "What's the good word?” The reaction is almost always worth it. You can practically see the gears stop turning. People pause. They blink....

The Yellow Legal Pad

In this episode, the Art of Refiring July 1st is staring me in the face, less than two weeks away. For years, retirement seemed like something that happened to other people. Suddenly, it's on my calendar. I've been thinking a lot about the dreaded "R-word" lately. Not because I'm worried about having enough to do. Quite the opposite. What fascinates me is this strange paradox: Why does retirement make so many of us nervous, while having a job—even one that regularly drives us crazy—somehow feels comforting? Let's be honest. Most of us spend years complaining about meetings that should have been emails, reply-all disasters, impossible deadlines, and that one coworker who insists on microwaving leftover fish in the breakroom. Yet when the idea of walking away finally arrives, we hesitate. I think I've figured out why. A career isn't just a job. It's a highly structured coping mechanism. For forty-plus years, somebody else has basically decided what I...