Attitude, Aptitude, Gratitude
On the last Sunday of the year, I left home late but determined to get to church. The Pastor had left one of those mass telephone messages saying there would be a meeting after church and I wanted to be there to show support. As the service proceeded, he indicated one of the assistant ministers would bring the message. I was disappointed the Senior Pastor would not be preaching. The disappointment quickly passed.
The message of the morning was “Make Room for Miracles” and the assistant minister was outstanding! She shook me from a bit of “retiree-thinking” that had started to creep into my psyche. She reminded me no matter how wonderful my past accomplishments, the best is yet to be!
However the year ended for you, the best is yet to be. You have an opportunity to start anew. Shake-off the old and embrace the new. Whether a bad relationship with your boss or co-workers, a project that did not end as planned, an unsuccessful job search, or a year filled with glorious accomplishments, you can start anew.
The minister suggested three things to make room for miracles. The three are particularly relevant to career success.
1. Change your attitude
2. Expand your aptitude
3. Increase your gratitude
We often focus on attitude. “Attitude determines Altitude”. You control your attitude and must give it a daily feeding of the positive. But attitude is more than positive thinking, it is also possibility thinking. As you begin the year, begin it with a genuine belief it is possible to achieve the goals you have set. You must believe in yourself before others believe in you.
For our purposes, expand your aptitude simply means learn something new. If at the end of the year we do not know more, cannot do more, will not see and accept others more, then it will have been a year lacking accomplishment. Volunteer for a special project, investigate a job swap with a co-worker, consider a lateral move. Maybe you want to learn to play golf. The “what” does not matter. What does matter is that we stretch ourselves and expand our aptitude. My goal for new learning is to speak Spanish. Although I had Spanish as a course in high school, I never spoke it. So I have registered for Spanish 101 through in a local continuing Education program.
The minister’s final point was to increase gratitude. If you have a job, be grateful for it. Be grateful for your ability to grow beyond that job and get another one. If you are searching for a job, be grateful you have the strength of mind and body to be in the job market. Gratitude does not mean settling for where you are and what you have. Gratitude acknowledges the how, the who, and the what that shapes the now and lays a foundation for future success.
Make this your best year ever. You control the most important ingredients – Attitude, Aptitude, and Gratitude.