Thought for the Day - What Defines You?

Thought for the Day - What Defines You? We just saw "The Lego Movie" with the kids this past weekend and let me tell you it was far from what I expected. I went to the theater dragging my heels and came out singing this highly addictive song "Everything is Awesome!" If you have not heard this song, google "Everything is Awesome"...you will be singing it within minutes...you can thank me later when you are driving everyone around you crazy...hahaha! The Lego Movie is about Emmet, an ordinary LEGO figure, who lives an ordinary life - without much consequence/achievements whatsoever. As it unfolds, he is mistakenly thought to be the "extraordinary MasterBuilder" and is recruited to join a quest to stop the evil LEGO tyrant from gluing the universe together. The movie chronicles the Emmet's transition from ordinary to extraordinary, but it was not a result of new powers, imparted intelligence or added tools...instead it was from a change to of attitude! When Emmit started believing in himself nothing was impossible! There are a lot of great nuggets that can be gleaned from this movie for our professional and personal lives. You have heard the cliche, "Attitude is Everything"...well it really is true. But if I am being honest, just because you say "everything is awesome" (or sing it in the case of the Lego Movie), does not make it true. There are plenty of things in life to weigh you down and stop you from reaching your potential. But the key is what your attitude or response to the circumstance that will define you. I have seen this time and time again in my life, that when I have focused on the positives (which there are many), and pushed through the negative aspects, it was amazing what I achieved. The same is true for believing in yourself...that attitude can take you a lot further than your natural talent or skills ever can. Plus it is infectious! No one wants to be around a "Debbie Downer"...(you may remember the Saturday Night Live character portrayed by Rachel Dratch). A positive attitude can change not only whether a project is successful, but more importantly, whether a team will "gel" together and build the comradery that is necessary to keep a company moving forward. W. Clement Stone once said: “Like success, failure is many things to many people. With a Positive Mental Attitude, failure is a learning experience, a rung on the ladder, a plateau at which to get your thoughts in order and prepare to try again.” I'm not sure what is defining you today...but I want to encourage you to focus on the positive aspects in your life and watch what will happen!Read less