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In the world of professional speakers, Keith Harrell is making adifference. Clients such as IBM, Coca-Cola, and Boeing know it — that'swhy Keith is one of the most in-demand speakers on the circuit. Here,in Attitude Is Everything, he shares the secrets that got him where he is today and provides you with a program for developing a healthier,happier, more productive attitude.
This is an enlightening, inspiring, and practical guide for gainingcontrol of your career and your life by ridding yourself of negativebaggage, building positive attitudes, and then turning them into actionsto help you achieve your dreams.
Now, along with the Attitude Is Everything workbook, you willhave all the tools for developing and maintaining a powerful positiveattitude in order to get ahead.
STEP I
Understand the power of "attitude."
The first thing you need to do, to turn your attitude into action, is to tap into the power of your attitude. This key step is the foundation on which the other nine steps in this book are built. Attitude is everything; it impacts everything you do.
As far back as I can remember, I've heard about the importance of a positive attitude and the powerful effect it could have on my life. I heard it from my parents, teachers, coaches, and supervisors over the years. How many times in your life have you been encouraged to have a positive attitude? Although attitude plays an important role in everyone's life, many people don't know its meaning or realize the influence it has on their performance at work and on their relationships. What, then, is attitude?
The American Heritage Dictionary defines attitude as a state of mind or feeling with regard to some matter. For me, attitude can be defined in one word: life. The attitude that you carry around makes an incredible difference in your life. It can be a powerful tool for positive action. Or it can be a poison that cripples your ability to fulfill your potential. Your attitude dictates whether you are living life or life is living you. Attitude determines whether you are on the way or in the way.
I spent most of my young adulthood chasing a dream to become a professional basketball player. In high school, I was an All-American and the Most Valuable Player of our state championship team. I accepted ascholarship to Seattle University, where I was the team captain for three of my four years. I averaged more than sixteen points per game in my senior year. In June 1979 1 expected to be drafted by a National Basketball Association team. It was a dream that I had shared with everyone I knew. My family, friends, teammates, and others who had followed my career had come to expect that it would happen, based on my success as a player in high school and college.
On the day of the NBA draft, 1 waited and waited and waited ... but the phone did not ring. I was devastated. I had devoted myself to the sport and to my future as an NBA player. It was tough to give up on that dream. I felt cheated when it didn't happen.
In the days and weeks that followed, the bitterness was revived every time someone commented on my failure to be drafted. It didn't help when strangers would note my six-foot-six-inch height and say, "You must play pro basketball." For a long time I fought the bitterness. Finally I decided to let go of the negative feelings. I found a way to embrace this major change and focus on being positive instead. I realized that to grow inwardly I had to move on with my life.
I developed a new attitude and a new response to questions about my height. Not long ago, a woman seated next to me at a luncheon asked if I played with the NBA.
"Yes, I do," I replied. "I'm a first-round draft choice. I'm the most valuable player. I'm owner of the team, and we win the championship every year!"
"So you do play with the NBA?" she asked.
"Yes, I do. I play with my Natural-Born Abilities, and I'm slam-dunking every day!"
I did recover my positive attitude, but it took a focused effort to reframe my perspective, which is one of the key things I'm going to teach you in this book.
Failing to be drafted by the NBA was one of the greatest disappointments in my life. It affected my attitude adversely, throwing me off track for months. I'm sure you have dealt with similar circumstances in which an emotionally charged change in your life throws you off course. It happens to everyone, and often during such challenging times, we develop a negative attitude without being aware of the effect it has on our actions.
After my name was not called in the NBA draft, I felt disconnected from life. My self-confidence and self-esteem took a dive. Worse yet, I didn't have a contingency plan. So after college graduation, it was Welcome to the real world, Keith. Whatcha gonna do now? I had been a high-profile athlete in my hometown. Many people had followed my career through high school and into college. It seemed that everywhere I went people wanted to know what I planned to do with my life. They shared my disappointment, and that further zapped my sense of self-worth. I'd been secure in my role as an athlete. Suddenly I didn't know what I wanted to do.
I did decide that I had to get away from Seattle, where everyone seemed to know me and my disappointments. So I did what every warm-blooded African-American male does when he's feeling down and out and needs to return to his roots.
I went to Alaska.
My Aunt Sue was working in Anchorage. She offered to get me a job with her boyfriend, a painter who had a contract at Elmendorf Air Force Base. Instead of going to the NBA rookie camp, I joined the painter's union as an apprentice in Alaska. But a rookie is a rookie. I'd never painted with anything but my fingers in kindergarten. It showed. I was so bad they wouldn't let me do any real painting. I just did the prepping. I was an apprentice paint-prepper and not a very good one at that. If I'd come to Alaska to build up my self-esteem and improve my attitude, it wasn't working. I hadn't really escaped all the questions about my future, either.
One day, I was slopping paint on myself and getting a little on a wall when an older guy in coveralls came up to me with a look of concern. "You don't know me, but I know you. I followed your basketball career ever since you were in high school," he said. He then asked me what I was doing in Alaska working as a painter…
| Acknowledgments | ix | |
| Introduction | xi | |
| Chapter 1 | Attitude Is Everything | 1 |
| Chapter 2 | Attitude Is a Choice | 23 |
| Chapter 3 | Bag Your Bad Attitude | 47 |
| Chapter 4 | Change Your Bad Attitude for Good | 67 |
| Chapter 5 | Turn Attitude into Action! | 85 |
| Chapter 6 | Warning: Attitude Hazards Ahead | 111 |
| Chapter 7 | Your Attitude Tool Kit | 127 |
| Chapter 8 | Build Your A-Team | 155 |
| Chapter 9 | Develop a Whatever-It-Takes Attitude | 175 |
| Chapter 10 | Make a Mark That Cannot Be Erased | 199 |
Understand the power of "attitude."
The first thing you need to do to turn your attitude into action is to tap into the power of your attitude. This key step is the foundation on which the other nine steps in this book are built. Attitude is everything.
As far back as I can remember, I've heard about the importance of a positive attitude. I heard it from my parents, teachers, coaches, and supervisors over the years. Not only did I hear it, I saw the powerful impact a positive attitude could have. I've seen it countless times in the lives of highly successful people. Some of these success stories make front-page headlines. Those that aren't making the news are certainly making headlines in the lives of those around them. A positive attitude is the foundation of a successful life.
With such compelling evidence to support the theory that a positive attitude pays off, I have made it my lifework to personally embrace a super-fantastic attitude and help others understand that attitude is everything.
Some have questioned my assertion, telling me that attitude isn't everything. That much more is involved in achieving success. Of course, it takes planning and hard work to reach your goals. I believe it is absolutely critical that whatever you do, you should do with all your might. Go for it! Work to the best of your ability.
But your ability may be much higher than you realize. It all comes back to attitude. Attitude is everything because it is involved in everything. It impacts our performance at work and our relationships. Attitude is the cornerstone upon which we build our lives.
If attitude is so important, we'd best understand its meaning. The American Heritage Dictionary defines attitude as a state of mind or feeling with regard to some matter. For me, attitude can be defined in one word: life. The attitude that you carry around makes an incredible difference in your life. It can be a powerful tool for positive action. Or it can be a poison that cripples your ability to fulfill your potential. Your attitude dictates whether you are living life or life is living you. Attitude determines whether you are on the way or in the way.
To develop an attitude that helps you live life to its fullest, as you were designed to do, you must first understand that the heart is the control center for your attitude. Your attitude is nothing but an outward reflection of what resides on the inside. To change your attitude, you must change your heart.
Ear-Gate, Eye-Gate, and Mouth-Gate
The most powerful computer in the world is the human computer. Our programming, then, comes through what we hear, see, and say. We can be programmed for success or failure based on how well we monitor what I call the ear-gate, eye-gate, and mouth-gate. What we see through our eye-gate goes directly into our hearts, frequently having a profound effect on our state of mind, sense of well-being, and, you guessed it -- our attitude. Likewise, what we hear through our ear-gate has the power to lift us up or drag us down. Finally, the mouth-gate speaks to the heart-mouth connection. As the proverb says, "Out of the issues of your heart, your mouth speaks." Our words have a tremendous impact on our attitude and the attitudes of those around us.
These concepts will be more fully developed throughout the book. You will see that regardless of what you have taken to heart throughout your life, it is possible to reprogram your attitude. It's a powerful transformation that can bring you both personal and professional success.
Keith Harrell's Reprogramming
Stories of my own reprogramming began early in life.
I spent most of my young adulthood chasing a dream to become a professional basketball player. In high school, I was an All-American and the Most Valuable Player of our state championship team. I accepted a scholarship to Seattle University, where I was the team captain for three of my four years. I averaged more than sixteen points per game in my senior year. In June of 1979, I expected to be drafted by a National Basketball Association team. It was a dream that I had shared with everyone I knew. My family, friends, teammates, and others who had followed my career had come to expect that it would happen, based on my success as a player in high school and college.
On the day of the NBA draft, I waited and waited and waited ... but the phone did not ring. I was devastated. I had devoted myself to the sport and to my future as an NBA player. It was tough to give up on that dream. I felt cheated when it didn't happen.
In the days and weeks that followed, the bitterness was revived every time someone commented on my failure to be drafted. It didn't help when strangers would note my sixfoot- six-inch height and say, "You must play pro basketball." For a long time I fought the bitterness. Finally I decided to let go of the negative feelings. I found a way to embrace this major change and focus on being positive instead. I realized that to grow inwardly I had to move on with my life.
I developed a new attitude and a new response to questions about my height. Not long ago, a woman seated next to me at a luncheon asked if I played with the NBA.
"Yes, I do," I replied. "I'm a first-round draft choice. I'm the most valuable player. I'm owner of the team, and we win the championship every year!"
"So you do play with the NBA?" she asked.
"Yes, I do. I play with my Natural-Born Abilities, and I'm slam-dunking every day!"
I did recover my positive attitude, but it took a focused effort to reframe my perspective, which is one of the key things I'm going to teach you in this book ...
Attitude is Everything Rev EdJeremy_S
Posted January 21, 2010
Uses personal accounts on how the author used a change in attitude to become successful. Describes well how personal experiences shaped who he is. No earth-shattering tips, but does draw an emotional connection well with the audience. Book shows positive attitude at work through the author.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted September 9, 2008
No matter how much you plan your life, the curve balls are there to bring a journey of personal growth. We may not understand what the reasons are for life's bumps in the road, but how we make it through to the smooth side is based clearly on the attitude we choose to take. We have a choice - accept, learn and grow 'positive attitude' or reject and wither 'negative attitude'. This book provides the step-by-step tools to get you out of being stuck in a rut with the negative and bring energy back in your life with the positive. I keep it handy when I feel the old negative start creeping back in. Great book!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 29, 2008
This book has the key's to chaning your attitude. But not only changing your attitude, but also putting your new attitude into action. Which changes your life. Positive attitude in action changes the outcome of every situation in your life for the better. We're unable to predict or control a lot of things that happen to us in our lifetime, but our attitude can change the way we perceive and handle any given situation or circumstances, and that changes how we feel and ultimately has a positive impact on our life as well as others lives who are around us.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 9, 2010
No text was provided for this review.
Overview
In the world of professional speakers, Keith Harrell is making adifference. Clients such as IBM, Coca-Cola, and Boeing know it — that'swhy Keith is one of the most in-demand speakers on the circuit. Here,in Attitude Is Everything, he shares the secrets that got him where he is today and provides you with a program for developing a healthier,happier, more productive attitude.
This is an enlightening, inspiring, and practical guide for gainingcontrol of your career and your life ...