A Blogger with . . . Attitude!

It's that time of year when I reach into the closet and pull out that box of Holiday movies I love so much. There was a time when I would add a new one to my collection every year but lately I've not seen a lot that I feel has just the right touch. You know, like this scene from one of my favorites:

It's Christmas Eve and a lone police officer munches on a powdered doughnut as a sound catches his ear. He glances over the tall counter next to his desk to see the squad room door open for a few seconds and then close without, apparently, no one coming in.

Curious, he puts down the doughnut, stands, and glances over the counter into the faces of (what appears to be) several small children, all but one dressed in a military-like uniform that he didn't recognize.

"Vising hours are over, kids. Go home"

"We're not kids." One of the ones up front says. "We're Elves with . . . Attitude!"

The next thing the officer knows he's pushed into his swivel chair while it was being spun at a very fast speed, while the surrounding laughing elves wrapped him up in, what appeared to be, miles of colorful ribbons.

At the time, I am sure the officer in question believed that the "attitude" the elves were displaying was very bad, although the elves believed it to be good, after all, they were on a mission to save Santa.

For most, you probably recognized this scene from one of my favorite Christmas classics - The Santa Clause starring Tim Allen.

So, what's my point? Simple, building a business is all about attitude. Building it successfully requires a good one. So, what type of attitude do you have? Are you a "half-full" or "half-empty" kind of person? Do you look at problems as disasters with no end or challenges waiting to be solved? I've been on both sides of that equation and I assure you I understand no matter how you feel right now. The key, however, is to always be working to improve your attitude no matter where it is at present. Why? Because, believe it or not, a great attitude brings great results.

So, how do you go about improving your attitude? Well, there are several ways but here's a few of my favorites:

Get around people with good attitudes - and more important - stay away from those with bad attitudes. There's been times in my life when I believed that once I got a good attitude I could "help" those with bad ones.

Unfortunately, no matter how good my attitude has been, I've found out that when I get around those with bad attitudes they do more to pull me down to their level then I can possible do to lift them up to mine. So stay away from bad attitude people at all cost (dare I say it) like they have the flu! A bad attitude is a lot easier to catch and can last a whole lot longer.

Another great way I've found to improve my attitude is to read good books. Especially books about good self-image or inspirational books. Like Skip Ross's, "Say, YES, to Your Potential" or even "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill. If self-help books don't catch your fancy at first then reread one of your favorite novels. Be careful to pick one that has a positive ending.

The third way I've found to improve my attitude is to listen to fun and uplifting audios. Sometimes just hearing another person's perspectives on your current situation can do worlds of good for your attitude. I suggest that when you come across audios that inspire and/or make you happy that you keep them in a place you can reach quickly when a quick jolt of positive attitude is necessary.

One of the benefits of this time of the year is the wonderful holiday music that swirls around. You have to be a Scrooge not to have it lift your spirits. I have a lot of old "chestnuts" that I keep on standby in my computer for just such an occasion. And for anyone looking to start a collection of holiday favorites may I suggest you start with a wonderful artist that my sister-in-law, LaVerne, suggested to me.

His name is Andrea Bocelli (pronounced An-drey-a Bow-chel-lee). His new album is called, "My Christmas" and he has a wonderful classical Italian voice that can brighten anyone's attitude. For those of you who haven't heard of him (I hadn't either), He's has been on Oprah, and he sings on the album with, Natalie Cole, Mary J. Blige, Reba McEntire, and many more. Now how's that for a resume!

The last way I have found to perk up the old attitude is to watch uplifting and fun things, both out in the world, on your computer, and on television as well. Again, during this time of the year there shouldn't be much problem finding a lot of things to keep a cheerful attitude going. (I sometimes go just go to YouTube and look up old Hallmark Christmas commercials) There are holiday parades and family parties to attend, as well as a boat load of holiday favorites just a remote or mouse click away.

But be warned, unlike the ghosts in Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol", these good attitude-shifters are not going to "haunt" you down. You'll have to go looking for them. But I assure you, if all you want for Christmas is a great attitude, you'll find it.

So get up and get going - before those "Attitude Elves" come looking for you!