On the last page of the book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Prisig, we find the following quote, “Is it hard?” “Not if you have the right attitudes. It’s having the right attitudes that’s hard.”

That sums it all up. Attitude is everything. We see it in every sphere of life. We see it in sports, we see it in business, we see it in relationships, we see it in the classrooms. The attitude determines most of the outcome in whatever field of endeavor that we are in.

Attitude might be the most important factor to success but it might also be the one that we pay the least attention to.

When things are not going as well as they should, how many times do we look toward our attitude to find the solution to the roadblock?

Almost never. Most of us will spend more time on hand wringing or worrying than we spend of trying to regain the winner’s edge, the right attitude.

Robert Pirsig said it very well, “It’s having the right attitudes that’s hard.” Especially when we are on the scary slope of impending disaster.

So, what’s the best way of gaining the “right attitude?”

First, we need a pattern interrupt. A word of explanation is needed here for the neophytes. Moods are created in the brain through small electrical circuits between the neurons. And, the longer or the more intense that the debilitating mood has occupied our conscious, the harder it is to break it in order to replace that circuit with a more empowering one.

So, what we need is a pattern interrupt that will break the circuit. And, the best pattern interrupt is affected by doing something outrageous.

Tony Robbins tells us that one of his favorite and most effective pattern interrupt used to be to standup on a chair yelling, “I’m an idiot.” You can’t remain in the same mood for a long time while going through that process.

Now, that may be a little drastic for most of us. but, with a little imagination, we can think of other ways of breaking the pattern of an undesirable mood so that it can be changed for a better one.

Once the pattern has been broken, we can start filling our minds with the feeling of self-confidence that stems from knowing that, if we really put our mind to it, we can surmount any obstacle and turn a lemon into a lemonade.

The right attitude is the basic material out of which every success is formed and achieved. So, we would be well advised to pay more attention to our attitude and less on the consequences that the present course could lead to.

Having and keeping the right attitude is self-mastery. It’s the key to successful living. It’s the most determining factor in our life. With the right attitude we cannot fail. With the right attitude, we won’t even think about failure. And, best of all, having the right attitude is free and available to anyone who is willing to take the necessary step to acquire it.

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