In the past, I’ve written about two secrets for success in small business; those two secrets were “have to” and “I can.” Another secret to true success in small business, and really anything in life, is your attitude. How a person thinks ultimately translates into words and actions. Attitude is such an intangible aspect of our behavior, but also so critical to so many things in life.
As I was sitting outside thinking about dogs and how they act, I began to think about attitude and the difference between how a dog views the world and how a teenager views the world.
Here is what I think a dog and a teenager may think…but I am not too sure about the teenager.
Dog: “I get up at 5:30 a.m. and I am so excited. I am wagging my tail as hard as I can to get these people up and moving. I love racing downstairs and running to the door. I love mornings. I love this.”
Dog: “I love running around the yard and chasing my ball. This is so much fun. I love this.”
Dog: “I get to eat after playing outside. The food is wonderful. This is great. I love this.”
Dog: “I get to go for a ride in a car with these people. I get to stick my head out the window and see things and smell things. What a great time. I love this.”
Dog: “I get to come home after my trip and take a nap. How awesome. I love this.”
Here is what a teenager may think:
Teenager: “Day 1,567 of my captivity. These people irritate me. I must find new ways to resist. I will look for weaknesses and try to exploit them. I hate this.”
Teenager: “These people get me up at 7:00 a.m. every day and do it by turning on the light to my jail cell. I ignore them by pretending to still be asleep. They keep talking to me. This is stupid. I hate this.”
Teenager: “These people have tried to brainwash me and control me with comments about being positive, trying hard and doing the right thing. I continue to ignore them by sitting in front of my video game. I wish they would go away. I hate this.”
Teenager: “I escaped last night through my bedroom window and for several brief hours I was free. I was caught and forced to return home and now I am required to do “hard labor” by cutting the grass, cleaning the house and doing extra jobs because of my escape. This is so unfair. I hate this.”
Teenager: “These people want to spend time with me and go on trips with a stupid dog. I resist by looking out the window when they try talking to me and I pretend not to hear them. Why do I have to do these things? I hate this.”
Both live in the same house and with the same people. One has a positive attitude and the other is mad about everything. Attitude does make a difference in how we see the world and how we interact with people around us.
For those of you who have teenagers, they do come back to normal…around age 21 or 22.