You either ride life or it rides you. Your mental attitude determines who is “rider” and who is “horse.” No one could ride a horse if the horse discovered its real strength. The same thing is true for people.

Horses are massive, gentle creatures who are by far larger and stronger than the men and women who handle them, yet they docilely obey the commands they are given. It does not seem logical that a large, powerful animal would allow itself to be mastered by a human being, yet we have been able to use our intelligence to dominate the animal kingdom.

There is no compromise or negotiation when it comes to who will run your life. Either you take charge and live a productive life of your choosing or you allow yourself to be ruled by circumstances. But there will inevitably be setbacks. In the old West, a cowboy expression went, “There never was a horse that couldn’t be rode, and there never was a rider that couldn’t be throwed.” Like everyone else, you will have days when everything goes right and you are on top of the world. Relish those days, enjoy them, and remember them. Recall the euphoria that accompanied them when you need an extra measure of positive thinking to get back in the saddle after you’ve experienced an embarrassing and painful fall.

You can use these same forces to allow the positive side of yourself to dominate the negative. A Positive Mental Attitude allows you to tap the source of great power that resides within you, enabling you to accomplish things you never before believed were possible.

For years, athletes attempted to run a mile in four minutes but it seemed to be a barrier that no one could overcome. Then on May 6, 1954, a British runner named Roger Gilbert Bannister ran a mile in 3:59.4 minutes to establish a world record. Soon afterward, other runners broke Bannister’s record. Too often, we accept conventional wisdom as fact. Make sure you set your goals high enough. Don’t settle for less because of limitations you place upon yourself. Most of us never really reach the level of achievement of which we are capable because we don’t challenge ourselves to do so. Perhaps Robert Browning said it
best: “A man’s reach should exceed his grasp, / Or what’s a heaven for?”

It you haven’t the willpower to keep your physical body in repair, you also lack the power of will to maintain a positive mental attitude in other important circumstances that control your life. When you take charge of your fate and determine that you will live positively in every aspect of your life — physical and mental — you will receive an extra benefit. Positive physical conditioning will reinforce your Positive Mental Attitude, and your positive attitude will help you stay in better physical condition.

Remember, your mental limitations are of your own making.

Never tear down anything unless you are prepared to build something better in its place.

This rule applies to both individuals and things. It’s easy to criticize other people thoughtlessly for their shortcomings, and equally easy to find fault in their work or in situations that are not to your liking. It is far more difficult to be a builder of people and to create works of art, useful products, or profitable businesses. Make sure you are a builder, not a destroyer of people and things.

When you criticize the actions or work of others — your children, your employees, or others for whom you are responsible — make sure your criticisms are positive and directed at the act, or the opportunity for improvement, not the individual. Include specific suggestions for their application and focus on the potential for success.

Those who can’t take directions graciously have no business giving them.

If you are an irresponsible or argumentative worker who cannot accept instructions from others, you are destined to remain at the bottom of the workforce. Before you can ever hope to manage other people, you must learn to manage yourself and your relationships with others effectively, particularly with those in higher positions in the organization. Unless you can learn how to manage your relationship with your own boss or bosses, you will never be able to manage a relationship with your subordinates.

Faith is the “power” which gives life and action to the impulse of thought!

Clarence Saunders made millions by borrowing the self-help cafeteria idea for the grocery business and naming it Piggly Wiggly.

The founder of the Piggly Wiggly grocery chain was a low-level employee in a corner grocery when he visited a cafeteria and got the idea that the same techniques could be applied to the grocery business. He was ridiculed by experts, but he was convinced that the idea was a good one. Saunders persevered, and his adaptation of the self-service idea to the grocery business led him to become the father of the modern supermarket.

It is often true that a great idea alone is not enough to achieve success. Implementation may require as much as or more imagination than coming up with the idea originally. Those who study such things, however, report that when you have a really good idea, even if you can’t prove it, you will intuitively know that it is good. If you’re convinced, stick with it. Others will eventually recognize the value of your idea.

Actions, not words, are the greatest means of self-praise.

There are times when you will be asked to put yourself forward, to compete for a position or a contract, and you will have to speak about your accomplishments. Naturally, you will want to put the best foot forward. Be certain, however, that when you do so, you are confident that honest inquiry will support what you say about yourself. If your actions have been wise and responsible, the record will show this. Leaders in any organization are those who say, “Let’s get going. Let’s do something rather than wait around to see what happens.” When your past actions demonstrate that you are a person who accepts responsibility and shows others the way, your career and relationships will benefit you accordingly.

Opportunities are never just handed to you; they must be created.  This is why we call items given to us – Gifts!

Opportunities abound for every individual in every walk of life. They may not be the opportunities that you prefer, but each opportunity of which you take advantage leads to bigger and better opportunities.

Physical and mental handicaps may mean that you have to explore territories unknown to others, but they also mean you have opportunities those others will never find. Think of Stephen Hawking’s brilliant research on the nature of the universe despite the fact that a crippling disease makes writing and speaking, as we know it, impossible for him.

Those who approach their jobs and careers with enthusiasm always find plenty of opportunities, while those who complain about no one ever giving them a chance are merely observers of life.

When you are determined that you will not allow others to determine your future for you, when you refuse to allow temporary setbacks to defeat you, you are destined for great success. The opportunities will always be there for you.

If there are adversities that you cannot overcome right now, remember to capitalize upon them at a later date by looking for the seed of an equivalent or greater benefit.

If the thing you wish to do is right, and you believe in it, go ahead and do it! Put your dream across, and never mind what “they” say if you meet with temporary defeat, for “they,” perhaps, do not know that every failure brings with it the seed of an equivalent success.

There is a point we take here at the Matter Meter in which we feel there is no Grey Area.

You are either honest or dishonest. Period!

There can be no compromise between the two because your mind cannot think well under both philosophy’s.

Our personalities are formed through the series of habits we perfect over time as we continue to repeat them.  This is the basis of affirmations and habit building.

After 21 days your mind accepts that a pattern will continue so it accepts it as normal. And this is the problem.  The first time you allow dishonest into your habits, your mind begins to accept it as normal for you and you step out on the ledge.

Honesty is a spiritual quality that cannot be evaluated in terms of money.

Officials who deal with fraud and theft say they are often amazed at the small amounts of money some people will steal. Some people will sell their integrity for a pittance. To those individuals, dishonest behavior is not an occasional occurrence — it is a way of life. Those who lie about insignificant things or steal trivial amounts of money will develop the habit of lying and stealing.

There are many practical reasons to practice honesty. It requires far less effort to be truthful than to be deceitful, and in the long term the risks are fewer and the rewards greater. But in today’s complex society, the boundaries of acceptable behavior have been blurred until they are sometimes indistinguishable. Laws and codes of ethics establish minimum standards of behavior.

Make sure you establish standards for yourself that exceed such minimums, a standard below which you will not allow yourself to fall, regardless of what others may do or say. Your own set of standards will allow you to decide quickly and easily upon an appropriate course of action when faced with a difficult problem.

As you look back on your own behavior, can you do so with pride in the knowledge that you have always been honest?

If you cannot, perhaps it is time to think about the times when you chose dishonest behavior. Why did you do it? Was it worth it?

Wouldn’t the consequences of being honest and truthful have been far better in those circumstances? Learn from your mistakes and vow that from this day forward you will always be honest.

Have you ever wondered where all the thoughts in you brain come from?  Ever thought what is the point of it all?  Good for you!

As soon as you can boil down the moment into whats really going on…..you can grab control and make it what you want it to be.

For example:
Most of us have two basic questions about others when we enter into a relationship. They are: Can I trust you? And, do you really care about me? Depending upon our previous success in partnerships with others — personal or business — the answers may be slow in coming. Confidence in another is often developed gradually as those involved in the relationship commit themselves to each other’s success and happiness.

Although trust and confidence are the basic underpinnings of all successful relationships, they are fragile. A relationship that has endured for months or even years can be irreparably damaged by a few unkind words or a single thoughtless act. Don’t allow yourself to act in haste or to lose control of your emotions in important relationships.

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Cookie mogul Wally Amos is fond of quoting the saying, “The mind is like a parachute. It functions best when opened.”

When you open your mind to the possibilities, objectively analyze information, and refuse to allow your personal preferences and biases to influence your judgment, you will be able to perceive great truths that have been overlooked by others.

A closed mind, though, will cause you to miss out on some of life’s greatest offerings. If you find yourself disputing the facts, or if you keep attempting to revise them to support your beliefs, ask yourself, “Why am I so unwilling to accept this information? Am I being logical, or am I simply allowing my emotions to cloud my judgment?” The worst mistake you may ever make is trying to persuade yourself to accept a false truth. It is inappropriate to try to fool others, but when you fool yourself, disaster is sure to follow.

Always telling the truth helps keep the mind open. It does not have to stay in motion remembering previous stories to keep them straight. Most importantly….those around you will feel it!

A closed mind stumbles over the blessings of life without recognizing them.

To the untrained eye, a geode looks pretty much like an ordinary rock. But a trained geologist knows that inside the geode there is a beautiful crystal lining.

The story is the same for those who refuse to examine new possibilities because their minds are closed. Life’s greatest opportunities, like the geode, often come in ordinary packaging. Do not allow yourself to become such a creature of habit that you simply go through the motions and let life happen to you.

Just taking a new route to work, putting together a jigsaw puzzle, reading a newspaper instead of watching television, or visiting a museum at lunchtime will stimulate your thought processes and may help you open your mind to new possibilities.

By all means tell the world how good you are — but share the credit and reserve the blame.

You should let others know of your achievements, with these provisions: Do it with your actions first and make sure you share the credit with others who helped you along the way.

A fundamental principle of leadership that has not changed over the centuries is: Share the credit for success with others, but take the blame for failures alone.

It is virtually impossible to conceal the truth forever. It is the natural order of things that the truth will eventually come out. This single fact is the foundation of our judicial system and the basis on which all human relationships are formed. A business, professional, or personal relationship built upon a lie cannot long endure, but one that is founded on truth and equality of benefit for the participants is unlimited.

Make it a practice to tell the truth in all that you do — even when it doesn’t matter — and you will form a habit of truthfulness. You will know instinctively that it is better to tell the truth and face the consequences than to launch a falsehood that will eventually make itself known to the world.

It is the nature of opportunity that it simply refuses to attach itself to negative thinkers.

If our minds are full of negative thoughts, it is impossible to conceive exciting new business opportunities, invent innovative new products, solve difficult problems, or create beautiful music or works of art. There is just no space for them!

All of these activities require a positive belief in ourselves and our abilities.  We must be open to growing these beliefs.

By approaching every challenge with a Positive Mental Attitude, we will always discover opportunities that others have overlooked. We allow it to be possible and seek it out.

Relish your achievements and recall them when the going gets tough. Take comfort in the knowledge that you have succeeded in the past and you can do it again. You can do it if you think you can!

When you close the door of your mind to negative thoughts…..the door of opportunity opens to you.