Sometimes we just need a little laugh

We have all had days like this...

Don't let it mess with your Mojo.

Smile, have a good attitude and a good day!

Don't you just love puppy's?

When they are little, and they smell like puppy!

They are fun, and furry and full of life.

As a matter of fact, they may even tinkle a little on you and you don't really

worry about it too much...

It is amazing how forgiving we can be in the right moment.

Are there times that you would like to be more forgiving and struggle?

I guess that makes you human.

How do you get that puppy attitude?

It takes work, patience, and time.

Start with the right expectations!

Know going in that you might get peed on.

Go in with the right attitude.

It has always amazed me that when we were kids we found ways to have fun.

We didn't have expensive electronic toys, or phones to play with or text.

Oh, we didn't have much, but we used our imagination to create circumstances and situations that sparked our adventurous side.

When we were kids we didn't know race, or even sex until someone told us.

We didn't even know that someone was broke until someone older told us.

And we generally shared what ever we had to give freely.

Even today it seems that the less you have at times the more you love.

Life seemed simpler then.  Now it seems to be rush, rush, rush and you never get done!

To keep a good attitude take some time to reflect back, and think of that easier time.

I got to do that yesterday at the Memorial Day fireworks with my wife.  It was very relaxing to just sit and watch the children running and the families playing together.

So Take some time, and have a great attitude today!



Children and Animals

Why is it that you feel so good when you

help a child or and animal?

It could be random, or a defining event.

It could be a donation, or time spent.

There is so much need today as much

 I can ever remember.

Think about it over the past few years the tornadoes that have eaten up peoples lives.

The number of displaced families,

and animals in these regions.

Not to mention the wild fires that

swallow up homes in the night.

When I think of giving I think

first hand of Joplin.

I think of a family that is the image of giving.

Think about this, they lived through the Tornado 2 years ago.

One member lost their home, there have been lost family members

This family has volunteered thousands of hours leading with a purpose.

They have manned goods distribution stations, designed churches, been deacons, lead small groups, lead various mission trips in Joplin and Texas, and on and on.

They get joy from helping others yet they have never ask for anything for their service.

God plays a strong role in their lives, they are grounded and loving.

So when I think of all the tragedies

that seem to happen,

I have to also think of all the people like the family in Joplin that lead the way.

Thank you Hal, Rick, Jeff, Randy, and Dustin for leading like real men.

You have taught me many great lessons

from our friendship.

Who is your mentor?

 



Never give up!

 

Have you ever ran a marathon,

or a ultra-marathon?

I can tell you from experience that there are times that you just want to finish.

You just want to forget about time,

place you just want to be done.

I have completed every race up to and including Ultra-Marathons (50K/31 Miles).

And there were times where I walked,

 but I always fnished. 

 I completed the challenging task that was before me.

Have you ever been so challenged at the office that you just wanted to get done?

Have you ever spent so much time with a customer, you just wanted to be done?

You did'nt care how much money you made, or the time that had past.

You were just done!

How did your customer feel?

What was the attitude in the room?

How do you change that feeling?

I can tell you once you have ran for 3-4 hours it takes something special.

What about your marathon deal?

Sometimes it just takes encouragement.

It could come from you, your manager or even your customer.

It starts with a light joke and a smile.

Are you strong enough to be the difference?

The challenge is on, you be the difference.

It is all in the attitude!



Smile today

.

Sometimes we get too busy to smile.

we get caught up in the hustle of the

day and it just happens.

So this is just a friendly

reminder to smile today.

Remember that a good attitude will not complete a task, but it will make any task easier than a negative attitude.

Smiling will help get you started in

he right direction.

Have a great attitude and smile!



people-change your world

 

 

Just a reminder, choose your friends wisely.

This reminds me of a lesson from church.

It is a reminder that if you plant your beliefs on the surface (concrete/rock)

that it never has a chance to root. 

One good rain and it will wash away that plant

Are your relationships like that?

If your going to invest your valuable time with people make it worth your while.

Go deeper than talking about the weather, or sports talk about Important stuff.

When you ask how was your day,

really mean it.

If your my friend be there with the

right attitude.

If your having a rough day I will offer you words of engorgement.

Your friends should share that same view.

With the right attitude

you can change your world.

 

 

hate in your heart

 

I can only imagine what it must be

like to have hate in your heart!

Hate is such an ugly word.

It is even hard to say most of the time.

It must be draining to carry around 

that much weight all the time.

Remember that it still comes

back to Attitude, and Choice.

You have control of both of these.

You must be proactive and forgive,

or the very least let go.

 

Picture two people,

the first one with hate in their heart.

What do they look like on the exterior. 

They look un-happy and mad at the world.

Think of the turmoil inside their lives.

That is what I see!

 

Picture the second person

with love in their heart.

Life is much different.

Maybe even a smile for a stranger..

Not always great,

but good most of the time.

Where is their anger?

 

Put a smile on your face and don't hold on to hate in your heart.

It will consume you, your hours,

days and years.

 

Chose an Attitude fitting of a happy person!

 



How we communicate

Where do we pick up our initial Attitudes?

Don't blame your parents if you

 have a bad attitude.

Blame yourself and the environment that

 you put yourself in each day.

There are many stories of people that

 take themselves from nothing and

become amazing people.

You take the first step and decide that

your going to have a good day.

See what happens if you do that for a week...

Joplin 2 years later Remember 5-22-2011

 

Joplin 5-22-2011

 

Two yeas ago if you lived in Joplin Mo your life changed.  Not just some of the people, everyone that lived there.  The picture above was taken from he middle of he Tornado ravaged area.  I was not in town that day, I had just flown home 24 hours before.  But I have many friends that live there still to this day.
One of the most amazing things that became  clear from the storm was the community.  Make no bones about it this community believes in God, faith, prayer and their community.  I had the great pleasure of working with individuals that gave their heart, time, energy and love to serve and support the rebuilding of he city.  The wonderful thing is they wanted no attention, no honors or payback.  They did it from their hearts.
To have friends like that helps you see what is really important in the world. 
Thank you Joplin for modeling on to over come adversity, and rebuild a city from the ground up.

What you allow

Are you a blessing or a lesson?

Where were you?

There are pictures that you see in life that you just remember.  Like this picture.  It is from a movie.  Do you know what movie it is?  Where were you the first time you saw it?

We remember for different reasons, and when we see them it brings back feelings,

good and bad.

OK, its from the Wizard of Oz.

Can a picture change your attitude?

Can one word change your attitude?

That is easy to answer when you think about the music you listen to on a Sunday afternoon.  Are there songs that remind

you of times gone by?

Do me this favor today, tune into some good music this Sunday afternoon and enjoy.  I may have to find me some good beach music, swing!

I  KNOW that will give me

a smile and a good attitude.

Happy Sunday!

Are you an over the top Dog owner?

Are your dogs actually your children..

Some people think we are crazy because we think like that. I am a crazy Dog owner.  I love my puppy's.  Any one that knows me will tell you that, and I am fine with it.

Nothing against children,

I have one that I love very much.

But what do you do when the children have grown up, gotten their own life and it is you and your spouse?  Now I'm a lucky guy because I love my wife.  However there are still those times when you need some unconditional love.  You've had a rough day and you don't feel

 like hanging out with humans, lol.  Your headed home, pull into the garage, get out of the car, open the back door to two big brown eyes (four in my case with two dogs) and a wagging tail(s).  That is not just on the bad days, the good ones too!

That picture puts a smile on my face!

I know they get dog hair all over!

And I know when they get excited and bark!

And what I know best is that they always have the attitude of unconditional love.

So I am sorry for you if you have never experienced that feeling.

So, get up right now.  Get in your car.  Drive to the nearest pet store.  Go into the little room.

Ask them to bring you a puppy!

That puppy will be so happy that you took the time, he may even pee a little!

And as your driving away, tell me you didn't feel the love...

Have a Great Attitude, and a great day!

How do you make a decision?

 

Making a decision should be easy for the most part.This saying nails it in my opinion. 

Here is how I make a decision,

and then I will tell you why:

First it must be logical.

Next, if I struggle chances are

 good that I will say "no".

Those two play on each other.

If it is logical, then it is easy to say yes.

For many years I have made

decisions based on my heart.

You know what I mean, if it feels

right in my heart then do it.

After years of conditioning it is

easy to make most decisions.

The decisions that seem hardest

is the age old question

"where do we want to eat"?

Generally, I know, but now your involving another person and that changes everything!

Here is the great thing about decisions-

They bring you clarity.

They eliminate options.

The take the pressure off.

And if you did it from your heart, you feel good and won't second guess yourself!

Have a great Attitude today!

 

 

Have you ever told an un-truth?

 

This shirt is a prime example of something that I would never say to my wife! 

I surely wouldn't in the heat of wanting a new bike say to here "Honey, this is my last one"...

Sometimes in the heat of the deal we do say things that just miss the mark.

Maybe your closing a sale, you have worked long and hard to get the deal. 

Your in the closing booth and the customer asks for something silly like

Mats, or a tank of gas and

before you know it you have said "yes". 

Customer signs agreement and then it hits you. 

I just committed to another $100 by the last little yes, what happened?

We get excited, emotions get carried away.  What does that do to our attitude?

We are excited and happy we just sold a vehicle and our attitude is right!

In sales it is the best time to sell another because our attitude is right!

Have a great day,

and if you do sell cars,

sell a couple today!

 

 

Just remembering Moms out there

 

With Mother's Day just past us

I thought how nice.. LOL. 

These two get along just great.

It's like they are related.

Have you had the joy of spending a little time with someone with this attitude?

Not a lot of fun.

Just remember too much of a good thing does not always make it better.

Too much attitude is one of those things...

Have a great day,

Oh, and Happy Mothers Day

Love you Mom

"Act As If"

 

Boy, would you look at that face.  It tells a story right!  Not much of a morning pup now are you?
I would say that there are a lot of pups out there that feel the same way in the morning until they get their coffee...  I mean it is hard to function at times without a little caffeine to get you going.
Understanding this time honored event, how do you operate in the mornings when you cannot get to the coffee pot?  You know what I mean, your heading to the Dealership and just don't have time to stop at Starbucks and you really need that java.  You pull up to the dealership or office and you have a client waiting on you.
My friend, it is time to "Act as if".  You get to act as if you have already had that cup of coffee..
I tell that to new salespeople every week.  Act as if you just sold a car because your attitude is right.  Your mentally ready for work.  I did not say it was easy.  Sometimes you just have to do the Nike thing, and just do it!
Act as if your attitude is right and have a great day!

Happened to things

This is very common on a sales floor.  You see the 20 Car Man working on stuff.  It may be followup, it may be prospecting for the next customer.  Here is the key, they know that activity breeds activity and they know their priorities-"sell cars".  So when a customer does show up they turn their attention to that individual.  Here is what they know, if I sit back and wait I may not get a customer today.  But if I keep busy, I will attract a customer.
It is an attitude of sales.  Some guys forget that they are here for he customer, not the other way around.  So if your in sales go get em!  Don't sit and wait...
Have a great attitude today!

Marriage

Marriage is a relationship, and relationships take work, and it is hard sometimes! 
There I said it, Relationships are hard!
Reality is that they all take work.  Anything that you allow in your life should take some work or where is the value?  Maybe I said that wrong.  We all enjoy the beach, but most of us work all week long so we can enjoy that time.  Marriage is much like that.  My daughter ask me a few years ago "how do you know who you should marry"?  As a Father you really need to think how you want to answer that question.
Here are the things I said:

• You will know in your heart.
• You have to let them be right sometimes (even if you don't agree).
• It does not matter who makes the money in the family if you love each other.
• It does not matter about education.

Now when I look back, I wish I had just ask about ego, and if she were willing to work.  When you look at marriage and the silly disagreements that you have, it all comes back to the attitude of your ego.
Keep in mind what is most important for both of you.  When I think of the disagreements that my wife and I have, it all comes back to being right.  At the end of the day does it matter?  It takes work to overcome my ego, and allow things to happen.
Remember to adjust your ego, and have a great attitude. 

Dog Hair

This is what we should hang on our door to warn our friends of the impending hair attack!

If your my friend, you know in advance what waits for you inside my house.  I love my dogs and just like any relationships there are things that you have to put up with, hair versus unconditional love. 

Love wins every time!

My dogs have a better attitude than I do "everyday"!

If you don't fail you don't learn

How often do you talk about failure?

Failure is how we learn.  Think about it, all the important things in life are learned not by reading a book, but by experiencing life.  And in life there is failure.  Yet FAILURE scares us.

Is it your ego that challenges you to avoid failure.  Failure is a stepping stone to success.

That does not mean that we do not keep a winning attitude, it means when we fail that we get back up and try again.  We have not turley failed until we quit getting back up.  We are not defined by our failures in life, we are defined by our successes.  If you sell cars, a salesman of the month or year is defined by the number of cars you sold, not the number of people you did not sell.  Or even better lets play baseball and I only hit 3 of 10 lifetime, but that will get me to the "hall of fame".  So if your struggling, get your failures out of the way, just by shear numbers you are due for some success.

One last thing to keep in mind, if you continue to do the same thing you will get the same results.  You may have to change some things to get the success you deserve.  Just get back up!

Have a great attitude today, success is at your fingertips.

Our lives begin

Good People

Good people can make you, the wrong people can break you. Chose your friends and whom you spend your hours. If your with the right people having the right attitude will be easy. Chose wisely and have a great day. 



Your way ahead

 

I believe if your not making mistakes your not doing anything.  Our attitude is so wrapped up in our ego that we forget how we learn.  We are so worried that someone will see me make a mistake and they will somehow look down on us that we sometimes don't just take a chance.  Truth is every great moment in our life is when we take a chance.  We don't have to defy all the odds every time.  Sometimes we fall down.  The question is do you get back up, and try again.

A good life does not just happen, you don't get a great job just because, you don't just fall into selling 20 cars a month. 

You take chances,

you talk to people. 

You have the right Attitude!

Worrying will get you nowhere.

Something I picked up!

How full is your glass

How long has this been around?

You know the old saying, "how do you see this glass",  Is it half full or half empty?

Well sir, I see a glass with water in it!  LOL

Well this blog is about Attitude, so let's ask the question are you a positive person, or one that could lack some spirit when it comes to attitude?  Sometimes we live so long with certain characteristics that we assume that is the way it is, and we go with the flow.  It's easier that way.  Maybe you just want to get to Happy-Hour or Friday.  By the way, those are coming either way you look at things.  You just as well enjoy the ride.  Try to rock the boat.  Quit doing things the "way you always have".  Life could become boring, you might even feel like your in a rut.. 

Change your Attitude

Change your outcome

Change your story

Change your history

It all starts with a thought!

7 Rules of Life

Hey it's Saturday

 

This guy looks like Kyle, my friends' son.  And maybe he has the same attitude, not sure! 

I'm sure once he is awake he sees the world a little differently. 

How do you look at the world in the morning?

Don't kill me for saying this,

but have a great attitude this weekend!

Charlie Towe

 

Charlie Towe

I hope that everyone has the pleasure of knowing a "Charlie" in their life.  He was someone that made a difference. 

Here is what I can tell you.

He was a giver.  He was not driven by money.  He was a people person.  I am sorry for any one's inability to see something special.  For me, in my 30's there were not a lot of guys that I reached out to (you just didn't do that as a guy).  Charlie made it easy, he made it OK to tell him things that bothered you.  He would offer insight only if you ask for it, and never stepped out of line.  He really cared about people.  If he thought you needed $100 you might find it on your desk, I witnessed it several times.  No note, and he wanted no thanks.  I never heard him say he needed anything, help, money, time.

At Christmas he was his own  Secret Santa.
 The girls in the back would find surprise cash in their desk, no note, no attention.

This is to say he made a difference and I will not forget Charlie and his giving heart. 

 He has given me a model that

I try to mirror in my life. 

So, thank you Charlie Towe. 

All this to say you made a difference

and are not forgotten. 

 I am a better man for having known you.

15,000 Pageviews

 

Thank you for following this blog.

15,000 Pageviews exceeds my expectations.

What is it about Failure that scares us?

Why do people get so worried about failure that it freezes their mind.

Truth is failure is most cases is way over rated.  Here are a couple of examples:

Baseball-I get a hit 3 out of 10 times I try, so I failed 70% of the time.  Yet I could be the best hitter in baseball.

Car sales-The Top Salesperson of the Month sold 20 cars, but he talked to 100 customers to sell the 20.  So he failed 80% of the time.

We are not measured by our failures, we are measured by the number of times we failed and got back up.  You see if I tried to sell a customer and they said no, and left the dealership and I stopped trying, now that is failure.  My goal is to catch the next customer and sell them, or the next.  I always knew that it was a numbers game.  If I missed a sale I was even more sure that the next one would buy, in fact I would get excited for the chance to sell the next one.  Because I had the right attitude.

Your not going to win every time, how do you respond when times get tough?  You quit, you fail.  You keep going, dust off your pants and you'll be just fine.  One last thought:

Do what you've always done,

You'll get what you've always got!

You may have to change something..

Do it with the right Attitude!

 

Don't sit on the sidelines, get in the game!

 

I understand the phrase "Don't sit on the sidelines, get in the game".

Do you sometime think "oh if I could only"?

What is stopping you besides yourself?

Do you really want to do something, or are you just day dreaming?  Oh, it's OK to day dream so long as you do something with those thoughts.  Remember that everything in life begins with a thought

So if your afraid, another thought is that "Action Overcomes Fear".

So change your Attitude about being on the sidelines and get into the game.

You don't have to be a Pro to enjoy the game.