You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘attitude’ tag.
I admit it.
There are times when I just want to sleep in, but my kids won’t let me.
Or times when I just want to watch a football game without having to answer a hundred questions.
Or just be able to go to the toilet without someone yelling “Daddy!” and interrupting my fortress of solitude.
There’s no doubt that my kids can be a pain at times, but if that’s all that I focus on, what a miserable person I would become.
They may be an inconvenience sometimes, but being a dad is an enormous privilege as well.
Frederick Winters during 1904 Summer Olympics (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Two weightlifters in the same category have the same weight to lift.
They have identical training routines, similar coaches and the same physical capabilities.
But there’s one key difference between them.
One believes that he can lift the weight in front of him.
The second one doesn’t think that he can.
Which one is more likely to be successful?
BRICKS (Photo credit: marc falardeau)
Two bricklayers were approached by a reporter.
The reporter asked the first bricklayer, “What are you doing?”
His response was to complain that he was virtually a slave. An underpaid labourer who spent his days wasting his time, placing one brick on top of another for hours on end.
The reporter ask the second worker the same question.
His response, however, was quite different.
Muhammad Ali knocking out Sonny Liston
Universally recognised as one of the most iconic athletes of all time, Muhammad Ali dominated the sport of boxing, both in the ring and in the headlines, throughout his illustrious career.
Ali was a magnificent boxer, but he is also renowned for some of the clever quotes that he used.
Lines like, “I am the greatest,” and “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee,” are among some of the better known statements of his, but he also had some more profound comments that I find both inspirational and thought-provoking.
Here are some of my favourites quotes from Muhammad Ali:
Image via Wikipedia
Just imagine three groups of people.
The first group complains about everything.
They think that the economy is tough which means that they have the perfect excuse for a mediocre career.
They feel threatened by change and resist it vigorously.
Their goal is just to get through the year.
They walk around with their shoulders slumped and their head down. Read the rest of this entry »
Lately, I’ve fallen into the trap of focussing on how tired I am.
I’ve started to use dangerous terms like, “When I get enough energy I’ll…
- Exercise more.
- Be a more attentive father.
- Be more focused at work.
Such statements allow me to put off being my very best until I somehow get the energy for it.
The problem is, we don’t get energy, we have to generate it.
Our twins are now at an age when they are toilet trained during the day without any accidents, but they still need nappies at night-time.
This leads to what I call the “poo lottery.”
When we go to bed, we check on our kids and our son, Logan often has a lovely smelly surprise in his nappy for us.
Lately, I’ve found myself getting annoyed with him, muttering under my breath as I change him. Then, when he doesn’t do a poo in his nappy I’m relieved.
It occurred to me that this isn’t the most resourceful way of looking at the situation.
It’s easy to be a victim.
It’s easy to blame others for your current situation.
It’s easy to say that your marriage would be different if your spouse was different.
It’s easy to blame the government for a myriad of problems.
It’s easy to blame the economy for your financial woes.
It’s easy to blame your boss for your lack of satisfaction at work.
Photo by Thomas Hawk via Flickr
When I was growing up, we used to go on the occasional interstate road trip as a family.
I can remember with great fondness the long drives, the regular stops to stretch the legs, the sights along the way and falling asleep to the rocking of the car, all things that I look forward to sharing with my kids in the coming years as we go on our own road trips.
Of course, in romanticising such trips, I’m choosing to ignore the inevitable “are we there yet? questions from the back seat and the undoubted arguments that the three kids will have along the way.
Having said that, road trips are a great tradition and there are a few terrific principles that we can learn from them.
