excellence in attitude

8/13/2019 Excellence in Attitude

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E XCELLENCE IN A TTITUDE

By Robb Thompson


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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are takenfrom the New King James Version, copyright 1982 by homas

!elson, "nc# $ll rights reser%ed#

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King JamesVersion of the &ible#

Excellence in Attitude"S&! 1'889(2)'2*'8+opyright 2 2 by -obb hompson

.amily /ar%est +hurch18* 92nd $%e#

inley 0ark, "llinois ((

3ditorial +onsultant4 +ynthia /ansene5t 6esign4 7isa Simpson

+o%er 6esign4 reg 7ane

0rinted in the United States of $merica#$ll rights reser%ed under "nternational +opyright 7aw#+ontents and or co%er may not be reproduced in whole or in partin any form without the e5press written consent of the 0ublisher#


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T ABLE OF C ONTENTS

"ntroduction##########################################

1# 3mbracing 7ife ;ith an 35cellent $ttitude####12

2# -elating to uotations on $ttitude###################################

+onfession of .aith for an 35cellent $ttitude###1 )


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INTRODUCTION

his world we li%e in has so marred andcamouflaged what is right before od that the greatma?ority of people don@t e%en know how to li%e theirli%es# hey ha%e no idea how to become what odwants them to become#

here is only one way to change this sad situation,and it@s found in the ;ord of od#


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E !E""EN!E #N ATT#T$%E

But we will be ne&er remembered, pursued, orrewarded, by that which ma'es us the same as thosearound us( )e will only be remembered because o*our di**erences(

;hat is it that makes you different, friendA;hate%er it is, that is the quality which will get younoticed by those who can promote you in life# Andnothing will get you noticed more +uic'ly than anexcellent attitude( ;hy is thatA &ecause there are sofew people left in this world who ha%e an e5cellentattitudeB 3%eryone wants e5cellence, but few arewilling to do what is necessary to achie&e it#

;hat about youA $re you willing to pay the pricefor e5cellence in your lifeA "f so, you must takein%entory of the way you@%e been thinking# Cou see,the word DattitudeD refers to a posture that is assumedby your body in connection with a *eeling or a mood($ttitude also refers to a way o* thin'ing that isdemonstrated in your disposition, demeanor, andopinion( ;hen you ha%e an attitude about a certain

sub?ect, that attitude is displayed in the way youapproach people and talk to them about the sub?ect#Cour demeanor and your words will always reflectyour attitude#

;hen you rule your attitudes, you rule your ownheart# hat is e5tremely significant, because the &ible

says a person who can rule his own spirit is greaterthan he who can take a city E0ro%# 1 4)2F# hink of it :if you learn how to rule your attitudes, you become

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greater in od@s eyes than a four'star general with anarmy at his command who is able to take an entire city

by forceB

hat@s why maintaining an e5cellent attitude is so%ery important# "n fact, in the arena of e5cellence,attitude is almost e%erything#

he moment you ignore your poor attitudes is the

moment you take a wrong turn that leads to mediocrityand defeat# So once you make the decision to pursuee5cellence at all costs, don@t e%er try to bypass this%ery basic step# 6eal with a poor attitude e%ery time itrears its ugly head# &ecome known for your e5cellentattitude, and then watch as od opens doors ofopportunity to propel you into a life where winning isan e%eryday e%entB

Robb Thompson

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C H A P T E R O N E

1. E MBRACING L IFE W ITH AN E XCELLENT A TTITUDE

6o you want to push beyond mediocrity and attaine5cellence in e%ery area of your lifeA "f you do, youmust take in%entory of the way you think# #* you rule

your mind, you will rule your li*e(

.or instance, let@s start with the most basic

questions# /ow do you approach lifeA ;hat is theattitude you carry into the situations and challengesyou encounter on a daily basisA

/ow you respond to these fundamental questions iscritical, for your life will only reflect e5cellence if youcontinually maintain an attitude of e5cellence#

herefore, " want to share se%eral principles with youthat you must understand in order to take control ofyour poor attitudes and mo%e toward your goal ofe%er'increasing e5cellence in e%ery area of life#

Gany people think Dgood enoughD is acceptable#&ut it isn tacceptable if you want to become a person

of e5cellence#$ person of e5cellence refuses to limit his

e5pectations of life and of himself to D?ust good

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enough#D /e is always moti%ating himself to become better, to rise higher, to achie%e more#

$ctually, one of the greatest enemies of e5cellenceis the D?ust'good'enoughD attitude# hat attitude leadsus straight toward mediocrity, which is the opposite of

e5cellence#o be mediocre is to be frail, inadequate, inferior,

substandard, second class, unsatisfactory,commonplace, and ordinary# his is the place wheremost people want to li%e their entire li%es because it@sthe place of least resistance and requires the least

effort# &ut DordinaryD is also the greatest hindrancekeeping people from becoming what od wants themto become#

Person With an Excellentttitude refuses to live a life of just

good enough.

Cou ?ust ha%e to accept the fact that your pursuit ofe5cellence will always make you a little bit different

than most other people# &ut let me help you here# Coudon@t ha%e to be awesomeI you ?ust ha%e to stay a step

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aheadB

hat@s what e5cellence is:staying at least one stepahead of ordinary# "t doesn@t take a lotI it ?ust takes onestep# "t@s like a foot race# "n order to beat thecompetition, all you ha%e to do is be a fraction of a

second faster# &ut after you ha%e won the race, yourchallenge is to make sure you don@t lose your edge inall the races that are yet to come# hat@s what makesyou e5cellent:learning to stay in that place of %ictory#

Person of Excellenceunderstands that todaysexcellence is tomorrows

mediocrity.

Cou see, e5cellence is its own standard ofcompetition# his means that continual change is arequirement, not an option, in the pursuit ofe5cellence# +ompromise and the status quo are onlyacceptable to the mediocre:to those who ha%e lettheir D?ust'good'enoughD attitude keep them in a placecalled ordinary#

.riend, don@t e%er let yourself stay for a moment in

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that place where mediocrity reigns# Gake sure yourle%el of e5cellence tomorrow is always greater thanyour le%el of e5cellence today# D ood enoughD shouldne%er be good enough for youB

Person With an Excellentttitude never takes time off from

pursuing excellence.

$ person who maintains an e5cellent attitude is anindi%idual who continually presses, presses, presses,

presses, and presses for more# /e presses his waythrough obstacles# /e is always reaching for a higherle%el of e5cellence in e%ery area of life#

;e should ne%er let oursel%es stop pursuing

e5cellence, e%en after we@%e reached the goal we@%e been stri%ing for# hat@s the time to start all o%er again,reaching for a higher le%el, a greater goal, a deeper

purpose than before#

$ poor attitude says, D/ey, "@%e been working hardat pursuing e5cellence# " deser%e a little @down time@ to

do whate%er " want#D &ut that isn@t what od says in/is ;ord# he truth is, there is no Ddown timeD to

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truth4 Some people in this world were brought to a particular place in life ?ust by %irtue of where and howthey grew up, who their parents were, what their

parents taught them, and a couple of breaks here andthere# &ut the truly successful indi%iduals in life arethose who may ha%e not started out with anyad%antagesI yet these same indi%iduals ha%e made a%ery honest and accurate e%aluation of themsel%es andthen pressed through to become people of e5cellence#

;e ha%e to choose which type of people we@regoing to be# $re we going to start off in life at the le%elto which our momma and daddy brought us, only todescend into a life of one disappointment after anotherwhere we spend our time blaming the rest of the worldfor what has happened to usA


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Person With an Excellentttitude does not re uire others to

prop him up.

$ person of e5cellence is prosperous in his ownsoul# herefore, he ne%er has to be propped up byanother because he is already a whole person#

;ith that in mind, let me stress this point4 ;eshould ne%er enter an intimate relationship or marrysomeone who isn@t already whole# "f we do, we willconsistently ha%e to prop up that person and try tomake him feel better#

he truth is, we can only prop up people for solong before we ha%e to let them settle where%er they

are going to settle in life# $fter a while, we ha%e to letthem deal with their own problems and issuesthemsel%es# Geanwhile, we need to make sure we are

prospering in our own souls# hat way we@ll be able torelate through other people rather than to them#

hat@s what " do# " endea%or to look through e%ery

situation " face# " ask myself, )hy is this person saying what he is saying- )hy is he acting the way heis acting- )hy did this person do what he did- )hat

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is really going on here-

hen " make the decision that no matter whatanother person says or does, " will ne%er let his wordsor actions change my own standard of e5cellence# "will ne%er let myself be disqualified because of my

relationship with someone else#;e don@t need other people to prop us up in life#

od promises to deli%er us from difficult situations aswe trust /im and maintain an e5cellent attitude# he&ible says in Second 0eter 249 that the 7ord knowshow to deli%er the godly, and that includes e%ery one

of usB

Person With an Excellentttitude never has to be

encouraged by others.$ person with an e5cellent attitude ne%er has to be

encouragedI instead, he is always searching forsomeone he can encourage# Geanwhile, he has learnedto encourage himself as 6a%id did when faced with a

great personal crisis#.irst Samuel ) relates the time when enemies

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captured 6a%id@s own wife and children, as well as thefamilies of his men# "n the terrible emotion of thatmoment, his men were e%en talking about stoning himBCet e%en in this crisis, 6a%id@s heart turned toward

od4

Now David was g !a"#$ dis" !ss!d% &o "'!(!o(#! s(o)! o& s"o*i*g 'i+% ,!-a s! "'! so #o& a## "'! (!o(#! was g i!v!d% !v! $ +a* &o'is so*s a*d 'is da g'"! s. , " Davids" !*g"'!*!d 'i+s!#& i* "'! Lo d 'is God.

1 Sa+ !# /0 2

6a%id was a man with an e5cellent attitude# /edidn@t go around looking for someone to encouragehim in the midst of a crisis# he &ible says heencouraged himself in the 7ord#

6o you know why it@s important to respond todiscouraging situations the way 6a%id didA &ecause

when you encourage yourself in the 7ord, you knowyou@re getting it done right# ;hen other peopleencourage you, they may make some foolishstatements in a misguided effort to make you feel

better# Geanwhile, you may be thinking, # 'now this person is trying to encourage me, but he really stin's

at it.


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hen there are the people in life who would ne%erthink of telling you the truthI they ?ust want to makeyou feel better# hat doesn@t help you either# 0ro%erbs2(4 says, 3Fai"'& # a ! "'! wo *ds o& a & i!*d% , ""'! )iss!s o& a* !*!+$ a ! d!-!i"& #.3


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Person With an Excellentttitude is personally accountableand a self!adjuster or correcter.

$ person of e5cellence is personally accountablefor any wrong thoughts, feelings, or actions he mighte5perience# herefore, he ad?usts within himself whenhe recogniJes something in his life that needs tochange#

;hen you maintain an e5cellent attitude, you knowwhen you ha%e allowed yourself to dwell on a

particular thought pattern that you ne%er should ha%eallowed# Cou know when you say things you ne%ershould ha%e said# $nd when you recogniJe you ha%edone something wrong, you deal with it# Cou are

personally accountable, a self'ad?uster# Cou fi5 the problem# Cou don@t allow yourself to become anegati%e, complaining, or mediocre person#

" personally cannot bear mediocrity because odcannot bear it# " lo%e the mediocre, but " hatemediocrity# "f a person is around me for any length oftime, he will either stop being mediocre, or he willstop coming around me, concluding that "@m too

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?udgmental or or that " e5pect too much of him#


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his is why4 /orgi&eness is in the power o* the *orgi&er, not in the complaint o* the person who needsto be *orgi&en(

"@%e often had people come to me and say, D0astor,if "@m doing anything wrong, " want you to tell me

right now#D"mmediately " wonder, To what le&el does this

person want me to ta'e that re+uest- $fter all, it@salways possible to find some areas in a person@s lifethat need to be corrected because no one has reached

perfection yet#

"n%ariably, e%en the most well'intentioned+hristians get hurt when you tell them that they@redoing something wrong in their li%es# 0eople ?ust don@tlike being told that something about them needs tochange#

0ersonally, " embrace those times that "@m told "@mwrong# " didn@t say " liked those times, but " don@t crywhen " go through them either Ealthough " may crywhen " get alone in my carBF# " also don@t try to turn thetables on that person by saying, DCes, but what aboutyouA 7ook at what you@re doingB Cou ought to look atyourself in the mirrorBD

he fact that " may be doing something wrong hasnothing to do with what someone else might be doing

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wrong in his life# $nd ?ust because someone Dpushesmy buttonD by pointing out what he sees as my

problem, that doesn@t gi%e me the right to say, D


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P RINCIPLES FOR E MBRACING L IFE W ITH AN A TTITUDE OF E XCELLENCE

A P! so* Wi"' a* E4-!##!*" A""i" d! !& s!s "o#iv! a #i&! o& 35 s" good !*o g'.3

A P! so* o& E4-!##!*-! *d! s"a*ds "'a" "oda$6s!4-!##!*-! is "o+o ow6s +!dio- i"$.

A P! so* Wi"' a* E4-!##!*" A""i" d! *!v!"a)!s "i+! o&& & o+ ( s i*g !4-!##!*-!.

A P! so* o& E4-!##!*-! " #$ ,!#i!v!s "'a" 'isa""i" d! wi## d!"! +i*! 'is a#"i" d! i* #i&!.

A P! so* Wi"' a* E4-!##!*" A""i" d! do!s *o"!7 i ! o"'! s "o ( o( 'i+ (.

A P! so* Wi"' a* E4-!##!*" A""i" d! *!v! 'as"o ,! !*-o ag!d ,$ o"'! s.

A P! so* Wi"' a* E4-!##!*" A""i" d! +a)!s s !

'is s!#&8wo "' is d!&i*!d ,$ God a*d *o" ,$(!o(#!.

A P! so* Wi"' a* E4-!##!*" A""i" d! is(! so*a##$ a--o *"a,#! a*d a s!#&8ad5 s"! o-o !-"o .

No"!s9

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C H A P T E R T W O

:. R ELATING TO O THERS W ITH

AN E XCELLENT A TTITUDE !owhere are your attitudes tested more than in

your relationships with other people# $fter all, it@s a loteasier to stay agreeable when the only opinion youha%e to agree with is your ownB

hat@s why " want to show you some scriptural principles regarding this all'important sub?ect ofrelating to others# ;hen these principles are followed,they will distinguish you as a person with an e5cellentattitude in your daily interactions with those aroundyou#

Person With an Excellentttitude draws others to himself for

refreshing and for a renewal of faith

in humanity.

Cour attitude, whether good or bad, will affect

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e%ery indi%idual you come in contact with# hat@s soimportant to understand, because you always li%e inthe memory of a person@s last encounter with you#

!ow think for a moment about a person in your lifewith whom your last encounter was painful# ;hat is

likely to happen the ne5t time you see that personACou may unconsciously put up walls to blockcommunication before he e%en has an opportunity toopen his mouthB ;hyA &ecause you remember howyou felt the last time he left your presence, and youdon@t want to repeat the e5perienceB


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when someone calls me is, 2ow much is this going tocost me- hat doesn@t always mean it will cost mefinancially# Sometimes it costs me emotionally#

Gany times when " pick the telephone, it@s almostas if a ringer goes off in the back of my mind,

signaling to me that it@s time to wrestle# Cou see, it@s acommitment to talk to some people, not a pri%ilege or a pleasure:and that commitment can cost dearly attimes#

&ut there are also people in my life who alwaysha%e an e5cellent attitude# " can hardly wait to talk to

these people# hey sol%e problems for me# hey talk tome about my %alue:the things that are right about me#hey make me feel better about being meB hey don@t

flatter me in order to get something from me# heycompliment in order to gi&esomething to me#

Cou don@t e%er mind in%iting that kind of person to

come closer to you# Cou can rest assured that this isn@tone of those relationships where the closer you get, themore problems you ha%e to tolerate# Cou won@t ha%e toalter your personality in order to stay in relationshipwith this indi%idual# Unlike some people, he@s not ?usta trial waiting to happen#

!o, as you get closer to a person of e5cellence, yousee more sweetness, not more problems# Cou can be

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Person With an Excellentttitude understands that gratitudecreates the desire in others to

give.

;hen you@re thankful, people ?ust can@t stop pouring into you# ;hy is thatA hey ?ust want to see ademonstration of a grateful heart againB

Speaking from the standpoint of a husband, "@dha%e to say there is nothing better in life than athankful woman# he only thing that transcends that isthe -aptureB

Kust ask any husband# /e@ll know what "@m talkingabout# "f his wife asked him what would make him

happy, he@d probably respond, DKust for you to behappy#D ;hy is thatA &ecause a wife can crush ahusband with one look or make him a giant with oneword#

Gost wi%es ha%e no idea how happy it makes theirhusbands to hear them cheerfully humming or singingaround the home# $ wife can bless her husbandimmeasurably ?ust by saying to him spontaneously

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from her heart, DCou know, /oney, you@re thegreatestBD hat@s so much better than listening to a wifewho complains all the timeB ;hen a husband knowshis wife is at peace and grateful for all he does for her,he starts looking for more ways to bless her#

$ husband thinks nothing can be better in life thanwalking in the door e%ery night to a wife who hugshim and tells him how important he is to herI howencouraged she is to be married to himI and howthankful she is that he has decided to lay down his lifefor her# "t is %ery easy for a man to cherish and takecare of a wife like that, because gratitude alwayscreates a desire in a spouse@s heart to gi%e e%en more#

hat@s the same kind of response a grateful attitudegenerates in e%ery area of life# $ grateful personcauses others to want to gi%e to him#


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hat@s e5actly what a person with an e5cellentattitude is in this modern world:a rare and wonderfulfindB

Person With an Excellentttitude bounces back uickly fromhurtful words.

$ person who has an e5cellent attitude doesn@t

really care what other people say to him# /e bounces back easily from hurtful words because he is secure in3od s lo%e for him#


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Person With an Excellentttitude will not be manipulated orpersuaded by another persons

hard day.

;hen someone you are interacting with is ha%ing ahard day, you should do all you can to encourage andlift up that person# $s far as is possible with you, don@t

let him stay negati%e or discouraged# hat way you@ll be so focused on continually pumping him full of goodthat he@ll ne%er be able to take you downB

Cou see, a person with an e5cellent attitude ?ustkeeps speaking right words e%en when the peoplearound him are speaking wrong words# /e doesn@t let

others@ moods or opinions affect him# /e ?ust keepsresponding to e%erything that comes his way fromod@s point of %iew# hat@s why a person of e5cellence

is always on top of the situation instead of the situation being on top of him(

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Person With an Excellentttitude stays transparent andnever hides behind a mask.

"t@s interesting to me that so many +hristians arehypocritical# hese +hristians li%e their li%es speakingfrom behind an in%isible mask# &ehind that mask is thetruth about themsel%es that they don@t want to re%eal toothers#

&ut a person with an e5cellent attitude is someonewho is transparent# ;hat you see is what you get witha person like that because there is no mask to hide whohe really is# herefore, he doesn@t ha%e to go underconstruction:fasting and praying to make things right

between him and od:before he can hold acon%ersation with you# /e ?ust stays simple, direct,and honest in all his relationships, especially in hisrelationship with od#

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Person With an Excellentttitude always asks# $What do

others get out of a relationship withme%

he sad truth is, most people go through life withself'centered attitudes# 3%en in the +hurch, peopleha%e been taught to be self'centered#

Gost +hristians don@t spend much time thinkingabout what@s going on in other people@s li%es# "n e%erysituation they face, they think instead about how it willaffect them# )hat s going to happen to me i* # do this-they wonder# )hat will # get out o* it- )hat about me,me, me-

0ersonally, " don@t let myself think the thought,)hat about me- hat thought ne%er e%en crosses mymind anymore# "nstead, " think about what the costwill be to the other people in%ol%ed# Cou see, " know

od will take care of me, so my attitude is ne%erD;hat do " get out of thisAD "@m not looking for a Dwin'

winD situation in any of my relationships because "@malways stri%ing for a Dyou winD situation#

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0eople often say, D$ll my relationships ha%e to be@win'win@ situations#D &ut there really isn@t any suchthing#

here is no middle ground to find in a godlyrelationships# ;e ha%e to constantly look for what we

can gi%e into our relationships rather than what we canget out of themI otherwise, those relationships willstagnate and e%entually die#

Cou see, too many people try to hide behind a bunch of DmaybesD in their relationshipsI meanwhile,they try to maneu%er themsel%es to a place where they

can put off to the future the decisions they need tomake today# &ut that kind of compromise has no placein the Lingdom of od# hat@s why the &ible says,D7et your yea be yea and your nay be nayD EKames*412F#

-emember, friend, your attitude, whether e5cellent

or poor, will cause you to li%e in the memory of yourlast encounter with each person you meet# So let meask you this4 )hat is the mental snapshot the people in

your li*e ha&e o* their last encounter with you- ;hatdo they remember about being with youA ;hat kind ofimpression did you last lea%e in their mindsA +an they

hardly wait to speak to you againA 6oes a smile cometo their faces e%ery time they think about youA 6o theysay, D hat is a really nice personB " really like being


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around him Mor herN#D

"f you@re a person with an e5cellent attitude, that ise5actly what people think about their last encounterwith you# 0eople can hardly wait to spend time withyou again because you are so en?oyable to be aroundB

hey know that e%en though others may complainabout their problems or look for what they can get outof a situation, you won@t# Cou@re too busy looking forwhat you can gi%e into other people@s li%es# Cou@re fartoo busy restoring people@s faith in humanity with youre5cellent attitudeB

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P RINCIPLES FOR R ELATING TO O THERS W ITH AN ATTITUDE OF E XCELLENCE

A P! so* Wi"' a* E4-!##!*" A""i" d! d awso"'! s "o 'i+s!#& &o !& !s'i*g a*d &o a

!*!wa# o& &ai"' i* ' +a*i"$.

A P! so* Wi"' a* E4-!##!*" A""i" d!*d! s"a*ds "'a" g a"i" d! - !a"!s "'! d!si ! i*

o"'! s "o giv!.

A P! so* Wi"' a* E4-!##!*" A""i" d! ,o *-!s,a-) 7 i-)#$ & o+ ' "& # wo ds.

A P! so* Wi"' a* E4-!##!*" A""i" d! wi## *o" ,!+a*i( #a"!d o (! s ad!d ,$ a*o"'! (! so*6s'a d da$.

A P! so* Wi"' a* E4-!##!*" A""i" d! s"a$s" a*s(a !*" a*d *!v! 'id!s ,!'i*d a +as).

A P! so* Wi"' a* E4-!##!*" A""i" d! a#wa$sas)s% 3W'a" do o"'! s g!" o " o& a !#a"io*s'i(wi"' +!;3

No"!s

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C H A P T E R T H R E E

/. E STHER


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Person With an Excellentttitude always prepares himself

before approaching his authority.

3sther prepared herself well before she e%erattempted to con%erse with the king# his is anattribute of people with an e5cellent attitude# heyalways prepare themsel%es before they speak# heyweigh out their words, not allowing inappropriatewords to slip out accidentally# ;hate%er they say, theysay on purpose because they know what they aresaying is good and accurate#

his is a manifestation of the quality described in0ro%erbs )1418 4KJV5, referring to the %irtuouswoman4 3S'! (! -!iv!"' "'a" '! +! -'a*dis! isgood....3

his woman checked out her merchandise andconcluded, D his is good#D "f it wasn t good, she wasgoing to change it before anyone else e%er graded itand said it was poor# "n the same way, a person withan e5cellent attitude makes any necessary ad?ustmentsas a part of his preparation to approach the person towhom he is assigned#

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a*d I wi## &as" #i)!wis!. A*d so I wi## go "o"'! )i*g% w'i-' is agai*s" "'! #aw9 a*d i& I(! is'% I (! is'@3

3sther was saying, D3%eryone must fast and pray because " don@t know what is coming#D his young

Kewess understood well the importance of preparationin order to recei%e fa%or from the person od has placed in authority# She was a rare woman indeed whocontinually displayed an e5cellent attitude#

Person With an Excellentttitude understands theimportance of timing.

iming is %ery important to a person of e5cellence#

3sther understood that# She was going to enter theking@s presence without an in%itation, and she knew theking could ha%e her e5ecuted if her timing was off#&ut 3sther *41,2 tells us of the successful outcome

because 3sther carefully waited for the proper time4

Now i" 'a((!*!d o* "'! "'i d da$ "'a"

Es"'! ( " o* '! o$a# o,!s a*d s"ood i*"'! i**! -o " o& "'! )i*g6s (a#a-!% a- oss

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3 S /3- =S # =$S/ " 4 $ 00- !!*Es"'! s"a*di*g i* "'! -o "% "'a" s'! &o *d&avo i* 'is sig'"% a*d "'! )i*g '!#d o " "oEs"'! "'! go#d!* s-!("! "'a" was i* 'is'a*d. T'!* Es"'! w!*" *!a a*d "o -'!d"'! "o( o& "'! s-!("! .

3sther waited for the right time and therefore

recei%ed the fa%or of both od and the king#;e see in Kohn 2 that Kesus also understood the

importance of timing# ;hen /is mother Gary asked/im to change the water into wine at the wedding in+ana, /e said to her, DGy hour has not yetcomeD EKohn 24 F#

;e ha%e no better e5ample than Kesus of someonewho li%ed continually with an e5cellent attitude, sothis statement of /is is %ery significant to us# Kesusknew that timing was crucial to a successful outcomein e%ery situation#

Understanding the importance of timing alsoincludes recogniJing when the timing is right in ourown li%es to mo%e on to the ne5t season# &ut we need

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to understand this4 "f we do not prepare before thatmoment comes, it will ne%er happen# !!*


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&esides, " can gi%e you a good reason why >ueen=ashti@s refusal to obey her husband was so dangerous4

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A poor attitude is contagious( $s the king@s counselorsaid in 3sther 141(4

3Fo "'! 7 !!*6s ,!'avio wi## ,!-o+!)*ow* "o a## wo+!*% so "'a" "'!$ wi## d!s(is!"'!i ' s,a*ds i* "'!i !$!s% w'!* "'!$

!(o "% 6 i*g A'as ! s -o++a*d!d > !!*


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1ust to one, but to many(

Gost people are not willing to de%elop this qualityin their li%es# hey think it is somehow condescendingto become what another person needs#

&ut that is e5actly what " want to do with my life# "don@t want to be what " want to be# " want to be whatsomeone else needs me to be# "@m not interested indoing what " want to do# "@m interested in doing whatthe person to whom " am assigned wants me to do#

DCes, but don@t you ha%e any thoughts of yourownAD

!o, " don@t# Gy thoughts are all centered aroundhow to be pleasing#

3sther understood how to be pleasing# hat@s whyshe was the one chosen to become queen in place of=ashti# hat@s also why 3sther became known as

3..."'! $o *g wo+a* w'o (#!as!s "'! )i*g...3E3sther 24 F#

"n the Dhouse of women,D the harem where thewomen waited for their audience with the king, 3sther

prepared for the moment she would be summoned forher time with the king# She had watched the other

women get together and talk about what they weregoing to take with them when it was their turn to go into the king#


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wouldn@t forget to do what "@%e already asked of them#hat ?ust puts me in the position of ha%ing to correct

them, which is definitely not a pleasing position to beinB

3sther wasn@t like the indi%iduals " ?ust described#

She understood that she had to gi%e what the kingdidn@t require in order to find out what he truly desired#

hat@s what you must do as well if you want to beknown as a person with an e5cellent attitude# .ocus on

pouring goodness into the li%es of those to whom odhas assigned you# Gake their needs more important

than your own needs, and choose on purpose to betheir problem'sol%er#


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front of you can concentrate on what od has calledhim to do instead of constantly ha%ing to turn aroundand fi5 what is behind him# hat@s important, because

od ne%er called those who are in front of you to fi5your yesterdaysI rather, you ha%e been called to helpsol%e their problems of tomorrow#

$ person with a poor attitude wants to turn thataround# /e ne%er attempts to please othersI he ?ust

pleases himsel*( ;hen >ueen =ashti didn@t go to the banquet according to the king@s wishes, she was pleasing herself and refusing to please her husband#&ut in the end, her poor attitude cost her dearly#Selfishness always does#

Person With an Excellentttitude is good to all# but fixes his

goodness on a special few.

;e must work consistently at being pleasing to thefew to whom we ha%e been assigned# "f we spreadoursel%es too thin in our relationships with people, we

will ne%er ha%e much of an impact on anyone@s life,nor will we reap any worthwhile har%est from theseeds we@%e sown#


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for him#

hat@s important for you to know, for it helpse5plain why it s better to be more to a *ew than to beless to many(

&ut before you begin to focus your seed, considerthis4 )hat +ualities do you ha&e that cause you to benoticed by others- hese are the qualities you shouldfocus on as you seek to please those to whom od hasassigned you# -emember, the qualities that make youdifferent from others are the qualities that gi%e yousignificance in their li%es#

Person With an Excellentttitude is inviting to those to whom

he is assigned.

&e in%iting to the people you communicate with#Gake sure e%eryone you come in contact with is

blessed# hat@s how you promote yourself in a positi%emanner#

Cou see, people want happy communicatorsaround them# hey don@t want someone around themwho is more of a commitment than a pleasure to know#


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"f " see something " need to change in my life inorder to benefit others, "@ll change in a minute# " wantto become e%erything my superiors want me to

become# " don@t allow myself to e%en consider thee5cuse, D


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6o you want to make sure that you recei%e all the blessings od intends for you to en?oy through the people /e has placed o%er youA ;ell, this is a key principle for achie%ing that goal# E


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&he Excellent are well aware thattheir attitude is the historian oftheir past# the caretaker of theirpresent# and the prophet of their

future.

"n contrast, a person with a poor attitude doesn@tconsider the future consequences for his rebellious

words or actions# his was >ueen =ashti@s downfall# "fshe had known she was going to lose e%erything, shewould ha%e gone to that banquet# &ut she didn@t countthe cost of the consequences# /er heart betrayed her,and her poor attitude disqualified her from future

blessing, for the king ga%e her royal position to

someone else who was better than she E3sther 1419F#Cou see, our attitudes originate from our hearts(

his is why we must determine ne%er to con peopleIotherwise, sooner or later our hearts will betray us#

So work on impro%ing the condition of your heart,friend# i%e your allegiance to od through a goodattitude and the faith'filled words of your mouth#;hen you do that, no man will e%er be able to take

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& ## o& +! -$ a*d good & i"s% wi"'o "(a "ia#i"$ a*d wi"'o " '$(o- is$.

!otice that %erse 1( says a person with a truly goodattitude is ne%er a hypocrite# /e doesn@t display a goodattitude in front of people and then start criticiJing and

complaining behind their backs# =erse 18 goes on tosay he goes through life as a peacemaker4

Now "'! & i" o& ig'"!o s*!ss is sow* i*(!a-! ,$ "'os! w'o +a)! (!a-!.


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comes to approaching odA !one of the rest of theworld takes od for granted like that# &ut where%er

people show a lack of respect to od, their intimacywith /im suffers# Cet these same people often don@te%en realiJe that od has mo%ed away from them#

hey think they@re in the middle of the throne room ofod, but they@re actually still outside playing in the

playgroundB

People With an Excellent ttitude

understand that what they respectwill move toward them# but whatthey disrespect will move away from

them.

his principle e5plains why respect gi%es us theright of access to a person@s heart# $ person who seesour e5cellence will mo%e toward us because he wantsto take a closer look# &ut if that same person sees alack of respect in our li%es, he will turn away andthink, # certainly don t want to be near people li'ethat.

his principle certainly holds true in marriages# $

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Person With an Excellentttitude reali(es that respect

ualifies him for a deeperrelationship with those to whom he

is assigned.

"@%e ne%er seen it fail# ;hen " ha%e shown respectto a person, " ha%e always been in%ited into a deeper

relationship# Cou see, " ne%er allow myself to take a person for granted# " posture myself in such a way that" am always the studentI " am always the one who iswilling to learn# .rom that position of respect, " amin%ited deeper into the life of that person with whom "ha%e entered into relationship#

Some of my friends ha%e told me, D;e@%e beenfriends for a while now# " want you to begin to takesome things for granted in this friendship becausewe@%e grown so close#D

&ut " won@t do that# " will not be buddies with myfriends# " ha%e determined ne%er to take ad%antage of afriendship or to cross the line that leads to thecontempt of familiarity# "@ll ne%er get o%er my respect

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People with an Excellent ttitudedont justtak criticism) they arealso uick tor c iv instruction.

;hen 3sther was first brought before the king, shedidn@t tell him that she was a Kewess# ;hy notA

&ecause she was quick to recei%e instruction fromthe man who had raised her4

Es"'! 'ad *o" !v!a#!d '! (!o(#! o&a+i#$% &o Mo d!-ai 'ad -'a g!d '! *o" "o

!v!a# i".Es"'! : 10

!ow, the &ible says that Gordecai was the nephewof 3sther@s mother# hat means 3sther had been taught

how to li%e life by her cousinB 3%en after she becamethe queen, 3sther continued to recei%e instruction fromGordecai# "n her new position, she could ha%e had himkilled before the sun went down, but instead sheremained teachable because she had an e5cellentattitude#


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e**ecti&eness(

$s " mentioned earlier, props were pro%ided in theking@s house of women so each woman could choosewhat she wanted to take with her when it was her turnto spend time with the king4

T' s ( !(a !d% !a-' $o *g wo+a* w!*""o "'! )i*g% a*d s'! was giv!* w'a"!v! s'!d!si !d "o "a)! wi"' '! & o+ "'! wo+!*6s7 a "! s "o "'! )i*g6s (a#a-!.

Es"'! : 1/

3sther took full ad%antage of this pro%ision, but notin the same way the other women did# "nstead, sheused great wisdom to determine which tools within heren%ironment would enhance her relationship with theone she was to gi%e herself to#

Person With an Excellentttitude is not too proud to ask

uestions that will cause him to bepleasing to others.

0eople with a good attitude aren@t too proud to askquestions that will cause them to succeed# his is what

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3sther understood that she would ne%er succeed bygi%ing the king what she wanted him to ha%e insteadof what he wanted her to gi%e him#

So many people make that mistake# hey gi%e the person they@re assigned to what they want to gi%e him

and then when he tries to correct them, they say, D/owcan you say that after all "@%e done for youAD

D"@ll tell you what you@%e done for me# Cou@%egi%en me a headacheBD

7et me help you here, friend# $n employee could be the greatest worker that an employer has e%er had#&ut the moment the pain that employee brings

becomes greater than the problems he sol%es is themoment the employer will distance himself from him#

he same holds true in e%ery area of life# hat@swhy " don@t e%er take anything for granted in myrelationships with those o%er me in authority# " keep a%ery low profile# " don@t enter a con%ersation with themthinking " know anythingI rather, " enter with humilityand meekness#

" always posture myself with my face bowed to theground in respect, ready to recei%e whate%er counseland wisdom my superiors want to gi%e me#

$fter all, " know " can@t fall %ery far when "@malready face down on the groundB " also know that the

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ha%ing a little more light and others ha%ing a little lesslight# !o, either the switch is on, or the switch is off# $

person is either loyal, or he is not loyal# "t@s thatsimple#

3sther was openly loyal to the king# 3sther 2422

talks about the time Gordecai learned of a plot to killthe king# $s soon as Gordecai informed 3sther of the plot, she informed the king4

So "'! +a""! ,!-a+! )*ow* "oMo d!-ai% w'o "o#d > !!* Es"'! % a*dEs"'! i*&o +!d "'! )i*g i* Mo d!-ai6s

*a+!.3sther said, DLing, "@m willing to stake e%erything "

am on this report# " am loyal to you# Gordecai is loyalto you# ;e are on your side#D $s a result of the loyaltyof 3sther and Gordecai, the assassination plot wasaborted and the king@s life was spared#

Person With an Excellentttitude sees every contrary

attitude as his enemy the momenthe recogni(es it.

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another, day after day after day# /owe%er, whate%er "achie%e in this arena of attitude, " want to do it through

od#


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make winning an e%eryday e%entB

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A P! so* Wi"' a* E4-!##!*" A""i" d! is i*vi"i*g"o "'os! "o w'o+ '! is assig*!d.

A P! so* Wi"' a* E4-!##!*" A""i" d! is wi##i*g"o -'a*g! &o "'! ,!*!&i" o& o"'! s.

A P! so* Wi"' a* E4-!##!*" A""i" d! !s(o*dswi"' 3T'! a*sw! is $!s *ow w'a" is "'!7 !s"io*;3

T'! E4-!##!*" a ! w!## awa ! "'a" "'!i a""i" d!is "'! 'is"o ia* o& "'!i (as"% "'! -a !"a)! o&"'!i ( !s!*"% a*d "'! ( o('!" o& "'!i & " !.

A P! so* Wi"' a* E4-!##!*" A""i" d! is a (i-" !o& "'! wisdo+ & o+ a,ov!.

A P! so* Wi"' a* E4-!##!*" A""i" d! !a#iJ!s"'a" !s(!-" gai*s 'i+ a--!ss i*"o "'! #iv!s o&o"'! s.

P!o(#! Wi"' a* E4-!##!*" A""i" d! *d! s"a*d

"'a" w'a" "'!$ !s(!-" wi## +ov! "owa d "'!+%, " w'a" "'!$ dis !s(!-" wi## +ov! awa$ & o+"'!+.

A P! so* Wi"' a* E4-!##!*" A""i" d! !a#iJ!s"'a" !s(!-" 7 a#i&i!s 'i+ &o a d!!(!

!#a"io*s'i( wi"' "'os! "o w'o+ '! is assig*!d.

P!o(#! Wi"' a* E4-!##!*" A""i" d! do*6" 5 s"take criticism; "'!$ a ! a#so 7 i-) "o receive

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> UOTATIONS ON A TTITUDE

/ere are some thought'pro%oking quotations byunknown authors on the importance of our attitudes4

I +a$ *o" ,! a,#! "o -'a*g! +$ wo #d

around +!% , " I -a* -'a*g! "'! wo #dwithin +!.

W! -a**o" di !-" "'! wi*d% , " w! -a*ad5 s" "'! sai#s.

I& $o "'i*) $o a ! ,!a"!*% $o a !. I&$o "'i*) $o da ! *o"% $o do*6". I& $o 6d#i)! "o wi*% , " "'i*) $o -a*6"% I"6s a#+os"-! "ai* $o wo*6". Li&!6s ,a""#!s do*6" a#wa$sgo "o "'! s" o*g! o &as"! +a*% B " soo*!o #a"! % "'! +a* w'o wi*s is "'! +a* w'o"'i*)s '! -a*.

I"6s $o attitude, *o" $o aptitude, T'a"

wi## d!"! +i*! $o altitude.A (!ssi+is" is a (! so* w'o% !ga d#!ss o&

"'! ( !s!*"% is disa((oi*"!d i* "'! & " !.

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W! -a**o" -o*"i* a##$ ,!'av! i* a+a**! "'a" is i*-o*sis"!*" wi"' "'! wa$ w!s!! o s!#v!s.

> i""i*g is a (! +a*!*" so# "io* "o a"!+(o a $ ( o,#!+.

T'! ! is *o w o*g sid! o& "'! ,!d9 w! g!"( o* "'! w o*g sid! o& o minds.

N!v! #oo) ,a-) *#!ss $o wa*" "o go"'a" wa$.

=o *!v! g!" a'!ad o& a*$o*!% as #o*g as$o a ! #oo)i*g "o g!" !v!* wi"' "'!+.

I6+ *o" s ! a## 'a(($ (!o(#! a !g!*! o s% B " I6v! *!v! s!!* a g!*! o s(! so* w'o was*6" 'a(($.

Attitudes d!"! +i*! actions.

=o a ! *o" w'a" $o "'i*). What youthink, you are.

I" is *&o " *a"! w'!* (!o(#! a##ow"'!+s!#v!s "o g!" #i)! -o*- !"! A## +i4!d (a*d (! +a*!*"#$ s!".

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C ONFESSION OF F AITH FOR AN E XCELLENT A TTITUDE

" ha%e an attitude of e5cellence, and " am growingin the 7ord# "@ll be different tomorrow than " am today,for " am changing from glory to glory and from onele%el of e5cellence to the ne5t#

" will allow od by /is Spirit to continuallymoti%ate me to become better, rise higher, and achie%emore than " e%er ha%e before# " will approach eachsituation with an e5cellent attitude and e%eryrelationship with a desire to pleaseB

"@m going to go further# "@m not going to quit# "@mgoing to press on# "@m going to press through# " amgoing to reach for od@s highest# "@m going to bee%erything /e has called me to beB

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P RA=ER OF SAL


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excellence in attitude

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