Adopt Best Attitudes in Life

Philippians 4:8

‘Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things’. (NKJV)

Most of us fail in life because of sticking to the same routines which sometimes bear no fruit or very few fruits. This makes us frustrated and sometimes we give up in life. Many times we set out with the best of intentions. We decide where we want to go. We decide how we want to get there. We set off on the journey. The frustrations come when we don’t achieve our intentions at the end of the journey. Hence the need to adopt best attitudes in our lives.
As human beings we all can make mistakes, despite the best laid plans. When you plan the path you want to take in life, you are, essentially, planning a journey through a country you've never seen in order to get to a place you've never been. It's no wonder that unexpected things happen along the way. We simply cannot see all the angles, all the potential pitfalls, from the vantage point of where we start. That is why planning is so crucial for every man.

Occasionally we fail. I always believe that failing is not fatal. We are supposed to adopt new attitudes when we fail. We are not written off because of failing. The best way to deal with the setbacks that happen as a result of uncertainty is to embrace the ambiguity that all future plans contain. Realize that your original plan is fraught with peril and will, in all likelihood, fail miserably. It's ok to accept that you may fail. It’s even better when you have a plan in place to cope with failure. It's not that you specifically plan to lose. It's that you have a contingency plan in place when you know that the chances of losing are high.
Also, when you expect a setback, you are better able to recover and move forward when a catastrophe occurs. The worst possible scenario is to be hit with a setback because you never considered the possibility that one could occur. Most of us men fail to adopt new attitudes. We become disturbed and even give up. The bulk of the challenges men are going through can be won with adoptions of new attitudes. You should never stop to move forward. There is always a second chance even when we fail. This is not to say that when you expect to fail, you see all the possibilities ahead of time. It only means that when you anticipate failure as a part of your original plan, you are better able to deal with it when it does happen.

Every man has dreams and visions of what he would like to accomplish and how he would like his life to be. We have the ability to achieve most, if not all, of our dreams. It is usually at the point of action where things go wrong. Fear of failure leads to us focusing on the things that could go wrong; all that we stand to lose; and all the essential knowledge and skills that we are lacking. Rather than learning from failure; we allow this fear of failure to influence our decisions. The truth about fear is that most of it is nonsense. The majority of the things that we focus on are highly unlikely to occur. Unfortunately, in those moments, it is not actual reality that is important. It is our perception of reality which shapes our decisions. In our minds, these fears do not just appear real, they are real. Failure seems like a certainty so we choose not to take action. We fail to see that by embracing failure, and learning from failure, we can continuously improve our performance and our results.

Change your attitude about failure and frustrations in life. The best attitude to adopt is choosing to embrace failure.  We can choose to view it as a necessity and an opportunity for learning. Learning from failure allows us to gain valuable insights which will increase our chances of success in the long run.  It may seem strange to embrace failure, but when you see failure as just another step in the process you realize that it is a temporary experience.

There is all the hope for men. Adopt new attitudes that can drive you far. You are not meant to be static but one on the move. The biggest question to ask is: What is your attitude in life and in the following areas: Fatherhood, manhood, success and failure, parenting, sex, finance, spirituality, emotions, socially and women? What is your attitude towards your own country and people with different opinions? What is your attitude towards the politics of your nation, the Church, and our educational systems?

Don’t run away from your families. Stick with the family in good and bad times. There are very many other issues that affect our lives but as men we must be willing to adopt the best attitudes in life. Avoid all the negativity that may come to your mind. Paul in Phil.4:8 is challenging us to meditate on things that will add value into our lives. What new thing or task can you undertake or how can you handle the same task or issue differently. Adopt best attitudes in life.