EVERY ACCOMPLISHMENT STARTS FROM WITHIN

TITLE: ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING:10 Life- Changing Steps to
Turning Attitude into Action
AUTHOR: KEITH HARRELL
YEAR: 2004
PAGES: 251
PRICE: $11.55 (Amazon Price)
REVIEWER: NKECHI OBIANIGWE

What readily comes to mind when we hear names like Barack Obama, Lance Armstrong, Martin Luther King Jr, Helen Keller, Bill Strickland amongst others? One would say they pursued their dreams and impacted the lives of others against all odds. Another would mention the fact that they ignored the trepidation that evolved as a result of their present circumstances or their immediate environment that would have held them down from achieving what they have so far. The inference that Keith Harrell has deduced from the lives of these personalities in this book, is the fact that there was the conscious effort each made to maintaining a “positive attitude” regardless of their circumstances.

Keith starts by giving a clearer view of what the term “attitude’ truly means. After giving different definitions of what the term really means, he concludes that the word in itself means “life”. From our waking up in the morning, and our retirement at night, our attitude speaks in everything. He explains that we have the power to determine our attitude in any given situation, whether positive or negative; while a positive attitude portends a healthy living, a negative attitude forestalls prosperity, growth instead, it breeds depression and dormancy.

He goes further to explain the fact that we have to use words of affirmation, likewise our power of visualization to dispel every negative attitude. The power of faith is also expressed here, he cites an example to corroborate what this can do. For example, when Keith desired a job at IBM, at a time when new staff members were not needed, he usually went for interview practices at his cousin’s places, when there was no hope in sight that he would get the job. But his positive attitude and dogged faith, made his getting the job possible.

Also in one of the ten steps (step 8), he mentions the fact that there is the need to build supportive relationships, which he calls the A-team. These are people we can rely on and who can in turn rely on us, likewise motivating us to explore our God-given potentials.

Keith explains the impact of a positive attitude in every sphere of our lives most especially our work places or whatever we find ourselves doing a daily basis. He highlights the fact that 92 percent constitutes our attitude, while the other 8 percent constitutes our talents or knowledge about our chosen profession.

Inotherwords, a positive attitude towards our work (even with little knowledge) can help provide more insights on the job because we are completely sold out to the cause, whether in sales or any other field thereby giving rise to recognition and eventually promotion . In the words of Martin Luther King Jr, Keith quotes thus:

He who has been called to sweep streets should sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poems, like Michaelangelo painted, like Beethoven composed songs. He should sweep so well that the earth and heavens would stand and say, here lives the street sweeper who did his job well.

Keith explains that there are several avenues which could give rise to a bad attitude, one of which is change; change from the usual to the unusual and anything that tends to separate us from our previously desired comfort zone. He affirms that change is an opportunity that must be embraced and thoroughly explored, thus a positive energy should be channeled towards this.

According to Keith, leaving footprints in the sands of time is essential. Contributing to a cause gives a sense of accomplishment and fuels positive attitudes in the lives of those who benefit from this cause.

Keith does not just prescribe what should be done in these 10 steps, he backs his claims with true life examples that can be verified. His steps are practical and with a sense of consistency can be achieved. To assure the readers of the credibility of his facts, he expresses in details how all these steps had a positive impact in his own life.

The author makes use of words that are easy to understand, so it can be readily understood by every individual who chooses to benefit from what the book has to offer.

Like a popular Nigerian pastor says "your attitude determines your altitude in life”, hence there is the need to chose a positive attitude that will allow one achieve God’s given purpose for their lives.