R O U N D T A B L E 1

ATTITUDE
The World You See is Colored by
Your Attitude

“Attitude is the difference maker! Attitude isn’t everything,

but it is one thing that can make a difference in your life.”
– John C. Maxwell

LESSON ON VIDEO
Directions: The following fill-in-the-blank section corresponds with a short video from John Maxwell. Watch
the video and follow along with the outline. Click HERE to watch the video for this lesson.

What determines whether you have a good day, week, or year?

• Not your ____________________________________.

• Not your ____________________________________.

• Not the ____________________________________ around you.

The World You See is Colored By Your Attitude

The fastest way to change your life is to change your attitude.

Attitude is the _____________________________________________________.
Attitude isn’t __________________________________.... But it is the ________________________________!
Attitude is a ____________________________________. We are ____________________________________
for that choice.

Five Attitude Traits of Successful People:

1. ____________________________________.

2. ____________________________________.

3. ____________________________________.

4. ____________________________________.

5. ____________________________________.

We Cannot Control Our Circumstances....We Can Control Our Choices.

Choose a Postitive Attitude! It’s a Difference-Maker!

3
ROUNDTABLE 1 - ATTITUDE

What action step did you commit to last week? What were the results?

INSIGHT

Directions: Take turns reading the paragraphs below. As you read, underline the ideas that
capture your attention.

When you think of attitude, what comes to mind? You may not be able to easily define attitude,
but you know a good or a bad one when you see it.

Your attitude colors every aspect of your life. It is like the mind’s paintbrush. It can paint ev-
erything in bright, vibrant colors—creating a masterpiece. Or it can make everything dark and
dreary. If you look at the lives of people in any profession who achieve lasting success, you will
find that they almost always possess a positive outlook on life.

Having a positive attitude is essential. It not only determines your level of contentment as a
person, but it also has an impact on how others interact with you.

To learn more about what it means to be positive, think about these things:

Your Attitude is a Choice You Make. Average people want to wait for someone else to motivate
them. They are tempted to believe that their circumstances are responsible for the way they
think and feel. In reality, attitude is always a choice. In fact, while we can’t control many of our
circumstances, we can always control our attitudes. And choosing a positive attitude makes
any circumstances look better. When you choose your attitude, you are taking control of an
important aspect of your life, rather than just letting life control you.

Your Attitude Affects Your Outlook. When you choose to focus on the positive in your sur-
roundings, you tend to see more positive things. Choosing a positive attitude about your cur-
rent situation enables you to see future circumstances in a positive light. Your attitude at this
moment colors your perspective both now and in the future.

Your Attitude Precedes Your Actions. Actions are always an outward expression of your in-
ner feelings. The way you feel about a given circumstance or situation will impact the way you
react to it. When you change how you feel, you change how you act. By choosing a positive
attitude, you make it easier for you to choose positive actions. And this often leads to a positive
outcome.

Your Attitude Enhances Your Relationships. Your attitude regarding people will impact your
relationships with them. If you start with a negative attitude about a person, you will tend to fo-
cus on all of their negative qualities. A positive attitude about a person causes you to focus on
their positive qualities. By choosing to see someone in a positive light, you will act toward them
in a positive manner. They will usually respond in kind.

Your Attitude Alters Your Outcomes. In his book, The Winning Attitude, John C. Maxwell
states, “Our attitude at the beginning of a task will affect its outcome more than anything else.”
Whether you are choosing to be cheerful about a task, or choosing to believe in your ability to
accomplish it, a positive attitude empowers you to do your best work. It makes team interac-
tion go more smoothly. And very frequently, it delivers the results that you desire. Expecting
the best usually results in the best. Thinking positively on the front end is critical to success.

4
 ROUNDTABLE 1 - ATTITUDE

BENEFITS

When you develop a positive attitude, you experience the following benefits:

1. You are content and enjoy life more.

2. You inspire others to achieve more together.

3. You attract people who exhibit the same qualities.

4. You see the opportunities in every situation.

5. You usually exhibit gratitude toward others.

6. You keep pushing until you succeed.

STEPS TO FOLLOW

1. Talk to Yourself. The most important person to listen to is yourself. What you tell yourself about your sit-
uation is either an anchor that holds you back or a sail that propels you forward. Choose to think positive
thoughts. When negative thoughts arise, respond to them with positivity. Tell yourself something positive in
response. Don’t let the negative voices inside your mind influence you to see things negatively. Immediately
find the positive in the situation before moving forward.
Remember, you can choose what you think.

2. Choose Positive Relationships Over Negative Ones. Think about the people that you spend a lot of time
with. Are their attitudes primarily positive or negative? Attitude is contagious. So you should spend as
much time as possible with people who choose to think positively. Their willingness to see the good in a
situation will encourage you to make the same choice. If your circumstances don’t allow you to complete-
ly avoid negative people, then seek out positive people and spend time with them to counteract negative
influences in your life.

3. Feed Your Faith, Starve Your Fears. Choosing a positive attitude is challenging at first. It’s especially dif-
ficult if you haven’t been filling your mind with positive input. If you’ve been starved of anything positive,
then you need to start feeding yourself a regular diet of motivational material. Read books that encourage
a positive attitude. Listen to affirming messages. The more negative you are, the longer it will take to turn
your attitude around. But if you consume a steady diet of the right mental “food,” you can become a posi-
tive thinker.

5
ROUNDTABLE 1 - ATTITUDE

REFLECT AND RESPOND

Choose something you underlined that is important to you. Take one minute to tell everyone what you
chose and why it is important to you.

EVALUATION AND ACTION

Complete the self-evaluation section below.

Rate how well you demonstrate this quality in your life on a scale of 1-10.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Why did you give yourself this rating?

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

What benefits would you receive by improving your rating?

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Who do you know that exemplifies this quality? What do you admire most about that person?
__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

What specific action can you take immediately that will improve your rating?
__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Take a minute to share your responses to the self-evaluation section, including the step you will take to
improve in this area. Everyone is asked to participate.

6
 ROUNDATBLE 1 - ATTI-

NOTES

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________