Attitude



Attitude

Home Study

A Spiritual Growth Course

Attitude

 

I.

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.

Attitude, to me, is more important than facts.

It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do.

It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.

We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable.

The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.

I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.”

Charles Swindoll

Write a response (your opinion) to this quote: There is no right or wrong answer:

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II.

"I had wanted simply to convey to the reader by way of concrete example that life holds a potential meaning under any conditions, even the most miserable ones. And I thought that if the point were demonstrated in a situation as extreme as that in a concentration camp, my book might gain a hearing. I therefore felt responsible for writing down what I had gone through, for I thought it might be helpful to people who are prone to despair.

Everything can be taken away from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedom -- to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way”

Viktor Frankl – Holocaust survivor

Write a response (your opinion) to this quote. There is no right or wrong answer:

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III.

With five pairs of legs, I feel 10 feet tall! The boy, 7, who doesn't let a double amputation hold him back.

He has short ones for sitting and climbing and long fancy ones for when he wants to run really, really fast. 

Cody McCasland was born without a working set of legs - but now has pairs for just about any occasion. 

The seven-year-old has a rare condition called Sacral Agenesis which caused deformities to his spine in the womb. 

He arrived without any tibia or knee bones and had to have his legs amputated below the knee at 15 months. 

Enlarge [pic]

Growing boy: Cody shows off his different sizes of prosthetic legs - he outgrows them as fast as he gets them

Two months later he was fitted with his first pair of prosthetic legs, and hasn't stopped moving since. 

His mother Tina, 36, said: 'Hardly anyone takes to prosthetics so well. It was amazing - it was as if Cody had just been waiting for the chance to have new legs so he could walk.' 

Cody now manages to run, swim, play soccer, golf, karate and ice hockey as well as being a boy scout and going rock climbing in his home state of Texas, in the U.S.

Mrs McCasland said: 'We've always said whatever Cody wants to do, we will do our best to let him have that opportunity. He won't let his disability hold him back.' 

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Cody McCasland is already racing against able-bodied children, and hopes to compete in the Paralympics when he is older

As a result of his condition, Cody also needed surgery for a dislocated hip, stomach, gall bladder and intestinal problems and a hernia, as well as treatment for breathing difficulties and asthma. 

His legs are provided for him by the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, a specialist limb centre. 

These include the blades for running and 'stubbies' for sitting and playing. 

Cody said: 'In my walking legs I can take big steps. In my running legs I can run very fast and jump on one leg.' 

His mother added: 'They are very expensive and Cody seems to outgrow them all the time. We're very lucky that we have this specialist centre which provides the running legs.' 

In return, Cody's family, friends and supporters compete in marathons to raise money for the hospital. They have so far raised £62,000 ($95,000). 

Mrs McCasland and her husband Mike, 37, an internet manager, hope to bring Cody to London in 2012 so he can watch the Paralympics. 

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Cody's face is joyful as, clutching hands with mum Tina McCasland and dad Mike McCasland he crosses the line at the Dallas White Rock Marathon

The determined seven-year-old, who is already gaining good times for his age range, said: 'I'd love to compete in three year's time at swimming.

'I definitely will take part one day and win a gold medal.'

When Cody, was diagnosed Sacral Agenesis, after being born six weeks prematurely, doctors had warned his parents that he might not live.

Children with the condition usually suffer from a number of difficulties including kidney problems and Cody had to undergo the first of his 15 operations at just three days old.

Over the next two years he faced operations for a dislocated hip, stomach, gall bladder and intestinal problems, a hernia, as well as treatment for breathing difficulties and asthma.

Mr and Mrs McCasland, who also have a daughter Callie, two, were warned by a specialist in Texas that Cody might need both lower legs amputated to give him the chance of walking with prosthetic legs.

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Cody also enjoys fishing, along with his many other pastimes

Social worker Mrs McCasland said: 'He said the right leg was missing a tibia and knee cap.

'The fibula was not enough to support Cody's leg and without a knee, he could not bend it.

'His legs just curved round to the side when he was sitting and it just kind of got in his way.

'His left leg, looked more normal, but the knee did not bend. We were told there may be a chance of surgery to fix that leg but there was no guarantee of success.'

But thanks to his prosthetics, Cody takes part in activities with other children in his class and already beats some of them at running.

He is a member of his school swimming team, competing against able-bodied youngsters despite using just his arms.

Mr McCasland said: 'With the help of Challenged Athletes Foundation Cody will be able to travel to other areas and compete against others like himself at a higher level.

'Each year we take him to the Endeavour Games which is an international competition for children and adults with disabilities. He won gold medals in the 60m and 100m sprints this year and gained a fast enough time to enable him to compete in the National Junior Youth Disability Championships.'  

Cody currently races against youngsters with just one artificial leg, but double amputees hope there will be a reclassification, allowing them to have their own category in the sport.

He ran 60m last year in 20.03 seconds, and 100m at 33.41 seconds, when he was just six years old. This means he was only five or six seconds behind single amputee record-holders aged nine.

Cody's times at freestyle swimming and back stroke are already impressive at around 30 seconds and 43.63 seconds. He has knocked 30 seconds off his freestyle time since starting swimming last June and is now only a short way behind the nine-year-old record holder.

He has already met his sporting hero, triathlete Rudy Garcia-Tolson, a double amputee who has competed in two Paralympics by the age of just 20.

The courageous youngster, who wants to become a doctor when he is older, said: 'I'm a non-stop runner and no-one can keep up with me.

'I'd also love to swim in a race against Michael Phelps or Rudy Garcia-Tolson one day.'

Cody's amazing achievements as a double amputee are inspiring numerous others from disabled children, to soldiers who have lost limbs in Afghanistan or Iraq.

'We receive lots of requests from people wanting to meet Cody,' revealed Mrs McCasland. 'It really is incredible to see this little boy walking up to grown men and telling them they can do all the things he does.

'Soldiers are just like big heroes to Cody, so he is so excited to meet them. And in a way he's a little hero to them too.'

The young athlete has even inspired the creation of Team Cody, a group of fundraisers who compete in marathons, already raising $95,000 for the Texas Scottish Rite Children's Hospital.

Team Cody has also raised $4,000 for the Challenge Athletes Foundation, which helps disabled sports people.

'As long as Cody enjoys his sports, we'll go on supporting him,' said Mrs McCasland. 'We hope his story helps other kids and adults, and spreads the message that disabled people can do all these things.'

Write a response to this story. What are your feelings about what you’ve read?

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IV.

It was hard to tell which was more glorious, the vision that many old-time Hawaiian sports fans have of Charlie Wedemeyer, or the one held by generations of Los Gatos High football players.

Both tell a story about Charlie, who passed away June 3 at age 64, that words fail to express.

On the islands, many can still vividly recall the touchdown Charlie scored against rival Kamehameha in the 1964 Interscholastic League of Honolulu championship football game before a sellout crowd of 25,038 at the old Honolulu Stadium and a statewide television audience.

With the score tied 6-6 in the third quarter, Charlie, Punahou School’s 5-foot-7 senior quarterback, ran down an errant lateral at the 25-yard line and began a weaving, dodging, reverse-field epic of a run that officially went for only 14 yards, but took 30 seconds off the clock and launched Wedemeyer into the status of legends. 

Nearly every defensive player had a shot at him, but no one could bring him down before he reached the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown in Punahou’s 20-6 upset victory on Thanksgiving Day.

Years later, another vision would be no less memorable: Charlie, in his role as assistant coach for the Los Gatos frosh-soph team, instructing young quarterbacks on how to properly throw a football. 

To emphasize certain mechanics in the player’s throwing motion, Charlie sometimes had players lie on the ground and throw the ball over his wheelchair and mammoth specially-equipped van. 

“Just don’t hit him,” friend and fellow assistant Craig Williams would advise the nervous youngsters. 

And Charlie would smile.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis couldn’t bring Charlie down. ALS, or more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, caused his muscles to waste away and removed his ability to move, speak, eat, and even breathe on his own. But Wedemeyer found a calling, through the disease, that not even he could have foreseen.

The transition and the sacrifices were difficult. They were full of heartache and tears. Insecurity and fear. Charlie, after all, was a man who had taken great pride in his physical ability to do what few others could even dream of. And it was all taken away.

The life-and-death struggle was constant, but the ordeal evolved into a lifetime of self-discovery, an appreciation of life’s subtleties and a humbling bond with Jesus Christ. 

Because of these things, the man who could not speak, spoke the loudest. Charlie became a magnet to those who were broken, to those who hungered for an understanding ear and a compassionate soul. 

The man who had every right to wallow in self-pity somehow brought laughter to others, through his eyes, a funny face, or a practical joke. 

Rookie nurses experienced this first-hand. When they timidly attempted to suction his throat for the first time, Charlie would make a face and rolled his head in agony, causing the nurse to scream. Even Charlie could not keep a straight face.

Halloween, birthdays, costume parties, Charlie was always a willing participant. And the house seemed to be the most popular one on the block, even to the consternation of a neighbor or two. And no roasted pig ever tasted better than at Charlie’s. 

Charlie spent his days memorizing recipes by watching the cooking channel, and nights instructing nurses on the proper way to prepare teriyaki chicken. For someone who couldn’t eat, he sure loved food. 

At one football practice, he discovered that the father of a freshman player owned a Chinese restaurant. Through Williams, he called the player over and for the next half hour, while the boy should have been practicing, Charlie asked him to recite the entire menu, raising his eyebrows at every item and salivating the entire time.

His family and grandchildren were his joy, and his teams were his pride. Football players, students, old friends, new friends, all would stop by and see the coach. And anyone who entered the front door became family, or ‘ohana, in the Hawaiian culture. That’s just the way Charlie was raised. 

Charlie was born on Feb. 19, 1946, in Honolulu as the youngest of Bill and Ruth Wedemeyer’s nine children. 

While older brother Herman Wedemeyer, a football star at Saint Mary’s College, would set the athletic standard of excellence for the family, Charlie became a three-sport star at Punahou – in football, basketball, and baseball – while earning nine varsity letters. 

Charlie was a three-time ILH football All-Star and 1964 ILH Player of the Year, and a basketball first-team All-Star. He led the Buff ‘n Blue to league titles in football (1964), basketball (1964), and baseball (1965), where he played second base, and would be selected by the Honolulu Advertiser as the Hawaii Prep Athlete of the Decade.

He joined barefooted kicker Dick Kenney and fullback Bob Apisa as part of coach Duffy Daugherty’s Hawaiian pipeline to Michigan State, and played a key role in the Spartans’ 1966 national-championship season. He was a holder on kicks – including during the “Game of the Century” 10-10 tie with Notre Dame, which was the first mainland collegiate game televised on the islands -- and caught a two-point conversion pass from Kenney on a trick play that helped secure a mid-season 11-8 victory at Ohio State.

Though Charlie began his collegiate career as a backup quarterback to current San Francisco 49ers’ offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye, he finished as a receiver and blocking back in 1968, rushing for 147 yards on 21 carries, catching nine passes for 108 yards, and scoring two touchdowns that season. He was selected to play in both the East-West Shrine and Hula Bowl college all-star games.

Those days in East Lansing also provided Charlie with two big moments, his marriage to high school sweetheart Lucy Dangler in 1966 and the birth of their first child, Carri, in 1967.

Charlie played two seasons of semipro football for the Lansing All-Stars, got his master’s from Central Michigan, and began teaching in Flint, Mich. But while he always envisioned settling down in Hawaii and running his own hotel, Charlie accepted an educational fellowship in San Jose, and was hired as a math teacher and coach at Los Gatos High in 1972.

Now with two children, following the birth of Kale in 1970, Charlie began to experience the first signs of ALS in 1976, was diagnosed with the disease in 1978, and given two years to live. 

Despite what was considered to be a death sentence, Charlie became the Los Gatos varsity head coach and held the position from 1977-85. His conditioned worsened, but his teams continued to excel. During his nine seasons, Los Gatos went 78-20, including 53-7 in league play, and won seven West Valley Athletic League championships.

His final game turned out to be his biggest. With Charlie now hooked to a respirator and unable to speak, his Wildcats reached the Central Coast Section Division I championship game while Lucy sat alongside Charlie in a golf cart on the sidelines. As he called the plays, she read his lips, and relayed the plays to the Los Gatos assistant coaches, who signaled them to the field. 

The game was just as dramatic as the story behind the coach. Los Gatos linebacker Mike Scialabba knocked down a St. Francis fourth-quarter conversion pass that would have tied the game, and Jeff Borgese blocked a potential winning field goal in the final minute to give the Wildcats a 14-12 victory and their first section title.

In the celebration that followed, Charlie’s respirator hose was knocked loose.

“You’re not even breathing!” Lucy exclaimed.

Charlie just mouthed the words, “I don’t care.”

The triumph spawned the Emmy-Award winning documentary “One More Season,” the autobiography “Charlie’s Victory,” and the made-for-TV movie “Quiet Victory: The Charlie Wedemeyer Story.”

Charlie was named California High School Coach of the Year, one of his many honors over the years, including: Punahou School Athletic Hall of Fame (1980), Jack Breslin Lifetime Achievement Award for individuals whose post-collegiate careers brings honor to himself and Michigan State athletics (1987), Disabled American of the Year (1992), the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame (1995), and the National High School Sports Hall of Fame (2007).

In addition, the Almaden Valley Rotary Club’s Silicon Valley Classic is called the Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star High School Football Game, and is now in its 36th year.

These are the facts about Charlie’s life, the numbers, honors and achievements. But how can a life so full and rich and inspiring fit into mere words? And how can a silent man in a wheelchair disarm everyone from hardened criminals to rebellious teenagers – those too ashamed to reveal their frailties to anyone else, but would pour their hearts out to him?

As son Kale once said, “When people hear my dad speak, they don’t remember the guy in the wheelchair. They remember the guy with the smile on his face.”

Whether evading tacklers, coaching young quarterbacks, or simply surviving 34 years with a terminal disease, Charlie stretched the limits of human possibility. And yet Charlie’s legacy was much more than being a great athlete, and even a survivor. 

It was joy in the face of adversity.

It was that smile.

And as Charlie always said, “without the Lord Jesus Christ, there wouldn’t be a Charlie Wedemeyer story…”

Write a response to this story. What do you feel about what you’ve read?

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We have begun this study with these four quotes/stories to get you thinking about attitude. It is our belief that you are capable (through Christ) of great things. We are convinced that when Philippians 4:13 says “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me,” it is absolutely true.

It is the purpose of this study course to bring to life the seeds of a changed attitude which are already within you.

Possibilities

Look up Philippians 4:13 and copy it here:

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Look up Mark 9:23 and copy it here:

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1. Look up John 14:12 and copy it here:

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2. Look up Ephesians 3:20 and copy it here:

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3. Look up Romans 8:37 and copy it here:

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4. Look up Proverbs 23:7 and copy it here:

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As you can see from scriptures 1 – 5, God has made some great promises to us about what we can accomplish through Him. However, so few people actually enter into such victory. They lead good lives, go about their daily lives in a very moral Christian lifestyle, and are usually generous and kind people. They quite often never even imagine the extent of what they might have aspired to. Many of them essentially “die with their music still in them.” We are not being critical of them. They were certainly good born again people.

The words of the great American poet, John Greenleaf Whittier, come to mind here: “For all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, ‘It might have been’.” The purpose of this course on attitude is threefold:

1. That you might accomplish great things for the Kingdom of God;

2. That you might live your life in Christ to the fullest;

3. That you might bring great aid, comfort, edification to others in the body of Christ.

When you get to the 6th scripture in our list, you begin to get an idea of why so many folks don’t do more for Jesus – they don’t believe that it is possible, they don’t think in their hearts that they can do great things, they live their lives as they do, never even imagining that they might step away from the “sidelines” of the action and actually “do all things for Christ”. In many ways Christianity is a spectator sport for them. They leave the “great things” for the people whom they perceive to be the real giants of the faith (or at least of their local assembly).

Read the quote (unknown author) below to see what the truth is:

“No One can climb beyond the limitations he has placed upon himself. Success is never final – failure is never fatal. It is courage that counts – courage and the willingness to move on. A great deal of talent is lost to the world for the want of a little courage. Every day sends to the grave, obscure men, whom fear and timidity have prevented from making their first attempt to do something. Never tell a person that something can’t be done, because God may have been waiting for centuries for someone ignorant enough to believe that the impossible could be possible.”

Perhaps today is your day to change your attitude – to believe that the impossible is possible.

Let’s get started!!!

How to Develop A Great Attitude.

In the following pages we will be discussing the path to developing a great attitude. First, however, you must be convinced that a new attitude would be a positive change in your life. If, however, you are tired of sitting on the sidelines, letting your dreams fade away, feeling as if there is something greater within you but not knowing what to do, then take the plunge. You will begin to make discoveries about yourself and the possibilities for accomplishment through Christ.

Six Attitude Changers:

I. Commitment

II. Taking Responsibility

III. Dealing with Failure

IV. What Must I Do?

I. Commitment:

“Let me tell you an African parable to exemplify commitment. ‘Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows that it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows that it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn’t matter if you are a lion or a gazelle. When the sun comes up, you had better be totally committed to running as fast as you possibly can.’” (John C Maxwell, Failing Forward, p. 42)

A. Read Psalm 37:5 and explain it below:

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True story.  “Once there was a skinny, awkward kid from New Jersey named Eugene Orowitz.  He was painfully shy and very self-conscious.  Although Eugene greatly lacked self-confidence, when a high school coach half-jokingly asked him to try out for the track team, Eugene took him up on it.

“Ugy,” as his friends affectionately called him, fell in love with javelin throwing and committed himself to being the best that he could possibly be.  What Ugy lacked in self-confidence, he made up for in commitment.

“By the time he graduated high school, Eugene had achieved a national High School record (for throwing the javelin 211 yards).  His commitment to being the best also bought him a college track scholarship in sunny California!

“A torn shoulder muscle ended his javelin-throwing career and any hope of making the Olympic team.  However, while watching a play, Ugy fell in love with acting.  So, again, he commited himself to being the best he could be.  He was determined to make it in the ridiculously over-crowded acting field, so he enrolled in acting class.

“Eugene Orowitz, better known as Michael Landon, went on to star in three of the most popular shows in television history:  Bonanza, Little House on the Prairie, and Highway to Heaven.”

B. Read Job 5:8 and explain it below:

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“A pig and a chicken took an afternoon stroll that led them near their neighborhood Waffle House. They looked up at a sign in the window that advertised the daily special--Ham and Eggs for only $3.99.

"Look at that!" said the chicken. "I am involved!"

"It's true that you are involved," replied the pig, "but for me, it's total commitment."

C. Read Proverbs 16:3 and explain it below:

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A True Story:

“There was a little ten-year-old boy named Sammy. Now, Sammy’s thirteen-tear-old sister Sally had a rare blood disease that was slowly taking her life and would eventually kill her if she did not receive a blood transfusion. All of the older family members were willing to be the donor, but none of them were a match for the little girl’s blood. Only little Sammy was a match.

“Somewhat reluctantly, the parents went to Sammy and, as clearly as they could, explained what they wanted from him. After being very quiet for a few minutes, Sammy agreed to the transfusion and the procedure took place the next day.

“It was a long process and little Sammy actually fell asleep during the transfusion. When he awoke, he had a rather strange look on his face as he spoke weakly from his bed, ‘daddy, is Sally alright?’ “Yes, son, she’s fine. You’ve saved her life.’ Da replied. Then Sammy asked a very strange question, ‘Then why am I still here?’

“After questioning the boy for a while, dad discovered that when Sammy agreed to the transfusion, he didn’t completely understand everything. You see, Sammy thought that when he gave his blood to his sister, that all his blood would be taken and that he would die. Yet, Sammy has still agreed to the transfusion – even though he thought it meant his death. That’s commitment!!!”

D. Read Ruth 1:16-17 and explain it below:

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Though this course is based almost exclusively on the Scriptures, just for fun, go to and take the survey. Then record the first two sentences of the survey results which pop up when you click on “Your Results.” (You could learn something about your self.)

The first two sentences____________________________

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(If you do not have access to a computer, skip this step.)

Read the quote below and explain it on the lines provided:

“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.” There is a great danger in our time of succumbing to mediocrity not through incompetence or a lack of integrity but simply from a lack of genuine commitment. To live without such commitment is to live in that “gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”

Theodore Roosevelt

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E. Read Luke 9:23 and explain it below:

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Let’s end this Commitment portion of the study with three great quotes on the subject. They are both very moving and somewhat explain the whole point of this section. Please read each one and then “explain it” in your own words:

“There’s a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstance permit. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.”

- Kenneth Blanchard

Explanation:______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“You’re satisfied with the way you are. If you weren’t satisfied, you’d be doing something to change right now.”

Unknown Author

Explanation_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"For of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: "It might have been"

John Greenleaf Whittier

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II. Taking Responsibility For Your Own Actions

“All blame is a waste of time. No matter how much fault you find with another, and regardless of how much you blame him, it will not change you.”

Wayne Dyer

“Blaming others is a sign of low self-esteem because in doing so we are not taking responsibility. If you do not take responsibility you will always be a victim of your circumstances.”

Wayne Dyer

“I used to blame everybody and everything in the past until I realized that in doing so my circumstances were not changing and my self esteem did not improved. When I became aware of this behavior I took the decision not to blame anymore.

Whenever I find myself blaming people or circumstances I stop and I say to myself: Is time to take responsibility and I take action. This new behavior has helped me to build my self esteem because I do not feel the victim anymore.”

Carla Valencia

Read Psalm 51:1-4 and comment upon what it has to do with taking personal responsibility:

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“It is a painful thing to look at your own trouble and know that you yourself and no one else has made it.”

Sophocles

Comment on the Sophocles quote. What does it tell you about personal responsibility?

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“A sign of wisdom and maturity is when you come to terms with the realization that your decisions cause your rewards and consequences. You are responsible for your life, and your ultimate success depends on the choices you make.”

Denis Waitley

What does this quote tell us about personal responsibility?

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If you wish to have a great attitude and the freedom which comes with it, perhaps this next quote best guides us:

“Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody expects of you. Never excuse yourself.”

Henry Ward Beecher

Your attitude is not based on:

A. Circumstances – you may not be able to control what happens to you, but you are completely responsible for your reaction to what happens to you.

“I may give the impression that the human being is completely and unavoidably influenced by his surroundings. (In this case the surroundings being the unique structure of camp life, which forced the prisoner to conform his conduct to a certain set pattern.) But what about human liberty? Is there no spiritual freedom in regard to behavior and reaction to any given surroundings? Is that theory true which would have us believe that man is no more than a product of many conditional and environmental factors-be they of a biological, psychological or sociological nature? Is man but an accidental product of these? Most important, do the prisoners' reactions to the singular world of the concentration camp prove that man cannot escape the influences of his surroundings? Does man have no choice of action in the face of such circumstances?

We can answer these questions from experience as well as on principle. The experiences of camp life show that man does have a choice of action. There were enough examples, often of a heroic nature, which proved that apathy could be overcome, irritability suppressed. Man can preserve a vestige of spiritual freedom, of independence of mind, even in such terrible conditions of psychic and physical stress.

We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.

And there were always choices to make. Every day, every hour, offered the opportunity to make a decision, a decision which determined whether you would or would not submit to those powers which threatened to rob you of your very self, your inner freedom; which determined whether or not you would become the plaything of circumstance, renouncing freedom and dignity to become molded into the form of the typical inmate.

Seen from this point of view, the mental reactions of the inmates of a concentration camp must seem more to us than the mere expression of certain physical and sociological conditions. Even though conditions such as lack of sleep, insufficient food and various mental stresses may suggest that the inmates were bound to react in certain ways, in the final analysis it becomes clear that the sort of person the prisoner became was the result of an inner decision, and not the result of camp influences alone. Fundamentally, therefore, any man can, even under such circumstances, decide what shall become of him - mentally and spiritually. He may retain his human dignity even in a concentration camp. 

Viktor Frankl – Nazi concentration camp survivor”

How does this quote help explain why attitude does not depend upon circumstances?

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“The last of human freedoms - the ability to chose one's attitude in a given set of circumstances.”

Viktor Frankl

Is this quote true? Why or why not?

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Read Romans 8:38-39 and explain what it says to you in light of the things you read above about attitude:

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He who has so little knowledge of human nature as to seek happiness by changing anything but his own disposition will waste his life in fruitless efforts.  ~SamuelJohnson

What does this quote tell us about circumstances not determining our attitude?

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If you haven’t gotten a revelation about personal responsibility yet, try this one Read Matthew 7:3 and explain it here:

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Your attitude is not based upon:

B. Upbringing

Read Philippians 3:13-14 and explain what it means to you:

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Read II Corinthians 5:17 and explain what it means:

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Read Isaiah 43:18-19 and explain what it means:

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Although the usual discussion of one’s upbringing having an effect upon their present deals with negative, bad times during childhood, and poor role models during our youth, the following song lyrics are a good musical discussion of how one’s “Upbringing” doesn’t have to ruin one’s present and future.

Read the lyrics and explain what they mean.

CAN'T CONTROL THE WIND

(Bill Anderson - Roger Pirtle - Pat Lovely

When I was a boy daddy was my guiding light

We'd take walks and talk about fishing girls and life

He’d help me with my homework cheer me up when I was down

Best friend that I ever had I miss havin' him around

He'd say do the very best you can with all that you've been blessed

And if the load's too great for you the Lord will do the rest

Keep one thing in mind if all else should fail

You can't control the wind but you can adjust the sail[

Daddy lost his job when the factory closed

Times were hard bills to pay he was troubled and it showed

But he said son don't worry it's all to no avail

We can't control the wind but we can adjust the sail

I think of his advice when life turns its back on me

There is no mountain I can't climb if I start down on my knees

I'll do the very best I can with all that I've been blessed

And if the load's too great for me the Lord will do the rest

I'll keep one thing in mind if all else should fail

I can't control the wind but I can adjust the sail

No I can't control the wind but I can adjust the sail

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Read Psalm 27:10 and discuss how it applies to your journey to a new attitude:

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Your attitude is not based upon:

C. Others

First of all, if others have injured you, insulted you, or in any way held you back, read Matthew 6:14-15 and discuss how it may affect you in your journey to a new attitude:

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Describe a time when someone hurt you or insulted you and you reacted badly and regretted it later:

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Read Psalm 27:1-6 and discuss how it may apply to your attitude journey:

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Read psalm 118:6 and discuss how it may apply to your journey:

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Read Psalm 57:2-6 and discuss how it may apply to your journey.

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From the founder of the Creation Museum in Northern Ky: “I want to thank everyone who was so against this project. Without your help (and publicity) we would never have raised the money to finish.” (Paraphrased)

What does this quote say to your study and journey?

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Read Isaiah 54:17 and discuss how it may apply to your attitude journey.

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Read Psalm 3 and discuss how it may apply to your journey to a new attitude:

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No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.

Eleanor Roosevelt

What does this say about attitude?

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Your attitude is not based upon:

D. Your Limitations

I Corinthians 12:4-7 (NLT)

Read these verses and explain what they mean to you:

4 There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all.5 There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. 6 God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.

7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other

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Dave Longaberger graduated from high school at age 20. He repeated first grade and three-peated third grade. He reads at the eighth grade level, stutters, and has epilepsy. In 1996, his company sold more than $525 million in handmade baskets, pottery, fabric, and other home décor items through 36,000 independent sales consultants nationwide.

Please comment on what this true story says to you:

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Read Mark 12:42-44 and explain how it may apply to our study:

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Perhaps the best way to learn the principle of not being limited by your limitations is to read about some folks who have overcome much.

7 Stories of People Who Refused to be Limited (in 2012)

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IMAGE CREDIT: 

1. HECTOR PICARD

Twenty years ago, Hector Picard was working as an electrician when a transformer sent 13,000 volts through his body. His many injuries included arm damage so bad that both were amputated. After a long recovery, Picard embraced athletics and has competed in more than 50 triathlons in the past few years. Right now he is traveling by bike from Ft. Lauderdale to New York City -a journey of 1500 miles! Along the way, he is speaking and raising funds for the the I Will Foundation. You can follow his progress online.

2. ANNIE CLARK

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Every year, the Zaner-Bloser language arts and reading materials company gives awards to students for great penmanship. This year, they were inspired to add a new category of awards for disabled students, and one of the two winners was Annie Clark, a 7-year-old born with no hands. Annie writes by holding an instrument between her two arms, the same method she uses to dress herself and paint her toenails.

"Annie has always been very, very determined, very self-sufficient in dressing herself and feeding herself," Mr. Clark said. "She can ride a bike. She swims. She is just determined that there's nothing she can't do."

Her father said she also types on a keyboard and uses an iPod Touch with no difficulties.

The Clark family has nine children, seven with disabilities, six who were adopted, four of them from China, which is where Annie was born.

3. KAISA LEKA

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Kaisa Leka is a Finnish comic book artist, graphic designer, and politician. Leka's deformed legs were amputated ten years ago, and as a young adult, she had to learn to walk all over again with prosthetic legs. However, she did not stop there. Leka took up cycling with her husband, and they take long bike tours together around the world. Just last month, Leka was named Finland's Cyclist of the Year.

4. CLAIRE LOMAS

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Claire Lomas completed the London Marathon last month with the aid of a bionic suit, even though she is paralyzed from the chest down. The 32-year-old Lomas broke her neck and back in a horse riding accident in 2007. She walked two miles of the course a day, and completed the 26-mile race in 16 days. Although Lomas will not be recorded as an official runner (the rules state finishers must cross the line the same day of the race), she received aspecial recognition from Virgin founder Richard Branson. The £43,000 ($75,000) walking apparatus, called the ReWalk bionic walking device, responds to changes in balance, and takes a step when the wearer indicates the desire for one. Lomas' race raised £80,000 for the organization Spinal Research.

5. DIANE VAN DEREN

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Diane Van Deren was always an athlete, participating in every sport her school offered, which led to a few years as a professional tennis player. Afterward she switched to running marathons. Van Deren suffered from epilepsy, undergoing grand mal seizures for years. Then in 1997, she made the decision to undergo brain surgery to relieve the symptoms. There was a risk of brain damage, but Van Deren weighed that risk against the risk of further brain damage or dying during one of her violent seizures, which had worsened over the years. Surgeons removed a damaged portion of her brain, and the seizures stopped. But there was some damage to her brain from the procedure. Van Deren lost her sense of direction, and her sense of time passing. There is also some memory loss, and a tendency toward sensory overload. In 2002, she began running ultra-marathons, races of 50 miles or more. Van Deren excelled in the longer races, which may be a result of her surgery. She is not aware of the length of time she is running, and may be less aware of pain than she would be otherwise. Now 52 years old, Van Deren finished the 1,000-mile Mountain to Sea Trail in North Carolina on Saturday, June 2, 2012. Her 22-day run set a record for the course, which had never been accomplished in less than 24 days before. Van Deren says she is now through with 1,000-mile races, but will continue in 50- and 100-mile events.

6. CORNEL HRISCA-MUNN

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Cornel Hrisca-Munn was born with a deformed leg and no forearms in Romania in 1991. Placed in one of that country's famously poor orphanages of the time, he was not expected to survive, and wasn't even issued a birth certificate. But Hrisca-Munn survived, and was taken to England at the age of seven months for proper medical care. By the time he approached his teen years, he wanted to learn a musical instrument, and figured the drums were the only instruments he could manage. Hrisca-Munn placed second in a national drumming competition when he was only 14 years old! Earlier this year, YouTube videos of his playing made him a viral star. And he is learning to play bass guitar as well. Hrisca-Munn is now a student at Keble College, Oxford, England, studying philosophy and theology.

CHEN ZHOU

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CHINAFOTOPRESS/

Chen spent two days, 19 hours in total, climbing to the top of Mount Hua.

Chen Zhou of Shandong Province, China, was 12 years old when he lost his legs due to a train accident. He began to make a living at age 16 as a street singer, and he recently toured the country singing to pay for a house he bought for his family (he has a wife and two children). Chen is also a mountain climber. He recently completed his 12th ascent up Mount Taishan, which has stairs to the top -6300 of them! Chen walks on his hands, and sees Mount Taishan as both a personal challenge and an opportunity for publicity. Others see his stunt as an inspiration.

III. Dealing With Failure:

“Failure is good.  It’s fertilizer.  Everything I’ve learned about coaching, I’ve learned from making mistakes” Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino

What do you think Coach Pitino is saying when he uses them words, “It’s fertilizer.”

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Succeeding is not really a life experience that does that much good. Failing is a much more sobering and enlightening experience.

Michael Eisner (Disney)

What does Eisner mean by this statement?

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Failure is the opportunity to begin again, more intelligently.

Henry Ford

My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure.

Abraham Lincoln

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."  

Thomas A. Edison 

"There is no failure. Only feedback."  

Robert Allen 

"Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses." — George Washington 

"An inventor fails 999 times, and if he succeeds once, he's in. He treats his failures simply as practice shots." — Charles Kettering 

After reading these quotes, what are your thoughts on failure? Is it good or bad?

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Read Proverbs 24:16 and explain what you think it means:

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Read Psalm 40:2-3 and explain what you think it means about failure:

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Read I John 1:9 and explain what it means about failure:

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Read Philippians 1:6 and explain how it may apply to the idea of our failures:

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Read James 3:2 and explain what it means about failure:

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Vincent van Gogh, whose paintings now set records for the money they bring at auctions, sold only one painting in his lifetime.

Thomas Edison was considered unteachable as a youngster.

Albert Einstein was told by a Munich schoolmaster that he “would never amount to much.”

Werner von Braun (most famous rocket scientist of all time) failed ninth grade algebra.

Beethoven’s music teacher gave up on ever making a musician of him because he seemed to be a slow and plodding young man with no apparent talent.

Eddie Arcaro lost 250 consecutive races before he ever won one.

Abraham Lincoln lost at least 8 elections before being elected President.

Perhaps the best way to explain what is to be learned about failure is in the following statistics:

48% of all salesmen make one call and stop

25% of all salesmen make two calls and stop

15% of all salesmen make three calls and stop

12% of all salesmen go back and back and back

The 12% make 80% of all sales

What do you have to say about these statistics?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

IV. What Must I Do to Get and keep a good Attitude?

A. Forget the past: Read Philippians 3:13 and comment on this point:

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B. Stop speaking negative things. Read Ephesians 4:29 and comment on this point:

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C. Start speaking positive things. Read Proverbs 18:21 and comment on this point.

In Isaiah 57:19 The Lord says that He creates the fruit of the lips> What does this tell us about speaking positive things?

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Read Proverbs 10:11 and comment on this point:

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D. Read positive things. Read II Timothy 2:15 and comment on this point.

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E. Hang out with positive people. Read Proverbs 13:20 and comment on its meaning.

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“The only things that will cause you to change over the years are the books you read and the people you meet.” Dave Ramsey

F. Stop hanging out with negative people:

Read Psalm 1:1 and comment on this point:

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Read I Corinthians 15:33 and comment on what it means:

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Joe Larson, famous professional speaker, said, “My friends didn’t believe that I could become a successful speaker. So I did something about it. I went out and found some new friends.”

“Be careful who you share your dreams with. The first thing out of most people’s mouth is usually negative.” (Unknown)

G. Admit that you have weaknesses and begin to work on them.

What are two weaknesses that you have and how might you help improve in those areas?

1._______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2._______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

H. Take care of your body. It is extremely difficult to have a good attitude if you feel lousy all of the time. (You may well find that a good – positive attitude – improves your health.)

H. Find a way to relieve stress. Get a hobby, go fishing, watch movies, play golf. Find something that lets you leave behinds the stress of the day.

I. Develop a good prayer life. Spendingtime with the Lord can be the most helpful way in the world to improve your attitude.

J. The most important way to improve your attitude is to have the greatest role model possible. Who should it be? That’s an easy question – who else but Jesus. Read this passage from Philippians and then answer the questions which follow:

Philippians 2:5-8

5Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. 6 He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. 7 Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! 8 Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and 

1. In verse 5 who is our role model? ____________________

2. What was Jesus’ status in heaven? (V6)

3. How did Jesus feel (V6) about this status in heaven?

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4. In verse 7, what did Jesus do about His status?

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5. In verse 7, what status did Jesus willingly take on?

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6. What kind of life did Jesus live as a human being?

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The secret to a good attitude and all of the learning you may have done in this study will not work without it – at least not in the kingdom of God, is to become a servant. Wherever your new attitude takes you, it must be in the service of your Lord and other people. Remember what Jesus said when asked what the most important commandment. Read the passage from Mark below to hear the words of Jesus:

Mark 12:28-29

28 One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

29 Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. 30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’[c] 31 The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[d] No other commandment is greater than these.”

What do these verses tell us about where our new attitude should be leading us. Sure, even non-Christians can raise their success level by following some of the principles outlined in this study, but the words of Charles Studd in the song below tell the real truth of life and they also echo the words of Jesus above.

Only One Life

By Charles Thomas Studd, Missionary to China, India, and Africa

Two little lines I heard one day, Traveling along life’s busy way;

Bringing conviction to my heart, And from my mind would not depart;

Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one, Soon will its fleeting hours be done;

Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet, And stand before His Judgment seat;

Only one life,’ twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

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