Isn't it remarkable how nature plays and replays the miracle of metamorphosis throughout the plant and animal kingdom?

I once sat on a boat dock and watched a dragonfly emerge from it's shell, struggle to dry itself in the sun and finally fly away.  The process took hours.  The fish weren't biting!

This same struggle for emergence - for the success of life - may be seen in other more abstract journeys as well.

Once upon a time Idea lie hidden in darkness.  Idea was without form or function.  Isolated and without substance, Idea had little hope of growing into anything real and meaningful.  She was afraid.  As she poked her head out of the nothingness, no one even noticed she was there.

Idea so wanted the chance to become a success - to live and to be appreciated.  Would anyone ever recognize her?  Would she come and go like a gentle breeze without a trace?  Would there be nothing to reveal that she ever existed?

After a time, Word came to Idea.  With Word's help, Idea began to take shape.  Over time, Idea started to be seen and even recognized.  Word gave Idea substance and a transformation began.  As more and more people noticed Idea, Hope came along.

With the help of Hope, Idea grew stronger.  Word was now able to add clarity offering concepts of how Idea felt and what it was like to be in her presence.  When Word introduced Idea to additional sensory perceptions such as sound and taste she grew even more. 

More people noticed Idea and some even understood her.  She started feeling safe, warm and wanted.  As Word traveled, Idea was shared with many and some even realized her tremendous potential.  Word and Hope started Idea on a transformational journey into something special.  Practically overnight she emerged as a Vision, a shared Vision.

Although Idea had become Vision, this journey of metamorphosis was just starting.  The road was was long and hard.  There was much to learn and more changes would be needed.  As Vision's popularity grew, more and more people came to take a look and with them came Evaluation.

Evaluation was joined by Suspicion and they suggested that Vision really had no value and should be sent back to nothingness.  They gathered a large group of Challenges who stood in Vision's path making things difficult and holding her back.  Vision decided to sit for a while and while she did Apathy came to her.

Apathy talked of how good it was just to sit there.  "Why bother to struggle with all those Challenges?  This journey is not that important anyway."  Vision began to think that Apathy was right.  The journey was too long and too hard. Perhaps all the effort would be for nothing.  Perhaps there was no reason to continue.

Vision missed Hope very much.  She knew that more help would be needed.  But where would the help come from? Then, like a knight in shining armor, Plan came riding down the road.

Plan could actually see a way around all the Challenges.   Plan could see the end of the journey and how to get there.  Plan called up Hope who came back immediately.  Together, they gave Vision new courage and strength and the journey continued.

With all this help Vision found that the road seemed straighter, easier and less of a struggle.  She was joyfully coasting down the hill when Apathy's little cousin Complacency came along side.

Complacency told Vision to relax.  It was easy to see that the next hill was low and Vision could gain enough speed going down this hill to coast over the next and on to the end of the journey.  There was no need to try or work any longer.  The journey was as good as over.

Vision welcomed the opportunity to relax.  How great it was just coasting down the hill.  She reached the bottom and continued coasting up the other side.  But then Vision began to slow down and came to a stop.  She was far short of the top of the hill and the hill was much steeper than she thought when Complacency was running along with her.

She was so close and now it looked as though she wouldn't make it at all.  If only she hadn't listened to Complacency and kept her speed up.  If only she hadn't slowed down.  If only...  But then, she felt a strong hand at her back.  Vision was actually being pushed up the hill.  Tenacity had come to save her.

With the help of Tenacity she made it to the top of the hill and down the other side.  She reached a cool stream, took a drink and fell asleep.  The morning was bright with a sweet smell in the air when Vision awoke.  But she wasn't Vision any more.  She had become Success.  The journey and the transformation was complete.

Every idea has potential but the road to success is long and arduous. We must nurture ideas with words, keep hope, and formulate plans.  We have to overcome challenges and not give in to apathy or accept complacency.  In the end it takes tenacity to complete the journey.

Success is like a fine chocolate.  The only thing sweeter is more!

Attitude is Everything!  I have used this old cliché for so many years, I can't even identify the original source.  Today, it has found its way to the titles of web sites and books.  Still, this simple statement carries a profound meaning and significant impact for our lives.

As we enter the holiday season, we experience a wide range of feelings.  There is significant diversity in the ways people perceive this time of year.  For some it is a time of giving while others focus on the "getting."  For some this is a time of joy and harmony while others experience a deep sense of foreboding and depression.

All of these experiences are real with a very real impact.  But the holidays are not the source of the feelings.  The holidays are just "the holidays."  It is our paradigms and our individual perceptions that define this time of the year for us.

This expresses the first of three ways our attitudes can change our world - personal impact.  When our attitudes turn negative, we tend to look for, and find, negative in everything we see.  The sun is too hot and the clouds are too dreary.  The moon is too bright and the darkness too scary.

These feelings inevitably lead to a decline in motivation and a decrease in performance.  With the decrease in performance comes a lack of results and low self esteem.  The poor results and lack of self esteem reinforce a negative paradigm and the cycle begins anew.

With a positive attitude the view is very different.  We look for, and find, beauty in our world and opportunity in our  experiences.  We are motivated to seek higher levels of performance and realize greater achievements.  We can see the value in any progress we make and celebrate it as success.  The success we see enhances our faith, improves our self esteem and reinforces the positive cycle. 

The second way attitudes impact our world is what I call interactional impact.  We are not alone in this world.  While there are a few exceptions, most of us interact with others on a frequent basis.  Whenever human interaction occurs, those involved have an impact on each other.

The nature of interactional impact is shaped by two factors - individual behavior and the resulting perception of that behavior.  If I perceive your behavior as positive it has a positive impact on me.  Both behavior and the perception of it are driven by attitude.

Of course, our attitude affects how we judge the behavior of others.  Some are even able to minimize the impact their own attitude has on their behavior toward others.  In either case, positive attitudes and positive behaviors create positive interactions.  Positive interactions stimulate increased motivation, improved performance and higher self esteem.    

The third way attitudes can impact our world is metaphysical impact.  As Wayne Dyer put it, "When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."  While they certainly change for you, based on your perception, many contend that things can be physically changed by attitude.

It is easy to see that that the outcome of interactions, and the results of our efforts can be changed by our attitude.  But this goes much further with a belief that attitude can actually stimulate physical change in our universe.  The best example lies in the importance of the positive attitude of faith when employing the power of prayer.      

Another example is in the concept of the Law of Attraction.  This concept is quite simple. We bring into our lives that which we think about.  If we think about positive things we desire, they come to us.  Conversely, if we focus on worry, on all the things that can go wrong, and all the ills of the world, we bring those into our lives as well.

It is easy to talk about attitude and to recognize the importance of attitude in our lives.  It is another thing entirely to control or change our attitudes in practice.  There are a number of things we can do to help create and sustain a positive outlook.

Practices such as meditation, prayer, and positive affirmations are a good place to start.  You can also establish a personal filter by controlling some of the things you are exposed to.  You can choose the people you associate with, the books you read, the programs you watch or attend and the websites you visit.  Every experience has an impact on you and on your attitude.     

Life is an on-going process.  We are always moving.  My practice and my advice is to focus on the journey - on improvement rather than perfection.  My goal is to be a little better tomorrow than I am today.  That can never happen with a negative attitude.  It takes desire, faith and work.

I have never believed that we can obtain everything we want simply by sitting back with a positive attitude.  To paraphrase what Thomas Edison once said, opportunity is often missed because it comes dressed in overalls disguised as hard work.

A positive attitude will make a difference.  You can improve yourself.  You can improve your workplace.  You can improve the world around you.  Share something positive, even if it's just a smile.

The sun is always rising somewhere!