Life as we live it is made up of these essential components: Thoughts, actions & reactions (behavior), habits, attitudes, character, identity, life roles and quality of life. These components are the same for everybody and work over and over again in the same order even when you don’t realize it.
The first seven attitude rules explain “How Life Works” for everybody:
Rule #1 – Everything begins with the way you “choose” to think.
Rule #2 – Your thoughts not dismissed, become actions and reactions.
Rule #3 – Through repetition your actions and reactions become habits.
Rule #4 – Habits repeated frequently enough become ingrained as attitudes which are actions and reactions on auto-pilot.
Rule #5 – Your attitudes shape and define the content of your character.
Rule #6 – Your character reveals your true identity and influences the important roles you play in life and the quality of life you live each day.
Rule #7 – Your thoughts, actions & reactions, habits, attitudes, character, identity, roles you play and quality of you live are all either good or bad, but they can’t be both at the same time and can’t be anything other than good or bad and whatever else represents good or bad.
~ Your habits repeated frequently enough become ingrained as automatic (behaviors) actions and reactions called attitudes. ~
Attitudes are actions and reactions on “auto-pilot” that occur without even a conscious thought. With an attitude you don’t think about acting or reacting in a certain way, it’s just the way you always act and react; habitual, ingrained, automatic behaviors. Examples: Friendly, kind, polite, respectful and fair or unfriendly, unkind, impolite, disrespectful and unfair or perhaps a mixture of good and bad attitudes (the un, im, and dis prefixes mean “not.” The suffix “ful” means you are full of whatever that is). It’s the “Christ-like attitude” on auto-pilot or the “angry, mean, grumpy old man (or woman :)” on display for all to hear and see. Everybody knows people just like these. Some of these people might just be “us.” We might be the last ones to know it. Everybody else already does.
~ Your attitudes shape and define the “content” of your character. ~
Your attitudes are actually the defining “characteristics” of your character. Examples: “the fruit” your attitudes produce – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. What are the “attitudes” that shape and define the content of your character?
~ Your character reveals your true identity and influences the performance of the important roles you play in life and the quality of life you live each day. ~
Your identity is made up of the distinguishing “characteristics” (attitudes) and personality of you as a one-of-a-kind individual.
Your character influences the performance of all the important roles you play in life. Good character makes your roles “award-winning;” aka- award-winning son or daughter, father or mother, husband or wife, teacher, coach, mentor, friend, neighbor, Christian and many more.
Your quality of life is the goodness produced by the life you live and is a direct reflection of your good character; your attitudes.
Thoughts. Actions & Reactions. Habits. Attitudes. Character. Identity. Life Roles. Quality of Life.
They are all connected, all are personal possessions and responsibilities, all are within your control and all are “choices” that you “choose” to make.
This is how life works… for everybody, without exception!
And, of course, Attitude Rule #1 is:
“Everything begins with the way you ‘choose’ to think.“
(Latest fine tuning: September, 2024)
theattituderules.com 