A New Year, A New Attitude

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “You made it! Now what?”

Our Bible verse for today: “Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 2:5 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “A New Year, A New Attitude”

Perhaps the most important thing we can bring with us into the New Year is a new attitude. Pessimism is poison. Optimism is like magic juice that fuels you to go out and be successful in life. Optimism is an energy drink for your attitude.

I entered the full-time workforce at the age of only seventeen. In 2026 I will turn seventy-two and so that means I’ve been in the full-time workforce for more almost fifty-five years now. More than fifty of those years have been in positions of leadership.

In those capacities of leadership, I’ve had many hundreds of people work for me over the years and if there is one lesson that stands out in my mind above all others it’s that “attitude is everything.” It’s true. Almost always a good attitude is more important than intelligence or training. I would rather have one worker with an average IQ but a good attitude and a great work ethic, than ten workers with above average IQs but bad attitudes and lazy work habits.

In the long run the person with a good attitude and a great work ethic will not only be more productive and more pleasant to have around, but they will be more successful too. The world is filled with very smart and highly educated failures who despite their high IQs and college degrees, haven’t gotten far in life because they have bad attitudes and nobody likes them. And conversely, there are many success stories of average people who are very nice, who work very hard, and who then go on to own the company.

Attitude is everything, and not just in the workforce but in all of life. Studies of human behavior have proven over-and-over again that optimists do better, live longer, and are happier than pessimists.

In Philippians 2:5 the Apostle Paul told us that as Christians we are to strive to emulate the attitude of Christ. Did Jesus have a good attitude? (It’s a rhetorical question. Of course He did). What was the attitude of Christ like? A study of the Gospels reveals that He was humble and faithful; He was also full of love and kindness and compassion and mercy; but also, He was bold, confident, and passionate about His life and His mission. Jesus had a good attitude and that should describe us too.

In life attitude is everything. As we begin the New Year this would be a good time to check your attitude and maybe make a few adjustments in how you think about things and how you approach them. A good attitude will go a long, long way towards helping you to achieve the kind of life you really want to have.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

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