by Jami Miedema

I have always been the type of person to steer away from reading self-help and motivational books. I find their content not only unconvincing and unoriginal, but just plain corny. So it was to my surprise that just recently I read one from front to back. The book, Joel Osteen’s “Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential,” was recommended to me by someone who swore its text was life-changing. I decided to give it a chance and I liked what I read.

One quote from the book that I found to be quite profound stated, “Fresh ideas will not pour into old attitudes.” The simplicity of this passage seems like a no-brainer, but how often do we expect to be inspired even when we have a lousy attitude? The answer is, probably quite often! We often expect our circumstances to change without first changing our attitudes, but honestly, how can one find a creative way to deal with issues when stuck in a rut of pessimism?

This passage not only applies on an individual level, but also in the workplace. We cannot start dreaming up the next big idea or achieving new and greater success when our old attitudes hinder us from doing just that. The key is to keep an optimistic outlook so that our minds are open and ready for new inspiration, change, and success. With a positive attitude, “fresh ideas” are sure to come.