Attitude!

Attitude is such a powerful determinants of how we think, how we act and how we behave...

 "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, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than success, than what other people think or say or do.
It is more important than appearance, gift, or skill. It will make or break a company...a church...a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day 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 string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes."
Charles Swindoll

What do you think of when you hear the word extraordinary? Words such as amazing, wonderful, talented, gorgeous, outstanding and brilliant come to mind. You're probably thinking of an individual or a particular place that fits the description: a personal hero, a partner, a child, a friend, a great school, a great restaurant, an incredible footballer, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, a great poet, or your favourite place. Sadly many people believe that if you are like most of us, ordinary people with ordinary jobs, that you have no hope of ever achieving success or doing something extraordinary: something that really makes a difference. It's not true. You are a unique and extraordinary individual with incredible potential and the difference between being ordinary or being extraordinary is not skill, the difference is attitude!

The job we do is too important for any of us to be ordinary, since you tend to get what you expect. We must all strive, each and every day, to be extraordinary, to be outstanding, to be brilliant. And we know what it takes to build brilliant... it's alive and well in York, in Leeds, in Nottingham, in Stockholm and in schools across the country:

• dynamic learning leadership;
• contagious enthusiasm;
• small and beautiful provision;
• learning relationships;
• passionate people;
• wonderful learning places;
• learning coaches; and
• persistence and determination.

Whatever you do take charge of your attitude and keep the faith!

Chris