He was reticent.  He was timid.  He was fearful.  He was passive.

He was 5 years old.

Benjamin, our son, had been skiing for 1 year, but he was still not very confident on the slopes.  No matter what the run was, he was a very timid skier.  He skied as if he were afraid.  He knew what to do.  He knew the basics of skiing, but he was not yet confident in his ability to ski the easiest of runs.

We were a skiing family.  Benjamin and his brother David had both been on skis when they were 2 years old, and began skiing a full ski season when they were 4 and 5 respectively.  David though he had been skiing for the same length of time as Benjamin, skied with a greater confidence.  He charged down the slopes while Benjamin plodded down the same slope.

David had graduated to using poles, while Benjamin still skied without them.  You see, beginner skiers don’t use ski poles.  Ski poles are added once the beginner reaches a certain level of competence and confidence.  Benjamin had not achieved that level yet.

On this particular day we had arranged to meet our friends the Baldwins at lunch.  Dale and Sandy have 2 girls of similar age to David and Benjamin.  In fact, Emily was the same age as Benjamin.  We skied to the day lodge, had lunch together, and then departed after lunch in one large group down a green (easiest) run to the nearest chair.

Immediately I knew something was different.

Benjamin took off like a rocket.  Before I knew what was happening he was racing down the run in front of us.  Reticence? Gone.  Timidity?  Obliterated.  Fear?  Non-existent.  Passivity?  Nowhere to be found.

Benjamin had been born again – he was a new man.  I don’t know where the old Benjamin went, but this was a new 5 year old I was looking at.

I caught up with him at the chair lift.  As we all sat down on the lift and began our journey up to the top of the mountain I expressed my surprise and delight in regard to what I had just witnessed…

“Benjamin – wow!  That was awesome!  You were skiing like a mad man!  You were on fire!  Amazing!  I could barely keep up with you.  What happened?”

Benjamin simply turned to me and uttered 3 words;

“Emily has poles.”

Three simple words with a mountain of meaning behind them…

“I realized I had to up my game.  Emily is the same age as me, but she has graduated to a higher level of skiing competence.  I can’t let her show me up.  I have to choose to give this my best effort.  I have to give it all I’ve got.  No more half-heartedness.  No more passivity.  No more timidity.  No more caving into my fears.  It’s time to be bold and courageous.”

What a massive attitude adjustment.  The impact was immediate and immense.

Benjamin was never the same again.  He never looked back.  He began to tear up the slopes and became a very confident and competent skier.

The lesson?

Attitude is everything.

You have 100% control over the attitude you carry with you wherever you go.  No one can choose your attitude for you except you.  You can choose a ‘can do’ attitude or a ‘can’t do’ attitude – the choice is yours.  You can choose a ‘positive’ attitude or a ‘negative’ attitude – the choice is yours.  You can choose a ‘why not!’ attitude or a ‘why?’ attitude – the choice is yours.

Something else to realize: Your attitude, like a virus, is contagious.  Whatever attitude you bring infects others.  Is your attitude making others better or worse?  Is your attitude lifting people up or bringing them down?  Is your attitude a dark cloud or bright sunshine?

Leader’s attitudes are particularly contagious.  What do you bring to your people?  What do you bring into your organization?  You can bet that whatever attitude you carry is caught by those you lead.  More is caught than taught – your attitude is more powerful that your words.

Your attitude – your choice!  Choose wisely.  With what will you infect your people?

“Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.”  Winston Churchill

“Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.”  Zig Ziglar

“Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character.”  Albert Einstein

“People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude.”  John C. Maxwell

“Our attitude towards others determines their attitude towards us.”  Earl Nightingale