Lessons from the Breakfast Table: Keys to Success from a to Z

CHAPTER 1

A is for ATTITUDE

Sophie and her brother Declan were very active kids. They played sports, took piano lessons, had many friends and did quite well in school.

One day Sophie, Declan and their parents volunteered with Sophie’s soccer team. They put meals together for those in need. On the way home, Sophie asked, Why do some people have big houses, fancy cars and swimming pools, while others barely have enough food to eat?

Mom reflected, There are some poor countries, and we should be very thankful to live in the country that we do. Sophie, being very astute replied, So why are there poor people in our country?

Dad explained, There are many different reasons. Some people were never taught the keys to be successful. Some people knew some of the keys but chose to make poor decisions.

Probably, some were not lucky! chimed Declan.

Mom remarked, That may be true Buddy, but regardless of how much or how little luck a person has, making good decisions will always lead you to success.

Always? Sophie questioned. Always, her mom winked.

So, what are the keys to success? Sophie wanted to know.

Declan joked, That’s easy, it’s the car keys!

Funny Buddy. No, we are not talking about car keys. There are several keys, and we’ve taught you many of them already, said Dad.

Well how will we remember them? wondered Declan.

If you can remember the alphabet, you can remember these important keys! exclaimed Mom.

Sophie giggled, So what’s the key that begins with the letter ‘X’?

We’ll get there, but how about we begin with the letter ‘A’. Each week we’ll focus on a different letter of the alphabet and see how we can apply that key, described Mom.

Okay, said Sophie. The letter ‘A’ is the beginning to which key?

"’A’ is for ATTITUDE, Dad announced. It’s appropriate that this is the first word. Your attitude will determine your outcome more than anything else. This is an extremely important building block. If you have a poor, negative ATTITUDE, your results will be poor and negative. On the other hand, with a positive, can-do ATTITUDE, there are no limits to what you can achieve."

That makes sense! cheered Sophie. During soccer events, I’ve been telling myself that I’m as good as any girl on the field and that confidence has helped me get better. I even scored two goals in my last game!

Exactly, Dad agreed.

"Let’s see what other examples of good and bad ATTITUDES we can think of and see how they affected the outcome," stated Mom.

What about the US women’s soccer team? asked Mom. "Do you think they had a positive or a negative ATTITUDE when they started out training for the 2019 World Cup?"

"A great ATTITUDE! shouted Declan. It’s easy to have a great ATTITUDE when you’ve won the World Cup," he continued.

"Yes, but don’t you think the team and coaches had a positive ATTITUDE from the beginning?" questioned Mom.

Of course, Sophie added. "Does that mean that all the teams that didn’t win had a bad ATTITUDE?" she questioned.

No, Mom replied. "I’m sure most of the teams had a positive ATTITUDE. To represent their country, each person had to train for years to develop into the best Soccer player they could be. Trust me, you will not commit that much time and effort without a positive ATTITUDE."

I see, Sophie nodded. "Are you born with either a good or bad ATTITUDE?

I don’t think so, answered Dad. "You must guard your ATTITUDE. It is very easy to be influenced by those around you. Many people look for all the reasons why something won’t work. They often look for the downside. This is why so many bad things are shown in the news. For some strange reason, people seem to prefer talking about the negative. If you continuously think and talk about why things are so difficult, you are developing a poor ATTITUDE."

Got it! exclaimed Declan. "So, if we keep a positive ATTITUDE, can we achieve anything we want?"

Not necessarily, Mom responded. "However, it’s one of the key principles and has a very big effect on what you ultimately accomplish. Think of ATTITUDE as the gasoline or electricity to your vehicle. Plenty of good ATTITUDE will give you the energy you need to continue on your path, especially when the road gets bumpy."

The next day at the dinner table, Sophie was excited to share how she used a good ATTITUDE at school.

"I thought about keeping a positive ATTITUDE all day, Sophie grinned. I thanked my teachers, the lunch lady and my bus driver today. When I praised them each with a thank you, they returned big smiles. I could tell it made them happy."

That’s terrific! praised Mom. "What about you Declan? Did you keep a positive ATTITUDE today?"

Yep! he boasted. I helped my friend with numbers!

That’s great! Dad laughed. "So, does having a positive ATTITUDE help?"

It helps, Sophie concluded. "However, sometimes it’s hard to have a positive ATTITUDE when things aren’t going well."

"Exactly and that’s when it’s especially important to keep a good ATTITUDE, Dad pointed out. Just understand that it is extremely important to have a good ATTITUDE. We’ll uncover additional words that will help you keep a constant positive ATTITUDE as the weeks progress. In the meantime, keep focusing on that positive ATTITUDE this week. BELIEVE me that next week we’ll uncover another important principle that will help to strengthen your ATTITUDE."

CHAPTER 2

B is for BELIEVE

After a week of positive ATTITUDES and words of encouragement, Sunday morning came. The kids were excited