Job security is a myth.
No company can guarantee permanent employment.
Security in today's volatile business climate is found in the individual who feels secure by recog-nizing and broadening his/her qualifications, knowledge and skills.
A person with a positive attitude can do this. A person with a poor attitude expends valuable ``growth time and energy'' at ``coffee gripe sessions.''
At a meeting addressing the needs of the disabled, I came across a wonderful writing by Charles Swindell on this subject.
``The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life,'' he said. ``Attitude to me is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. ... 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 the one 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.''
There is one modification I would suggest. While we can't always change a person's attitude, if we show a positive attitude it can rub off on others. I have seen how one person's attitude can change an entire corporation. There are failed companies whose demise is traced to one person's attitude-and success stories where one good attitude saved a company.
I live in Sun City-Las Vegas, a retirement community. Every day I bear witness to the truths of Swindell's statement. I see vigorous 75-and 80-year-old people, who hold positive, humorous attitudes, playing tennis. And I see some much younger people with poor attitudes withering on the vine and making everyone around them unhappy. We should try to remain on the positive side of the attitude ledger for personal, health and job concerns. Anything other than that is destructive to us, our family and our company.
Herzlich is Rubber & Plastics News' technical editor and a consultant to the rubber industry through his company, Herzlich Consulting.