We get to choose our response in each and every moment.

We have a choice everyday about our attitude. I choose to be positive. One way to display a positive attitude is to adopt above the line thinking in everything you do;

People who play above the line do what? They take “Ownership” of their life, they say I am “Accountable” for the results in my life and the “Responsibility” lies with me.  The difference between the two is that people who play below the line have a fixed mindset and don’t believe they are in control of their life. People who play above the line have a growth mindset, they believe that they are in control of their own destiny. They are using the “OAR” to steer their own ship.

When something goes wrong, most who play below the line do what? They lay “Blame”. If they can’t find someone to blame then what do they do? They come up with “Excuses”.  Thirdly… if they can’t make excuses they “Deny” there is a problem.  Below the line, you make your “BED” and you must lie in it.

When something goes wrong, the easiest thing to do is to blame it on somebody else, find an excuse or deny that there is a problem. This ‘playing below the line’ is destructive, as it does not resolve anything and problems get worse. This type of reaction is typical of the fixed mindset – failure is a self-fulfilling prophecy for people who think like this as they believe they can’t change or improve or won’t make the effort.

By playing above the line, we take ownership of what is happening around us and accept the responsibility and accountability that goes with it.

Playing above the line is constructive because taking ownership of, and responsibility for challenges, leads to the resolution of problems. This pro-active approach is typical of people with a growth mindset and a positive can do attitude. Growth mindset people also tend to be happy and therefore successful.