This is not exactly a thriving metropolis although our town is growing quickly.  It is small enough for the old country rumour mills and jealousies to wind their way through conversations and passing remarks.

This week I was talking to one of my local clients who was upset at some of the slurs and comments being passed about her business. Sadly the comments seem to be coming from a big business chain which is apparently feeling threatened by her little business.

It’s easy for me to say this, because I am not the one being targeted but I think she should be celebrating.  June is obviously doing something right.  And that doesn’t surprise me.

This is a woman who is concentrating on making her business the best it can be by giving her customers the most amazing experience she can.  She oozes warmth and genuine care for her customers and that’s where her focus is.

June doesn’t stop to look at what her competitors are doing.  She doesn’t see others as competitors and freely shares her customer overflow with them.

That’s why she is becoming a success and has appeared on the radar of the large business chain.

How can one little business be such a threat to a “conglomerate”?

Well, as Charles Swindoll says, attitude will make or break a company.

“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, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company…a church…a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday 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 one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you. We are in charge of our attitudes.”   Charles R. Swindoll

We have a choice in our attitude to the day, to life and to our competitors.

June has chosen an attitude which is giving and sharing with the world.  That’s why she is winning.  The big chain has the attitude that they need to suck up all the competitors and spit them out, bled dry of customers, money and future. They have chosen an attitude which says that the world belongs to them and should not be shared.

It’s June’s attitude that is turning her little business into a success and sending shivers of concern through the bank balances of big business.

I admit that I struggle with my attitude and reactions sometimes. It’s the petty things that get under my skin most.  I see myself as a work in progress.

How do you manage your attitude each day?  How do you manage your reactions to the things that happen to you?