As we continue to deal with COVID, mental stresses and the question: “Where do I go from here?” – I’m thinking we need to be reminded about the “you” in attitude. Why? Because even though we are going through trying times, I believe it is still possible to live up to our potential and create a larger vision for our life. Yes – through the grace of God – I believe that can happen.
When we look for it, we can see our own attitude. We can see it in the morning when we wake up. We can see it while we’re getting ready to go to work for ourselves or for others. We can see it when we are by our self or with others. We can see it when faced with opportunities and challenges.
That being said, here are a few of my thoughts on attitude.
- Our attitude is part of our DNA. Would you believe, in spite of how powerful and important our attitude is, it is often easily ignored? That’s because, good or bad, our attitude is always within us; and no matter what our attitude is, we get used to it and take it for granted. We say negative things such as, “Today just isn’t my day” – “That’s just the way I am” – “There’s nothing I can do about that” – and “No one on this team likes me.” Instead of those negative sayings, we should say positive things such as, “You can count on me” – “If it is to be – it’s up to me” – “Today is my day” – and “Life is great.” Try it – you’ll like it.
- Our attitude is like the air that surrounds us. It’s that invisible aura we carry with us that is always just there. And – since it is always there, as a part of us, we can go days or weeks without thinking about it at all. In fact, most of us are generally unaware of our own attitudes and that must change because our attitude, at any moment, says a lot about us. Remember – it is our attitude that determines our altitude and whether we are making progress toward the realization of our worthy goals and ideas.
- Our attitude is everything. Yes – Our attitude is made up of our feelings, our thoughts, our opinions, our frame of mind and reference, our points of view, and how we see the world around us. It is also the identity we take on each and every day. In other words, our attitude is the lens through which we see ourselves and our life. Attitude “is” everything!
- Our attitude in circumstances is a choice. According to Dennis Brown – “The only difference between a good day and a bad day is our attitude.” Each day we all encounter some type of “stimuli”. Based on the stimuli, we will “respond”. Between the “stimulus” and the “response”, is our power “choose”; to be positive or negative. And, just in case you didn’t know it, our choice will be based on either our self-awareness, imagination, conscience or independent will.
It is my firm belief that if we focus on our “attitude” (the right attitude), we will feel good about ourselves; live up to our potential each and every day, and do our part, to make a positive difference; not only in our life, but a positive difference in the life of others, our communities and the world. Isn’t that really what it’s all about?