Do you need an attitude adjustment?

How do you respond when someone asks you, “How are you?” Answers we commonly hear are, “Fine”, “Ok”, “Hangin’ in there.” How often do you hear someone say, “Terrific!” or “Great!”? Maybe not that often. Why is that? Maybe it’s because if we said something like that it may seem like bragging. We Midwesterners tend to not wear our emotions on our sleeves. Or maybe it’s because we honestly don’t feel that positive about what’s going on in our lives at that moment. Whatever the reason, the answer to that question can reveal a lot about our attitude. John C. Maxwell said, “People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude.”

Lots of things can influence our attitude. Weather is one of those things. In Minnesota this time of the year many of us are already getting tired of the cold, snow, and icy roads. For us, because we often work from home, we don’t have to be driving when the road conditions are bad. However, in the past two months it seems like every time we’ve had icy, hazardous road conditions, we’ve had events we couldn’t miss. This required us to do some “white knuckle” driving. One time involved our car being totaled because of another driver losing control of their car. Fortunately, we were not injured. But it can negatively affect one’s attitude about the weather and winter driving!

On the other hand, some of those mornings after a big snowfall, or when there was hoarfrost on all the trees, it became a ‘magical winter wonderland’. We couldn’t wait to get out and take some pictures of the beauty of it all. Everywhere we looked it was a picture postcard. At those times we had a completely different attitude about the weather.

In the big scheme of things, weather is just one small example of what can influence one’s attitude. Recently, we were in a two-day online webinar that involved a variety of speakers from across the country. One of those speakers talked about being involved in a motorcycle accident that almost killed him. He was paralyzed. His doctors told him he may never walk again. Yet, there he was on stage pacing back and forth as he told his incredible story of recovery. He attributed his recovery to answered prayer and the fact that, from the very beginning, he never let his attitude be one of being a ‘victim’. As Winston Churchill said, “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.”

One of the lessons we learned from that person’s story is that we all get to CHOOSE our own attitude. Harvard psychologist, William James put it this way, “The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind.” In other words, our attitudes are determined by our thoughts, and we get to choose our thoughts. Being able to take control of our thoughts isn’t necessarily a quick fix. But it’s a skill that can be learned and practiced over time. It’s one of the most important skills you can learn. Dale Carnegie said, “The only disability in life is a bad attitude.”

Studies show that one of the predictors of success in life is whether a person has a positive attitude, or not. Think of your own life experiences with people. Would you rather be around people who are positive and optimistic or with people who are negative and pessimistic? It’s been said, “A bad attitude is like a flat tire. You won’t get anywhere until you change it.” Author unknown.

People who choose to have a positive, optimistic attitude are not naïve or unrealistic about life. When they encounter problems, as we all do, they tend to focus on solutions and opportunities hidden within those problems.

This reminds us of an uncle of ours. He was very successful, and everyone loved to be around him. To him, the proverbial glass was neither half empty nor half full, it was always overflowing. One small example, he bought some land known as the ‘village dump’ which no one wanted, and he turned it into a beautiful, and very successful, housing development. It’s been said that pessimists see a problem within every opportunity, whereas optimists see an opportunity within every problem. He certainly saw the opportunity.

What about you? Do you need an attitude adjustment? Do you see the glass as half full, half empty or overflowing? The good news is you get to choose. As Wayne Dyer said, “Attitude is everything, so pick a good one!”

Chanhassen MN residents, Doug and Lynn Nodland are success coaches and owners of The Balance Center in Excelsior. Contact them at WeCare@SharingLifesLessons.com

© Doug and Lynn Nodland 2023 Articles and videos may be shared in their entirety with attribution.