Back a number of years ago, more than I want to admit, I was a teacher on Long Island. The principal would give us gifts to start the school year and they would usually have a theme to inspire us for the year. One year it was a frame with the adage, “Your attitude determines your altitude.”
In my opinion, the importance of attitude cannot be overstated. It is the basis of everything in our lives.
Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.
Lou Holtz
Our attitude:
- Determines how we react to misfortune
- Affects our ability to grow and to learn
- Influences our ability to overcome challenges
- Governs how well we create bonds with others.
Every problem we face is nothing but an opportunity to learn and grow. Our attitude in facing the challenges in life determines how successful we will be. It is in our power to choose the attitude we will have when facing these difficulties. Many times they are rooted in our own belief systems and have been formed throughout our lives.
The attitude is very important. Because, your behavior radiates how you feel.
Lou Ferrigno
Very simply stated, a positive attitude bears more favorable results while a negative attitude only serves to result in failure. We all have within us the power to respond to any given situation in any way we want regardless of the circumstances. We can choose to react either positively or negatively.
According to a Stanford Research Institute study, the path to success is comprised of 88% attitude and only 12% education. This is not meant to imply that education has no importance, but rather shows how vital it is to cultivate the proper attitude in determining the level of your success. Once you have attained the right attitude, it becomes much easier for things to fall into place and for you to succeed.
Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens.
Khalil Gibran
In many situations, we need to gain the wisdom of powerlessness. If we are able to accept this, we will know that we often have little choice about what happens, but we do have choices about the actions we take and the attitudes we adopt along the way.
When we face a tough situation on the job, we can still choose to give it our best. When family problems seem overwhelming, we may not be able to fix them all alone, but we have options to be the best partners, the best parent, or the best child that we know how to be. And when we choose to have a constructive attitude in all that we are dealing with, we will be at peace and feel hope for the future.
Organizing, Growing, and Finding Peace Together 