On Attitude

When I was a kid, I remember being overly-competitive about certain things, and also bent to the negative; a little misfortune, during any contest, immediately convinced me that my team, my score, my effort, my mission was doomed. I worried and fretted. I pouted. I gave up. My attitude sucked. (Not always! but sometimes.) A loss at a board game was devastating. Not winning the most trivial, skill-less competition could ruin my day. Eventually, I learned the wisdom below. Attitude dictates mood, mindset, energy, personality, perspective, everything. Figuratively, it's an ever-present lens in life; we see everything through it. It's the loudest garment we wear; it's a sign around our necks. It's the horse we're riding whether we realize it or not. It's not a reaction to some game, it is the game. Okay, my metaphors are silly but my point – for M 'n' m – is not: attitude is powerful. Around M 'n' m, I try to be positive, grateful, optimistic, energetic. Of course, it's not easy; I've whined and limped and dragged myself through many-a-day, but M 'n' m know it's what I strive for, it's how I try to live life, and it's what I wish for them: when it comes to attitude, try not to suck!

"Attitude is everything." ... "Life is an attitude, have a good one." ... "A bad attitude is like a flat tire, if you don't change it, you won't go very far."

"The greatest day in your life and mine is when we take total responsibility for our attitudes. That's the day we truly grow up."
     — John C. Maxwell

"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

"The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes."
     — William James

"The last of the human freedoms is to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances."
     —Victor E. Frankl 

"People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude."
     — John C. Maxwell

"Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character."
     — Albert Einstein

"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, than education, than 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. 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.... 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% how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitude."
     — Charles R. Swindoll

"Live life as if everything is rigged in your favor."
     — Rumi

"If you are irritated by every rub, how will you be polished?"
     — Rumi