Attitude

This concept of attitude has been drilled into my head for years.

My father had this quote that he kept with him at all times. It was in several places in the house, his office,  he even carried it in his wallet.

When he died, we printed it on little cards and handed them out to everyone.
One side had an American flag, the other side had this quote, that was Dad.

When I was younger he would make me read it and I would think
"yeahyeahit'sgreatabsolutelyIgetitsure, can I go back to my music now please, thanks"

But now, that I'm older, and Dad's gone, I'm starting to get it.
Happiness in your life is a choice, your attitude colors everything.
Everyday we have a choice, I can make this a great day or not.

Now I am not saying that choosing to have a bad day is right or wrong, we need bad days, bad days are healthy, but make no mistake, it is a choice.

I was recently having a pity party when I started to examine achievements in my life.
(note-be sober when you do this)
I remembered as a little girl I always pictured myself in a glamorous high rise apartment overlooking a big city.
I also pictured myself in this beautiful home that I rode by on Habersham.
(I'm a bit of a contradiction, just deal with it ok)

I started to go down the "I have achieved nothing!!!" path, but I had to stop.
Wait a minute, I have lived in New York City, the biggest big city there is.
 Yeah, I did not have a glamorous apartment with a great balcony overlooking Central Park, but I've been on several (ha).
But the point is I went there, I grew an amazing career, I ended up with a really nice apartment (by NY standards). I did it, 8 year olds dream accomplished.
Oh and that house on Habersham, no I didn't get that, but last year I bought a condo in one of the most iconic neighborhoods in Atlanta.......check that one off.

There are many things that I want in my life that are not here yet. The reality is, some of those things may never come but I get the chance, everyday, to meet new people, learn new things and change the path of my life.........with my attitude.


The quote is from an evangelical Christian pastor. This is funny, why, Dad was not a bible thumper. I have never seen him set foot in a church, maybe for a wedding, but you could always tell he did not like it. Dad was a hard man, but he too was a contradiction. 

“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. 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