Definition: Attitude

To see what I'm doing here, please read my blog post "The Power of Quote Hunting". This will explain what and why I'm doing this post like this.

Today, I define Attitude. (NOTE that this definition is saying "Optimism" and "Attitude" are almost one in the same, and its byproduct is "Happiness".)

If you read this blog post, Opposite Ends of the Spectrum, it was about attitude. Right after I posted that, I read through many attitude quotes, and doing so actually lifted my spirits because everything I was saying was being spoken back to me in many different ways.

This is basically what my brother told me that changed my life, but through other peoples' quotes:

"The greatest discovery of my generation is that man can alter his life simply by altering his attitude of mind."
- James Truslow Adams

"Life can be wildly tragic at times, and I've had my share. But whatever happens to you, you have to keep a slightly comic attitude. In the final analysis, you have got not to forget to laugh."
- Katharine Houghton Hepburn

"There are two big forces at work, external and internal. We have very little control over external forces such as tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, disasters, illness and pain. What really matters is the internal force. How do I respond to those disasters? Over that I have complete control."
- Leo Buscaglia

"Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference."
-Winston Churchill

The following quotes recognize that you have no control over things that happen to you. What you do have control over is your attitude, and your perception about what is going on:

"Life is 10 percent what you make it and 90 percent how you take it."
- Irving Berlin

"We cannot direct the wind but we can adjust the sails."
- Anonymous

"Two men look out the same prison bars; one sees mud and the other stars."
- Frederick Langbridge

"The Green Bay Packers never lost a football game. They just ran out of time."
- Vince Lombardi, 1913-1970, American Football Coach

"One is only last in line until someone comes up behind."
- Chris Pedersen

"Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same."
- Francesca Reigler

"Attitude is your acceptance of the natural laws, or your rejection of the natural laws."
- Jim Rohn

It is outright stupid to try to make yourself happy by trying to change everything around you, instead of trying to change the only thing you have control over:

"He who has so little knowledge of human nature as to seek happiness by changing anything but his own disposition will waste his life in fruitless efforts."
- Samuel Johnson

Here, you can see that attitude really is everything:

"It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome."
- William James

"Success or failure depends more upon attitude than upon capacity successful men act as though they have accomplished or are enjoying something. Soon it becomes a reality. Act, look, feel successful, conduct yourself accordingly, and you will be amazed at the positive results."
- Dupree Jordan

"How we think shows through in how we act. Attitudes are mirrors of the mind. They reflect thinking."
- David Joseph Schwartz

"There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. That little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative."
- W. Clement Stone

Why would you choose to be pessimistic? (NOTE you have a choice!) What have other brilliant people said about this?

"I am an optimist. It does not seem too much use being anything else."
- Winston Churchill

"An optimist may see a light where there is none, but why must the pessimist always run to blow it out?"
- Michel De Saint-Pierre

"Optimism is the cheerful frame of mind that enables a teakettle to sing, though in hot water up to its nose."
- Anonymous

"Since the house is on fire let us warm ourselves."
- Italian proverb

This is a great one to remember:

"It is important to live each day with a positive perspective. It is not wise to pretend problems do not exist, but it is wise to look beyond the problem to the possibilities that are in it. When Goliath came against the Israelites, the soldiers all thought, 'He's so big, we can never kill him.' But David looked at the same giant and thought, 'He's so big, I can't miss him."
- Dr. Dale E. Turner

"It is not wise to pretend problems do not exist..." True, don't live in fantasy. Acknowledge the bad things in life. Being too optimistic may prove unhealthy:

"An optimist is a driver who thinks that empty space at the curb won't have a hydrant beside it."
- Changing Times, American Business Magazine

Instead, realize that sometimes the "pot of gold" is worse than cornflakes, but laugh about it.

Morty (Christopher Walken): "Remember the leprechaun?"
Michael (Adam Sandler): "Huh?"
Morty: "The one from the cereal ad."
Michael: "'They're magically delicious.' That guy?"
Morty: "Yeah. He's always chasing the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. But when he gets there at the end of the day... it's just corn flakes."
- from the movie "Click"

Always remember that your prize at the end of your hard work is never going to turn out what you expect. However, you can't miss the real prizes from your efforts that are hidden for most people.

"Too many people miss the silver lining because they're expecting gold."
- Maurice Setter

These are interesting quotes that show you have to find it in yourself to do something or change, it just makes it so much easier to do so:

"It's so hard when I have to, and so easy when I want to."
- Annie Gottlier

"Nothing is interesting if you're not interested."
- Helen MacInness

What I like about this next quote is it holds more than one meaning. It says that no one really finds what they are looking for in life. It also says that if you only look for negative things, you will find negative things.

"The only people who find what they are looking for in life are the fault finders."
- Foster's Law

This is the motherload quote that has it all (that really probably deserves more than a blog post for itself):

"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, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. Attitude keeps me going or cripples my progress. It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope. When my attitudes are right, there is no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me. 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 Swindoll

There may very well be something wrong with you if this doesn't make you think:

"Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching?"
- Anonymous

Need a motivation to smile? Try these on for size:

"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort."
- Herm Albright

"Just smiling can do wonders for your attitude."
- Anonymous

"Smile: if you can't lift the corners, let the middle sag."
- Anonymous

"A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks."
- Anonymous

I really hope that by now that one person is starting to see the picture, thus accomplishing my goal. But you ask, "Fine, this is all true and I believe it, but what about when things go bad for me, and all of this knowledge goes out the window? What then?" For me, I use a single quote to help me remember all of this. It is my favorite of all time, by one of the most brilliant men to ever walk this earth:

"If you're going through Hell, keep going."
- Winston Churchill

You have to find your own phrase or personal experience yourself to help you remember these powerful ideas when you need them the most in your life.

Then, I leave you with this powerbomb of a quote:

"Life is too short to spend your precious time trying to convince a person who wants to live in gloom and doom otherwise. Give lifting that person your best shot, but don't hang around long enough for his or her bad attitude to pull you down. Instead, surround yourself with optimistic people."
- Zig Ziglar