
Everything in this world can be seen as we wish to: good or bad;
simple or complicated; easy or difficult. It's not how things are;
it's about how we look up to them. …and how we look up to them is
all up to us.
Let's develop a positive attitude, an attitude of
gratitude and let's give thanks for everything that happens to us,
knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something
bigger and better than our current situation.
The difference in success or failure, is not how we look, not how
we dress and not even how we're educated. It's how we think. We
can't overstate the importance of being able to maintain a positive
attitude but we have to admit that it's not easy. Here are some
beautiful words for wisdom derived the book, Attitude is Everything
by Vicki Hitzges.
I
used to worry. A lot. The more I fretted, the more proficient I
became at it. Anxiety begets anxiety. I even worried that I worried
too much! Ulcers might develop. My health could fail. My finances
could deplete to pay the hospital bills.
A comedian once said, "I tried to drown my worries with gin, but my
worries are equipped with flotation devices." While not a drinker, I
certainly could identify! My worries could swim, jump and pole
vault!
To get some perspective, I visited a well known, Dallas businessman,
Fred Smith. Fred mentored such luminaries as motivational whiz, Zig
Ziglar; business guru, Ken Blanchard and leadership expert, John
Maxwell. Fred listened as I poured out my concerns and then said,
"Vicki, you need to learn to wait to worry."
As the words sank in, I asked Fred if he ever spent time fretting.
(I was quite certain he wouldn't admit it if he did. He was pretty
full of testosterone-even at age 90.) To my surprise, he confessed
that in years gone by he had been a top-notch worrier!
"I decided that I would wait to worry!" he explained. "I decided
that I'd wait until I actually had a reason to worry-something that
was happening, not just something that might happen-before I
worried."
"When I'm tempted to get alarmed," he confided, "I tell myself,
'Fred, you've got to wait to worry! Until you know differently,
don't worry.' And I don't. Waiting to worry helps me develop the
habit of not worrying and that helps me not be tempted to worry”
Fred possessed a quick mind and a gift for gab. As such, he became a
captivating public speaker. "I frequently ask audiences what they
were worried about this time last year. I get a lot of laughs," he
said, "because most people can't remember. Then I ask if they have a
current worry - you see nods from everybody. Then I remind them that
the average worrier is 92% inefficient - only 8% of what we worry
about ever comes true."
Most of us want to be positive. It's advantageous to possess a sunny
outlook. Doors open to optimists. They make friends, earn respect,
close sales, produce loyal clients, and others enjoy and want to be
like them. The question is how can we do that consistently.
Charles Spurgeon said it best. "Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of
its sorrow, but only empties today of its strength."

What we hold in our mind is a choice. We can always pack-up all the
unnecessary and negative thoughts and feelings and put them out of our mind. We
then have space to create something new and positive. |