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And Samuel Johnson joins in, “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.”
Stephen Covey, William James, and Norman Vincent Peale all agreed.
“Our ultimate freedom is the right and power to decide how anybody or anything outside ourselves will affect us.”
“The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes.”
“Change your thoughts and you change your world.”
Personally, I favor this version of attitude is your choice, even though no one seems to know who said it first.
Your life is your garden, Your thoughts are the seeds. If your life isn’t awesome, You’ve been watering the weeds.
No one claims this version either, but I like it.
“Things turn out best for the people who make the best out of the way things turn out.”
David Ambrose, Arthur Christopher Benson and Helen MacInness also want a turn at the microphone.
“If you have the will to win, you have achieved half your success; if you don’t, you have achieved half your failure.”
“Very often a change of self is needed more than a change of scene.”
“Nothing is interesting if you’re not interested.”
I think I am safe in concluding that the point has been well made: Our attitude is within our control; and either we control it or it controls us, along with controling our future. All that is left are some little tips about a few of those sometimes annoying facts of life that may or may not be important to know. Dare I say that it depends totally on our attitude?
“Whenever you fall, pick something up.” (Oswald Avery)
“We cannot direct the wind but we can adjust the sails.” (Unknown)
“The world is full of cactus, but we don’t have to sit on it.” (Will Foley)
“Those who wish to sing, always find a song.” (Swedish Proverb)
“Sometimes life’s Hell. But hey! Whatever gets the marshmallows toasty.” (J Andrew Helt)
I have come to the end but find myself with three dangling tidbits that are begging to be included but don’t quite fit. If you want to stop without them, that works for me. But if you have a few seconds, I think they may be worth taking along with you as you get back to your day. Here you go.
“When you feel dog tired at night, it may be because you’ve growled all day long.” (Unknown)
“I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet.” (Mahatma Gandhi)
Ralph Marston gets the final word on this attitude thing. “Excellence is not a skill. It is an attitude.” Since that one leaves me thinking, I suspect it may leave you thinking too. “Excellence is not a skill. It is an attitude.”