Viktor Frankl writes in his book: "Man's Search for Meaning: "Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."
Just for clarity, I will offer this definition of "attitude".....a psychological response to people, society, objects, events, occurrences and circumstances, to life itself; a settled way of thinking and or feeling about "stuff"'.
In spite of the harsh conditions, these men (the painting) are bracing themselves; one foot at the time they are trudging forward. Their "attitude", one may say, is to survive.
We (humans) all have problems to deal with at some time or another, and the way we view our problems determines our outcomes. Whether those problems, obstacles, and predicaments look big or small, depends on how we view ourselves and our capabilities. Problems may even at times assist us by providing us with motivation; "well, that's not a situation I will put myself in again".
There are some things attitude can't change for us:
We can not exchange confidence for competence; if you think you can do something=confidence, if you can do it=competence
Attitude can't substitute for experience (the problem with experience is that you rarely have it until after you need it).
Attitude can't change facts, it can't substitute for personal growth, and to sustain a positive, life affirming attitude... often daily work is needed.
There are some things attitude can change for us:
It affects our approach to life; to be happy perhaps we don't need to have the best of everything, just make the best of everything. It affects our relationships with others; a favourable attitude toward others is often reciprocal. Attitude affects how we face challenges in our lives; a "can-do" attitude often assist us in overcoming rather than succumbing to our challenges.
There are some obstacles to altering our attitude.
Feeling discouraged for instance. "Life is so hard, there are so many problems, etc."
To overcome those feelings of discouragement perhaps one may: change perspective, look at the whole picture, read/look up others who have overcome similar challenges to the ones you are dealing with, investigate plausible possibilities.
Adopt a "positive" outlook; thinking positively is not necessarily ignoring or down-playing anything, more how you think about something. Change, can also be an obstacle because it may feel awkward, risky, unknown, unfamiliar, and uncertain. Which leads me to the next obstacle; fear.
Perhaps we all have a little GFOE (General Fear Of Everything)? Fear is part of the human condition, an instinctual human response to potential danger, but is "change" really dangerous, one may ask. Change, affect our sense of need for control, and although not life threatening, we often become afraid when faced with change. First step to overcome our fears is to identify them, find their source, and in what ways they inhibit our thinking/feeling.
In amongst the fears, fear of failure may raise it's ugly head.
"If I change my attitude to a more positive one, what if xxx still happens?"
If failure =not achieving the desired or intended outcome, would any of us be walking, riding bikes, driving cars, playing instruments, paint paintings, or learn anything new to us?
Do we not become proficient by overcoming failures?
"Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a grey twilight that knows not victory nor defeat", said Theodore Roosevelt.
“Success is that feeling that comes after overcoming a failure, you will not feel it as long as you are not failing, so be proud of your failures, they are the path to your success." (Mina Tadros)
So with a little "attitude adjustment" how may we view the obstacles?
Discouragement=an opportunity to find courage
Change=a broadening of perspectives
Fear=an opportunity to find previously undiscovered strengths
Failure= the path to realizing desired outcomes
"There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative." (W. Clement Stone)
"Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it."
(Raymond Chandler)
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