Friday, January 7, 2011

Attitude

I've recently read numerous pessimistic discussions on various writers' loops complaining about the state of the publishing industry. Negativity spawns negativity, and I found myself depressed. Then I remembered an inspirational quotation I kept in my planner during my corporate career. You've probably read the passage somewhere before, but I needed the reminder and wanted to share the wisdom with you.

~~~
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 failures, 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 every day 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% how I react to it. And so it is with you…we are in charge of our Attitudes.

~Charles Swindoll~
~~~

One of my goals for 2011 is to maintain a positive attitude.

I wish everyone a Happy New Year--a year where dreams come true. Dare to dream!

Dawn Marie Hamilton

20 comments:

Unknown said...

Excellent post, Dawn. I'm with you and Charles Swindoll--attitude is everything. It makes a huge difference in how you deal with every day issues. Thanks for sharing!

Carolyn

Lost in My Own Thoughts said...

Very true, Dawn. I love that quote by Charles Swindoll.

It is very easy to wonder for the future when the news is always negative, but I have to figure we have a better shot at happiness than those that came before, and the future generations will have it better than us. So, doing what we love becomes more important.
Thanks for sharing!
Melissa

Maeve Greyson said...

I'm a firm believer that you attract whatever you send out. Send out negativity and the universe is gonna spit it right back in your face. Make the best of it and send out a positive outlook and you'll not only improve your own day but you might help somebody else make it through tough times. Great post!

Emma Leigh said...

Excellent post, Dawn. Attitude definitely makes or breaks things, especially in stressful and/or hard times. Nice reminder.

Dawn Marie Hamilron said...

Carolyn, Melissa, Maeve, and Emma...

Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your positive attitudes. :)

Kristal Lee said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kristal Lee said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kristal Lee said...

I believe attitude dictates the path our lives take, so I try to stay positive. If something doesn't work out, I know something better is coming. Thanks for the post, Dawn. Happy New Year!

(Sorry I had to delete my previous comment. Typos...ughhh!)

Pat McDermott said...

One of the biggest roadposts of maturity is knowing that when you can't change certain upsetting circumstances, you have to deal with them by adjusting your attitude, hard as that might be. Your post shouts this loud and clear, Dawn. Wonderful reminder. Good luck with your New Year's resolutions!

Joan Leacott said...

Well said, Dawn and Charles. Sometimes I think of my positive attitude as that magical ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure.

Dawn Marie Hamilron said...

Kristal, Pat, and Joan...

I wanted to share something positive for the new year. Thanks for visiting today and adding a smile.

Mona Risk said...

Great post Dawn. A positive attitude brings up good luck. It's funny that today I blogged not about moral attitude like you, but about physical attitudes, more specifically about power and posture.

Dawn Marie Hamilron said...

Thanks for dropping in, Mona. I think posture if often linked to mental attitude. If a person has a positive outlook, they stand taller.

Paisley Kirkpatrick said...

I love the good thoughts you gave us. It is true, of course, but sometimes hard to follow. I try to be upbeat all the time as it does makea a difference.

Denise Pattison said...

Life is too short to walk around being negative all the time. I always try to push myself to be happy, smile at people, and see the best in everyone.

There are ups and downs in everything. When I first went to nursing school, there was a huge nursing shortage--then the powers that be said they had too many nurses. Guess what? That too many nurses stuff--never really happened. It was a way to put fear into the nurses who wanted better raises, better benefits, better hours, better staffing ratios. Keep your mouth shut or your job will disappear.

People always complain--it's up to us to find a way around the complainers so we can climb the summit, hit the peak, and look back at what we've accomplished--all with a happy, upbeat attitude.

Helen Scott Taylor said...

Great post, Dawn. Just what I need at the moment to set me right for 2011.

Josie said...

This is a lovely post, Dawn, and very encouraging. Attitude is so important, and optimism in the best and worst of situations goes a long way.

Dawn Marie Hamilron said...

Paisley, Denise, Helen and Joanne...

Thanks for visiting and sharing your thoughts.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Have a great week. :)

Pamala Owldreamer said...

I have had a serious upheaval in my life recently.I've had them before but I'm older now and it's harder to recover.I firmly believe that we go through these trials to make us stronger and to learn from them.Native American teachings show us that we are given life lessons and they are repeated until we learn what we need to from the lesson.unfortunately the lessons can be devastating at times,but they are in our best interest.

Dawn Marie Hamilron said...

I believe in that philosophy too. Although, it is much easier to ascertain the benefits of a challenging situation afterward, rather than while you're experiencing it. Good luck to you, Pamela. And thanks for stopping by.