One of my favorite quotes, by Theodore Roosevelt:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” - Theodore Roosevelt in 1910 at the Sorbonne in Paris

Monday, September 19, 2011

Attitude

As some of my friends and family know, I've been in management, had my own business and been my own boss, and now work as a cashier at a local grocery chain. At first, I was embarrassed and felt that this job was beneath me. I thought I would move up quickly, especially after I started getting a lot of positive feedback from my supervisors and customers. But that didn't happen. This began to effect my attitude, which is usually very positive. I am a spiritual person though, and so I rediscovered prayer and asked for guidance. The result is that I learned that my attitude should not be brought down by my situation, but that I should use my attitude to bring me up. I've believed this for years, but now it is really being tested. Now I feel that I am where I am meant to be, at least, at this time of my life. Everyday, I have customers tell me how they see me smiling all the time, even when dealing with difficulties. And that I make their day.

Many people ask at some point in their life how they can make a difference. I think the answer can be as simple as having a positive attitude, and sharing a sincere smile with people around you. With the state of our economy right now, it may be the only thing some of us can to do help. In fact, I am beginning to believe, it is a big part of what we need to learn to get through this crisis. Economist, politicians, and big business want us to believe that the solution is more spending. Even the media is telling us this. Well, that never rang true with me, and less so now. I think the proof is in the pudding, and if you look at history, it has been proven time and time again. I won't assume that I know the answer, although I do have some ideas. But I believe, regardless of what the solution is, we need to remember that attitude is something we can control and can make a difference. I once heard that life is ten percent objective, and ninety percent attitude. In other words, you can't always control what is happening around you, but you can control how you decide to handle it.

Does this matter?
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