A positive attitude

I've been thinking a lot about how important it is to have a positive attitude. Today one of my friends was telling me about an invasive surgery her mother is scheduled to have. She said two things that really struck a cord with me and I hope she won't mind me sharing.

"it's a very freaky time for us - trying to stay positive when all you want to do is scream "are you fucking kidding me???"
But then she followed it up with this.
"she'll be fine - she's the strongest person I know - it's going to be fine!"

And that's the perfect attitude to have. American author and motivational speaker Zig Ziglar once said "It's not what happens to you that determines how far you will go in life; it is how you handle what happens to you." And I think that is so fitting.

I'll never forget when my grandfather almost died in the hospital after a heart attack four years ago. The doctors didn't give him a very good chance of survival. But we all said no way, he's not going to give up, he's a fighter. And he still is.

I think about trying to maintain a positive attitude every day. I thought about it a lot when I was a manager because you set the tone for your staff. One of my bosses taught me that.

Several years ago when I was a young TV newscast producer, my executive producer heavily criticized me for my bad attitude. First, I couldn't help but think 'well isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?' I could go on and on about her attitude.. but I digress.

Anyway, she went on to tell me that I was a powerful force in the newsroom and that a lot of people looked up to me. So when I was in a bad mood or had a bad attitude, everyone else was in a bad mood or had a bad attitude too.

That comment was really eye opening for me. And from that day on I always tried my best to leave my problems at the door when I walked into work and not look at things like problems, but as challenges.

The boxing legend Muhammad Ali once said “To be a great champion you must believe you are the best. If you’re not, pretend you are.” Enough said!

So how about you? Can you think of a time when having a positive attitude really helped turn your situation around? Or what about when having a bad attitude only seemed to make things worse? I'd love to hear from you. E-mail me at miss.attitude7@gmail.com.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude