The Impact of Attitude on Life

My Fellow Americans,

I want to talk to you today about attitude and how it can affect every aspect of your life.  Please read the following quote from Charles R. Swindoll (photo: Google), an American writer and clergyman (source: Wikipedia).

“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, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, 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 everyday 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% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.”

It's a lengthy one, I know.  However, I felt it was the best way to convey to you my thoughts for today.

Attitude shapes every part of our lives: from how we think about something to how motivated we are at our jobs.  We have seen attitude come into play with the economy, where hot shot Wall Street executives thought they were invincible.  We see attitude playing out in the healthcare debate, with Nancy Pelosi dismissing the Tea Party movement as "Astro-turf."  Everything and anything we encounter in life is related in some way (whether large or small) to attitude.

As Swindoll says, "...[L]ife is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it."  Read that portion of the quote to yourself once more.  Now think about it.  It's so true.  The only thing we can control is how we react in any given situation.  What changes can YOU make in how you react to certain situations that may be unpleasant or uncomfortable?

Let me tell you something about attitude from my own experience.  I used to hate politics.  I told you about that when I started this blog.  Now, it's all I talk about.  I used to only care about watching sports.  Now, I watch Glenn Beck's TV show on the Fox News Channel religiously.  I can't get enough of it.

There was a time, however, that when people brought up politics, my mind went blank.  I would have a listless expression on my face and my eyes would glaze over.  I didn't care.  I didn't want to join the debate.  I didn't want to hear about the economy or the war.  I didn't even vote.

Then, in late 2008, my attitude changed.  I was introduced to Beck and Fox...to Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity.  I took an interest in the John McCain/Sarah Palin ticket.  I learned about what Barack Obama's beliefs toward taxes were.  And for once, I cared.  I saw how, if Obama were elected, he would increase my taxes.  As an aspiring small businessman and real estate investor, I saw this as a huge problem.  I wanted to learn more.

And learn more I did.  I read.  I listened.  I watched.  And I have been glued to the Internet, TV, and radio ever since.  I can't get enough. 

And how did all this happen?  My attitude had changed (for the better in my opinion).

Indeed, we are in charge of our attitudes.

Has there been a time in your life when your attitude changed about something -- whether good or bad?  Please, feel free to share your experiences with us.

Thanks,

The Refounding Father

Quote of the Week & Commentary

"War: an act of violence whose object is to constrain the enemy, to accomplish our will."

My Fellow Americans,

The quote above is attributed to the Commander of the Continental Army and our first President -- none other than George Washington.  For more on George, read his Wikipedia page here.

With Obama's speech on Dec. 1 regarding the surge of troops in Afghanistan, I felt a quote about war was appropriate.  More importantly, a quote about going to war to win would work the best.

As we discussed this week, Obama is not in this war to win it.  If he wanted to win, he would have given our troops in Afghanistan an additional 50,000 to 60,000 troops instead of the 30,000 he announced he would send over the next year and a half.

The object of war, as Washington noted, is to "constrain the enemy" and "accomplish our will."  I don't see Obama's plan doing either of these.

What Obama will do is allow our enemy, the Taliban, to wait us out until after July 2011 (the month he announced the U.S. would start pulling troops from Afghanistan).  Furthermore, his inability to send the reinforcements needed will ensure that the U.S. fails in the Middle East.

Can we come to any other conclusion?  Do I want our fellow Americans to fail over there?  No way.  But, do I think they are being provided the best opportunity for success?  Not in the least.

We can only hope the Obama administration comes to its senses as the plan to send only 30,000 troops unfolds.  If they don't, our men and women overseas are being placed in a greater danger than is necessary.

(Picture Source: Google Images)