Attitude
 

“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.”…Charles Swindoll

I stumbled upon this Swindoll quote probably thirty years ago and it instantly became memorable for me. If it were shorter this would be on the list of top ten quotes to be memorized by grade-school students; but sometimes the complexity of the thought requires too many more words to make it memorizable. Although it can apply to many different contexts, one of the primary ones is where you find yourself physically. I’ve seen many examples of the truth of Swindoll’s observation during my career.

In the military I was stationed several places that I thought were paradise; and yet, inevitably I met a few people who didn’t want to go there, didn’t want to be there, and ended up being miserable there. Their attitudes shaped their experience. When I was part of a contingent deployed to a location that was euphemistically referred to as “arduous duty” we met as a team and decided that we could be miserable or be positive…and we decided we were always going to be positive no matter where we went no matter what happened…and it turned out to be a great experience!

Fast forward to today. Although Mrs. Pirate and I are still 1-2 years away from becoming full time TV residents, I’m already proud to be a Villager. In addition to being the largest retirement community TV is probably the best retirement community in the country, and we are so glad we found this place. You found it too - and I'll bet you decided to live here because you like the place. No matter our circumstances, we can all choose to be miserable or positive. Are you proud to be a Villager?

I remember a pych class experiment. We would walk into the local food store with an unfriendly look on our faces. It seemed that when we did this, everyone we interacted with was curt and unfriendly. If we would walk into the same store with a big smile on our faces, everyone we met seemed to be in a great mood. I don't know if it has any scientific validity, but the lesson stuck with me. Not only can our attitude influence the way we perceive things, it can also influence other people around us.

Great attitude!

You have experienced things in Military that certainly would hamper the ordinary citizen.
We count on you to be "extraordinary" citizen of the Villages.

Hopefully your positivity will enrich and enlighten our "little piece of Paradise",

Carbon under pressure becomes a precious Jewel (diamond)

Great posts!:coolsmiley:

Now that is the attitude of a future Villager.

:a040:

:coolsmiley:

:ho:

Rebel: One thing about TV is that you are going to meet some very talented and interesting people from all over the world. Sounds like you will be one too. Come on down and best of luck in the meantime.

Happy Happy Joy Joy.

Everyone I meet I give them a smile, and if someone appears down I give them a genuine complement, it seems to change their day for the better.

Rebel Pirate, Now starting Right Now, I will practice your positive attitude about where I am, as prior to reading this post, I have been overwhelmed, and depressed since returning from TV in May, as to all that needs to be done to get this house cleared out, fixed up, and ready to sell.
I am yearning to be a villager asap.

Jim. You have the nicest attitude. I just love your posts. I always look forward to what you have to say. I know that lots of us feel the same.

This is a great thread. Thank you OP! You are just the kind of villager that everyone will enjoy.

13 muscles needed to smile, 87 needed to frown. :smiley:

The o.p. is so true. Attitude from both sides of a scenario forms experiences into either good or bad ones. The good thing is, we have the freedom to choose our attitude.

We can choose to be content and not in turmoil but in peace, or we can choose to be bitter and constantly blaming others for our miserable existence. About that, I like this quote:

"Bitterness is a poison you drink, hoping your enemy will die."

Knowing Swindoll's teachings over time, I'm pretty sure he'd recommend that we ask our Maker to remove bitterness from our minds so we can be whole again.

and.....
 

...it's a choice! WE choose our attitude. I know many say but you don't have my life, illness etc and there is some truth to it. Has anyone ever heard of Joni Erickson Tada...she became a paraplegic at a young age due to a diving accident and yes she has had to overcome many things....and yes she has down days....everyone does.... but her overall tenor of her life is positive.....practice an attitude of gratitude! And welcome to the OP you will be the perfect Villager!

Excellent thread! Thanks go to the O.P. for starting it! :wave:

Bill :)

One of my favorite sayings is: "Pressure makes diamonds." Anytime I'm under stress or pressure I'm always thinking it will make my diamond sparkle better after I get through it using a good attitude. :laugh:

:mademyday: Thanks Gracie. Lincoln perhaps said it best "Most people are as happy as they make up their minds to be". Now that is what I call a great attitude.