Attitude

Allow me to quote Abraham Lincoln, “We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”

Mr. Toastmaster, fellow Toastmasters and very welcomed guests, a very good evening.

How many times have we been told that we could have handled a situation differently? How many times have we asked ourselves that if my friend can, why can’t I? How many times has it happened that we have been in exact same situation as our neighbor, but we managed to take control of the situation whereas our neighbor couldn't? If your answer to even one of the questions was more than zero, then I am sure you would have asked yourself, at some point or the other, how could have I handled the situation differently, or why my neighbor couldn't take control of the situation.

The other day, I was walking towards food court, after sitting in an air conditioned cabin for four hours and I was complaining to my friend about how hot it was. At that moment, I saw an elderly person, probably in his fifties, mowing the lawn, and he had a smile on his face. I felt ashamed. Why was it that I was complaining even after sitting in the air conditioned cabin whereas this gentleman had a smile on his face?

This incident stayed with me for a while and I did some soul searching. It brought be to the age old question of whether the glass is half full or half empty.

I once had a friend who was pursuing BE in Electrical engineering. Once, just before an end semester exam, we were sitting and talking, mind you, not studying but talking, he was complaining to me about how the electrical subjects were very difficult. I was just a patient listener at that point of time. Later, when the results were announced, needless to say, my dear friend could not pass the exam and had failed in one of the subjects. After six months, we were having the same discussion again, the only difference being that his exact words were, “Last semester was so easy, and this one is the toughest.” With a slight smile, I asked my friend, brother, you said the same thing six months back! So, what has really happened in these six months? How did the subjects that you found tough then became easy all of a sudden? The subject has not changed, what has changed is your attitude towards the course. The moment you think that it is easy, it becomes easy.

It isn't what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it. It is this thought that changes our whole perspective about anything. It is because of this thought that some people are unhappy and feel that they have lot of worries even though they are driving a Mercedes, whereas some people have a big smile on their face even while balancing their family of four while riding a motorcycle.

Have you, my friend, ever felt that a task you were about to do was a difficult one? And how did you feel after you finished the task? How would you feel, if someone asked you to do the same task again? Once, our attitude towards a job changes, the job itself becomes easy. We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.

Having said that, we have to be realistic as well. We can’t just say that I will jump from the tenth floor and nothing will happen to me or jump into the fire and still be alive. It is true that having a positive attitude helps us conquer most of our fears and we can achieve things which we had just dream of earlier, but the same attitude can sometimes cause immense problems as well. This attitude when misplaced, can lead to overconfidence and history is filled with examples when great empires have been destroyed because the emperor became over confident. Hence, it is very important to know where to draw the line and not get carried away. Rest assured, I feel it is right to say that if your motives are noble and your attitude is correct, no one can stop you from achieving your target!

I read this story about a 94 year young lady who everyone described as a delightful, cheerful and positive person.

One day her friends asked her, "What is the secret of your happiness?" She replied, "The secret is a very simple one. It is my enthusiasm for life. And because I always think positive, I am positive".

She paused for a while and then added, "Of-course I owe a lot of my positive thinking to my boyfriends."

"Boyfriends?" They asked her in disbelief, "Do you have boyfriends at this age?"

"You bet I do," she replied with a smile. "They are my constant faithful companions to this day!"

"How come you never told us before? Do tell us about them," her friends pleaded.

"I get up each morning with the help of my first boyfriend. He is Grat Etude (Gratitude). I go for a walk with my second boyfriend, Arthur Ritis (Arthritis). He has been my constant companion for the last 30 years. My evenings are spend with my third boyfriend Ben Gay (Bengay: an analgesic cream for joint pains), who has such a warm and soothing presence."

All her friends couldn't help admiring her attitude to life. They realized that the reason she was so cheerful and young at heart was that she had embraced all her aches and pains as friends, and because she had stopped complaining and resisting her condition, she lived her crippling life with ease.

Truly, the only disability in life is a bad attitude.

Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.

I would like to leave you with a thought; I quote the Father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi,

“Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words. Keep your words positive because your words become your behavior. Keep your behavior positive because your behavior becomes your habits. Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values. Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny.”

So my friends, I hope when we walk out of this room today, we will take a deep breath and tell ourselves, “When life gives us lemons, we will make lemonade out of them”

Mr. Toastmaster, over to you…