I can’t stress enough the importance of attitude on the success of your day.  Yesterday, as an experiment, I deliberately placed myself in a bad mood, I will complaining about things, putting myself down, just so I could see how that affects my responses to others and how I feel at the end of the day. 

Yesterday, I was in a pretty bad mood, whining about the same things that have been bugging me for months, wondering if I will ever climb out of this hole I have buried myself in.  By the end of the day, I was exhausted.  I didn’t want to be bothered by anyone and just curled up on my sofa and watched television.  I tossed and turned late into the night, unable to sleep because I had allowed everything to bother me.

This was totally out of the ordinary for me.  I am usually a cheerful guy with an unusually positive attitude.  I take things in stride, always with a smile (unless it’s severe) and my faith in myself and my abilities are usually relentless.

The other day, I introduce a word to my students:  corroding

cor·rode [kuh-rohd] –verb (used with object)

1. to eat or wear away gradually as if by gnawing, esp. by chemical action.
2. to impair; deteriorate: Jealousy corroded his character.

That’s what a negative attitude does.  It corrodes, it eats away gradually the more you allow it to take control.  I have seen it happen to so many other teachers and people in professions that are stressful and demanding.  In fact, I remember some of my worst teachers who just seemed so miserable because they had a negative attitude.

Charles Swindoll said, “I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it…  We are in charge of our attitudes.”  There is a book by Mac Anderson titled The Power of Attitudethat stays in my possession more than any other book (besides my Bible).  There is an amazing section of the book titled “Emotional Baggage” where he says that we have to unload our emotional hangups, forgiving those who have caused us harm or trouble.

So, that is where I am right now.  Forgiveness.  Unloading my emotional baggage.  I’m just… not angry anymore.  Do I trust the people who have hurt me?  No, but I no longer hate them nor am I angry with them.  If they have a problem with me, then I hope some day they will be able to unload their emotional baggage, as well.  But I’m through being angry, with myself and with others.

Until later… “There’s not turning back now that you opened up to your mind.”