April 29th, 2010
Cattitude is Everything!
This was an email that I received from my friend, Janice, and I thought that it was so true – attitude is EVERYTHING!
Read this and:~
LET IT REALLY SINK IN……
THEN CHOOSE.
John is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say.
When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply,
‘If I were any better, I would be twins!’
He was a natural motivator.
If an employee was having a bad day, John was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.
Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up and asked him, ‘I don’t get it!’
‘You can’t be a positive person all of the time.
How do you do it?’
He replied, ‘Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood I choose to be in a good mood.’
Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it.
Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or…I can point out the positive side of life.
I choose the positive side of life.
‘Yeah, right, it’s not that easy,’ I protested.
‘Yes, it is,’ he said. ’Life is all about choices.
When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice.
You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood.
You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood.
The bottom line: It’s your choice how you live your life.’
I reflected on what he said. Soon hereafter, I left the Tower Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.
Several years later, I heard that he was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower.
After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, he was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back.
I saw him about six months after the accident.
When I asked him how he was, he replied, ‘If I were any better, I’d be twins. Wanna see my scars?’
I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.
‘The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon-to-be born daughter,’ he replied. ‘Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices:
I could choose to live or…I could choose to die. I chose to live.’
‘Weren’t you scared? Did you lose consciousness?’ I asked.
He continued, ‘…the paramedics were great.
They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read ‘he’s a dead man’. I knew I needed to take action.’
‘What did you do?’ I asked.
‘Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me, said John. ‘She asked if I was allergic to anything ‘Yes, I replied.’ The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, ‘Gravity”
Over their laughter, I told them, ‘I am choosing to live.
Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.’
He lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude….I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.
Attitude, after all, is everything.
Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34.
After all, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.
I am a daughter of the King of Kings, seeking to live a godly life and mirror the love of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
It’s a lovely story Jillian although I don’t agree with you on one point though…John (I think that’s his name?) DIDN’T choose to live. God wanted him to live. He (John) didn’t have a choice to make regarding his life or death. God has already planned if John would live of die. Sure, he could choose to sulk and get depressed over what happened OR he could say that what happened was God’s plan for his life. THAT’S something John has control over. His attitude.
love Sally
Wow! I am speechless actually! Very inspiring!
Hi Sally,
I totally agree – that is something that we all have control over – our attitude.
Have a wonderful week,
Love and blessings, Jillian ♥
Hi Rosemary,
Thank you – our attitude IS everything, isn’t it?
Have a wonderful week,
Love and blessings, Jillian ♥
Wise words Jillian.
Something to take in and absorb.
Thank you,
Tania
Hi Jillian – I know you don’t know me, but I have seen you write some comments on my cousin Jo’s blog (stop have a chat), and on Jo’s recommendation I came on over to have a read of your blog. Been enjoying what I’ve read here – and noticed you’re using ACE for homeschooling – I began homeschooling my 5 year old daughter with ACE at the beginning of the year, been enjoying their curriculum (at least mostly – there are a lot of Americanisms!! Not that it’s terribly important anyway – my husband IS after all, American!!
… Love the story in this post – is it a true story from your own experience, or did you read it somewhere else? 
Attitude is very important, and I know from personal experience as a nurse that whether or not a person has the right attitude, and the “will to live” does seem to play some kind of part in their illness – although I do believe God overrules all and it is He that gives life and takes it away.
Look forward to coming back to read some more!
God bless you -
Clara
http://danielandclara.blogspot.com/
http://aussievannattans.blogspot.com/
Hi Tania,
Thank you.
Have a wonderful week,
Love and blessings, Jillian ♥
Hi Clara,
We have been using ACE for the last year, and it is very thorough. My daughter and I have just bought a home economics curriculum from Christian Light Publications, as she is already in year 10, and is only 13, so we thought that we’d bulk it out a little.
I’m glad that you’re enjoying ACE – our children really enjoy using ACE, too.
Thank you – the story in this post is one that I had emailed from a friend, and I thought that it was too good to just sit in an email box. Attitude is everything, but I do agree – God numbers our days right from the beginning, and it is only He who can give life or take it away.
Thank you for taking the time to stop in and say hi,
Have a wonderful week,
God bless you,
Jillian ♥
I was amazed to read that your daughter is 13 and doing grade 10… Before now, I haven’t heard of anyone else whose child is advanced like that and homeschooled. My daughter is 5 and her grade level is between grade 2-5. Most subjects she’s up to about grade 3, but some I’ve held her back a little so she can review things (and make sure I haven’t missed teaching her things)… but for spelling and reading levels, she is at grade 5 level. It is fantastic to meet another Christian homeschooler whose child is advanced like that. Has your daughter always been ahead, or did she suddenly start accelerating at some point, or what? I would love to hear about it – if you wish to email me instead, my email is hopingtoflyfree@yahoo.com.au
God bless
Clara
Hi Clara,
Our daughter started school in grade three, as she was bored with grade one work. She could already read and write before starting school, and she could perform basic mathematical equations during the first two weeks of school.
We withdrew our son from school in year three, and when we started homeschooling him, my daughter said that she wanted to do the same work as him, so she did, and it has continued from there. She is three years ahead of her time, but we have her expanding on her year 10 certificates this year, so that she can gain year 10 Academic certificate and because she can’t leave school until she’s 17. In many other ways she is very advanced, but she is still a little girl.
Have a wonderful week,
Love and blessings, Jillian ♥
That is really amazing – thank you for answering my questions!! Your daughter has advanced through her grades so fast – that is such a gift!
She sounds like a real delight! 
Hi Clara,
You’re very welcome!
She does have her moments, just like any ordinary child!
Have a wonderful week,
Love and blessings, Jillian ♥