Attitude is a very general term that encompasses many personality qualities both positive and negative. Your ability to choose the appropriate attitude to give you the result you want in life is one of your greatest challenges.

Your attitude determines how you respond to failure, rejection, let downs, rainy days, bad service at a restaurant or even someone who cuts you off in traffic. At the same time your attitude determines how you respond to the successes in life.

Do you accept them as though you deserve them or do you convince yourself you just got lucky?

Attitude is the parent of personal development. It determines your happiness. With a positive attitude you can’t have a negative experience. It’s impossible. What you experience all depends on how you interpret the situation that occurs in your life. Now that does not mean that circumstances won't go against your wishes or desires from time to time. But I think Jim Rohn said it best when he said “What’s important is what you do about it”. It’s all about choices.

You can choose to adopt a negative attitude where you blame and complain. Or you can choose to adopt a positive attitude where you learn from life’s lessons and experiences. The sooner you learn from these negative situations that arrive in your life the less they seem to present themselves.

Can you justify in your own mind that maybe that a person who just cut you off in traffic isn’t having a great day and it’s a shame they don’t understand what you do about how to respond to negative circumstances. You see, negative circumstances are simply experiences you have not emotionally mastered yet. Let me say that again.

Negative circumstances are simply experiences that YOU have not emotionally mastered yet.

Do you remember the old saying, “These things were sent to try us”. Every situation is simply an opportunity to improve our attitude toward life. When we improve our attitude, we improve our overall happiness and quality of life.

I will never forget the words of a young child who was terminally ill with cancer when he said, “If I had the choice to go back in time and choose whether or not I will live my life with or without the cancer, I would still choose the cancer. It has brought me many blessings. I am closer to my family and closer to God.” I was simply amazed at how a child of only 13 years could have such a terrific attitude towards life.

He took the best from the situation, no excuses, no complaint. Isn’t it humbling when we look at our own personal responses to what life hands us? How the wisdom of someone so young can teach us so much about developing the type of attitude that determines our happiness and success in life.