I had dinner the other nite at a popular place in Charleston, South Carolina. One of those restaurants with ok food, enthusiastic staff and long waits to get in. It’s obviously the staff that makes for the long lines. As I was leaving I found a little card that the owners distribute to their patrons. Here’s what it said.
“We hire our staff based on this motto. The longer I live the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than success, that what other people think or say or do. It is more important that 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 embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people 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% how I react to it. And so it is with you . . . we are in charge of our ATTITUDES.” Chuck Swindoll
Now to Tiger. In his interview after the Masters he was plainly obnoxious. Nothing good to say about the winner only whining about how badly he played to finish fourth.
I wonder whether Tiger would be an even better golfer, and person, if he had a better attitude. What if he could find the positive spin on what happens to him? What if he could understand the inevitable that he won’t always win? What if he chose to be present himself as having a happy positive attitude. Would the appearance of having more fun translate into having more fun and even better scores?
And what about us? Can we just decide every morning when we wake up that today is a day for smiling? Can we just play the string that is our attitude to bring fuller relationships and maybe more success to our slice of the world? Can you just decide when you wake up to be strong, magnificent and happy for the day or maybe just for five minutes at a time? Try it. I think it will work.
