Choosing One's Attitude
Today I am grateful for time with our grandson Leo and his mom, my stepdaughter Emily. I am also
grateful for indoor plumbing, something I almost always take for granted.
Happy Birthday today to Emily! She is a good mom to Leo and working hard in many ways. She impresses me with her efforts, not always seen in young people these days.
Another quote that is really at the basis of my motivation to live gratefully is this one by Viktor Frankl, Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist.
It is a quote worth revisiting often. Most of us have never experienced the extreme deprivation and horrors of a concentration camp. Yet, we all experience life challenges. If you are like me, my biggest challenge is often myself and my thinking.
It can be easy to blame circumstances or point fingers at the unfairness of life when we are trying to justify or rationalize our own oversized ego and selfish motives. That is not productive or even healthy. It is also the opposite of freedom, because we have given away the only power we have. That is the power to choose our own attitude and actions.
When we look outside of ourselves and see the bigger picture and our humble part in it, only then do we tend to have a healthier perspective. Living gratefully, intentionally practicing gratitude, are most helpful in this endeavor.
Circumstances may be extreme, or difficult, or even favorable. The key is indeed my attitude toward it all. And my attitude is much healthier and of service to others when I start from mindful gratitude.
In each moment, we each have a choice. What will yours be?
grateful for indoor plumbing, something I almost always take for granted.
Happy Birthday today to Emily! She is a good mom to Leo and working hard in many ways. She impresses me with her efforts, not always seen in young people these days.
Another quote that is really at the basis of my motivation to live gratefully is this one by Viktor Frankl, Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist.
"We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances."
(from his book Man's Search for Meaning)
It is a quote worth revisiting often. Most of us have never experienced the extreme deprivation and horrors of a concentration camp. Yet, we all experience life challenges. If you are like me, my biggest challenge is often myself and my thinking.
It can be easy to blame circumstances or point fingers at the unfairness of life when we are trying to justify or rationalize our own oversized ego and selfish motives. That is not productive or even healthy. It is also the opposite of freedom, because we have given away the only power we have. That is the power to choose our own attitude and actions.
When we look outside of ourselves and see the bigger picture and our humble part in it, only then do we tend to have a healthier perspective. Living gratefully, intentionally practicing gratitude, are most helpful in this endeavor.
Circumstances may be extreme, or difficult, or even favorable. The key is indeed my attitude toward it all. And my attitude is much healthier and of service to others when I start from mindful gratitude.
In each moment, we each have a choice. What will yours be?
Another powerful post.
ReplyDeleteFrankl’s words and his life experiences are good to keep in mind for sure. Thanks Aileen!
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