Attitude: The Key to Life Success

Attitude is the Key to Life Success, No Matter the Circumstance

I was talking to my dad the other day about attitude and the profound impact it has on our lives. He told me a story that really drove the point home. He told me a story about Gene Jacobsen, a prisoner of war in Bataan and Japan during 1942-1945. Gene was placed in the most awful circumstances a human could imagine. The soldiers who gave up on life and hope would die within weeks. My dad told me that Gene took this attitude, refuse to die. This was the attitude he credits to his survival during the worst times of his life. I have his book, "We Refused to Die" on my list of books to read next.

Charles R. Swindoll, Attitude is Everything

I grew up with the Charles R. Swindoll quote about attitude on my mirror in my bathroom. I believe this quote to be true and the key to a successful life. It reads:

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than 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 will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will 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% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.”