MAY 26, 15 .. ATTITUDE .. CHARLES SWINDOLL ..
I have published Charles Swindoll’s writing on Attitude several times. Because it always carries a strong positive message I am again publishing it.
If you GOOGLE Charles Swindoll you will see he is quite a special man!
“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 failures, 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 every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is to 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.”
WHEW .. POWERFUL .. THOUGHT PROVOKING ..
Thank You Mr. Swindoll for this exceptional concept. Thank You Mr. Swindoll for allowing us a 10% area of ‘wiggle room’ and NOT writing .. that life is 0% what happens to me, and 100% how I react to it.
Because of the impact that our mental health has upon each of us .. I would also add to his last sentence the following .. to a large extent we are in charge of our Attitudes.
PHYSIOLOGICALLY BASED MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES!
I feel .. this is just my own personal opinion .. that if your brain chemicals are out-of-whack and going-crazy .. and I mean literally going crazy .. to a great degree you have lost control of your attitude. A friend of Patti and myself made a go at suicide recently attempting the method of hanging. In a post card to her just yesterday I wrote that I can not have a weapon in my life. Especially a firearm. With me this suicide thing can just erupt literally out-of-no-where!
ATTITUDE .. Knowing this about myself I strive to keep my ATTITUDE positive. My ATTITUDE depends upon my physical condition. Proper (it is not first by accident) hydration .. nutrition .. rest .. exercise .. practicing my spiritual principles .. just doing what I know to do so that when one of my horrific dark black clouds suddenly engulfs me .. at age 78 .. I now have the experience to deal with it successfully. I know what to do and how to do it and I DO IT!
Even with brain chemical problems ATTITUDE is important because IF you can somehow get into the proper ATTITUDE and seek and follow professional medical advice .. you can go a long way in this life.
ATTITUDE!
To me … and more important to many Indians themselves .. it is HOTTER THAN HOLY HELL here in India right now. Do many of you go North to Alaska in the dead of winter? Most people do not. The same with India. Most people do NOT come to India during the HOT (there is the HOT and the WET which is the challenging monsoon season and the OTHER here which tends to be mid-November to late February).
PATTI JUST TOLD ME she has read in her newspaper that in my area of India some 500 people have died in the temperatures approaching 118 Degrees Fahrenheit. At least I now feel like less-of-a-wimp!
But if you do go North to Alaska in the winter you may stay-put-inside for a fair amount of the time.
In the winter in Alaska .. IF it feels cool inside .. You walk outside where it IS cold .. When you come back inside it feels very toasty warm. This applies here now .. When my room begins to feel warm .. I go outside and when I return to my room I almost (but not quite) need a down-jacket it feels so cold to me! I am then good-to-go for an hour or often more.
ATTITUDE (MINE) .. What I have to do is to deal with India’s Summer as I deal with Alaska in the Winter. I have finally gotten IT!
Summer in India is really their winter .. One of their two most challenging seasons so just deal with it just like we deal with our winters.
“Captain oh Captain! Just stay inside of your cool and your comfortable air conditioned room during the HEAT ..Captain.” .. “Treat the HEAT ..just like you treat the COLD ..in winter Alaska!”
ATTITUDE .. What do you all see below? A traffic-jam par excellence!
KEEP IN MIND THAT IT IS TERRIBLY HOT!!
ATTITUDE! THEN I SAW IT!
I dashed out of my Auto Rickshaw and I PHOTOGRAPHED IT!
In the midst of some very challenging conditions just look at the ..
BELOW EXPRESSION OF LOVE!! At the pride in their very own treasured Auto Rickshaw.
Oh Captain My Captain! .. Was this a suicide urge Captain! .. You leaping out of your Auto Rickshaw to dash through the traffic to capture the above photo?
No I just recognized THEIR LOVING AND THEIR POSITIVE ATTITUDE and I wanted to share it with you all! In the swamp grows the lovely lotus flower!
So finally I have gotten my ATTITUDE about this HEAT into a comfortable frame of mind. Stay in during the day and go out at night Captain! Or if you do go out in the noonday-sun .. Which you KNOW full well you are going to do .. Walk very slowly and drink a lot of water! And do it with a POSITIVE ATTITUDE!
Blessings to you all .. Cap ..
I have heard that song writers are to some extent NOT able to NOT write a song. It almost seems as if they have a ‘song-in-their-brain’ DEMANDING to be written. I do not hear this about writers. HOWEVER it was all I could do last night NOT to jump up out of bed and dash to this computer and write the above Post. I could barely contain myself.
I am leaving June 4th .. I am NOT staying here in India past June the 4th!
7 thoughts on “MAY 26, 15 .. ATTITUDE .. CHARLES SWINDOLL ..”
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Attitude is everything … and if you can zen your way through that heat, you may be a better person than I am Gunga Din! When I read it is 117.8 degrees in the area where you are, I had to wash MY face with cool water!! I am so happy that you have the option to have air conditioning in your room and that you are staying put and not traveling right now through this heat. Self care. Love, Patti
“You’re a better man than I am, Gunga Din!” Oh Rudyard Kipling and India .. OH GOOGLE! To the Marines. I got through boot camp repeating to myself .. “How many thousands of men did this! So too can I!” So as I am out in the heat amongst the others I simply think to myself that IF they can do this then so too can I. They do have some cultural advantages however since they are born and raised in this heat. Thanks for the proof reading here .. Smiles .. Cap ..
Tuesday, May 26, 2015 – 10:30 am So Cal
Hi Cap,
A clip from my MS web site this morning:
“HYDERABAD, India (AP) — More than 750 people have died in southern India since the middle of April as soaring summer temperatures scorch the country, officials said Tuesday.
The southeastern states of Andhra Pradesh and Telengana have been hit the hardest.
More than 550 people have died from the unrelenting heat in Andhra Pradesh since May 13, state Deputy Chief Minister Nimmakayala Chinna Rajappa said.
A top state official in Telangana, Bhambal Ram Meena, said about 215 heat-related deaths have been reported since April 15.
Daily temperatures in both states have hit between 45 and 48 degrees Celsius (113 and 118 degrees Fahrenheit). Officials have urged people to stay hydrated and remain indoors as much as possible.”
The article went on to say the heat wave will stay around until next week – about the time you are to depart! At least you should have a nice, cool flight back to Hong Kong!
Zilla
WOW I am getting all of my news about this heat from Patti and you! Until Patti told me yesterday that it was international news and gave me some statistics .. I was just ‘slugging it out’ .. Well I am still just ‘slugging it out’ but as I wrote in my post I am not feeling like such a ‘wimp’. Thanks for the comment my friend .. Joy to you and to kleiner bear! Smiles .. Cap ..
I can’t imagine that kind of heat. Here it’s a lovely high 50s and low 60s. BTW, I saw an auto rickshaw in Calcutta with a “Free Hug” sign. And, yeah, attitude is everything. I have to remind myself of that frequently and wish I’d learned it MUCH earlier in life. Nowadays when something goes sour, I think about what fine writing fodder it is.
You just ‘hit onto’ one of ‘Zilla’s and my favorite acronyms .. BTW. We have used it for over 39 years and I did not know anyone else used it. WOW! By The Way .. as ‘Zilla says .. NIFTY! The heat is a real issue here. Patti just said the death toll is now over 800. I imagine that IF you could have done so .. you would have photographed the ‘Free Hug’ sign as I did mine. Those special moments! What a great concept of attitude .. Now this is some good writing fodder .. Smiles .. Cap ..
Attitude is everything and I continually pray for God’s help to enable me to have a positive and grateful attitude, even on the days that “feel” dark and difficult. I’m thankful I have a relationship with God who gives me daily strength, but I know I must do my part! Thanks for the encouragement! Love – Ginny