Well, finally, I'm posting again.... if you click on my title you will see the "one set" workout that I did today. In a future post, I will go into detail with my current workout strategy.... but for now....
Attitude.... positive? or something else.
When I first started this blog, I spoke about how much of what passes for "self-help" is often just repetiton of many age old platitudes. This is not to say that there is not some definite value to much of the material, but that there is very little original, and much of what there is, is superficial and overly simplistic.
One of those things is this whole idea of having a "positive attitude". Certainly, optimism can be vastly superior to being an eternal pessimist, but also it can be misconstrued as meaning that you have to always be happy and accepting of everything that comes your way. It also implies that this "attitude" comes out of thin air, in the sense that, one just decides to be "positive" because it seems to be self-evident that it is a better way to be, and that somehow great things will come to us as a result.
However, there are many who preach that we should have a positive attitude who may have an agenda as to some sort of advantage they wish to have over us, and they will use our "positive attitude" against us, by accusing us of being negative if we refuse to put up with their agenda.
A proper attitude isn't just something that we choose to have in a vacuum. A proper attitude is the result of having deliberately chosen certain values, principles and philosophies after having carefully considered alternatives, and having made that choice, are prepared to defend our values, with our lives if we must.
This type of attitude may not always come across as optimistic or "positive" or "nice" and in fact people who have the attitude that comes with havng the courage of their convictions, may come across to some as fighting against status quo's, suffocating bureaucracies and injustices. They may not always be appreciated, and frankly they don't really care.
Patrick Henry displayed this when he said, "Give me liberty, or give me death!" The British didn't think he had a positive attitude.
Athletes and businesspeople who have what I call "fire in the belly" or even the "killer instinct" may not be poster children for "positive attitudes" but they are the ones who make things happen in the world.
Ted Nugent, exemplifies it, when he screams out at his concerts, "God Bless, the (expletive) attitude!"
Angus Young, at 5'2"" when he looks out at his audience, and does the famous Chuck Berry duckwalk, shows this attitude....(one of the reasons, AC/DC is one of the top grossing acts in the world.
While some people, will be offended by this attitude, nothing of any value was ever accomplished by anyone trying to please everyone.
Cary Mullen the Olympic skiing champion, talks about "lunging forward" on the hill and in life.
While being positive, can definitely be a part of the formula, people who have the proper sense of life, display an attitude that could be characterized by the statement "Life is short, I plan to make the most of it, and I will not put up with anyone interfering with my right to do so!"
So if you see things around you, that you feel are not correct, don't get duped into the idea that you have to put up with it, by displaying a "positive attitude". Speak out! But, and here is the qualifier... make sure you know what you're talking about! Don't misconstrue my message to mean that we should complain every time things don't go our way, especially if we haven't taken the time to know the facts, and even more importantly, taken the time to carefully choose what it is that we strongly believe in. Most people never do, taking the attitude, "who am I to know?" If we take that stance, then we have just renounced our right to stand up for anything. (since we don't know what it is that we believe in!)
John Cougar Mellencamp's lyrics say, "if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything!"
Once having done the internal work, that we all have the responsibility to do, that will allow us the courage of our convictions....(you must have convictions before you have courage!), then we have the right, indeed, the responsibility when we see injustices to, "raise a little hell!" (or a lot)
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