Gunny376 Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 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, the education, the 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.” Link to post Share on other sites
Ilovehimbut Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 I have that one taped to my wall in the home office and often when my kids get upset about something/someone I ask them to go in and read it. Had it for a long time - and I too think it's "words to live by". Very nice of you to print it! Thanks! Link to post Share on other sites
Author Gunny376 Posted February 2, 2010 Author Share Posted February 2, 2010 It should be posted in every home, work place, place of worship and every street corner. Link to post Share on other sites
Author Gunny376 Posted February 2, 2010 Author Share Posted February 2, 2010 As a matter of fact I think I'm going to have some cards printed out and just randomingly handle them out as I go through life. I encourage others to do so as well. Let's go Harvey, you Big Poppa! Link to post Share on other sites
Butterflair Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 That is a great quote and one that I live by without knowing that I did. I long ago learned that I can't control anyone else, only myself and how I react to things. I make the choice to let it go or have it bother me. It sure makes life much easier. I printed it to add to my desk. Another quote I've cut from a paper and pasted to my desk is by Eleanor Roosevelt: “We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.” Turns out we can do almost anything we set our minds to do. Every person has something they fear, until you turn and face it, it will haunt you and not go away. Most of us here are facing the fear of divorce and being alone. With the right attitude and facing it head on, we can do this and we can be better for it. Link to post Share on other sites
FeelingLonely98 Posted February 3, 2010 Share Posted February 3, 2010 Thanks Gunny - Great quote. I like BF also live my life by this motto without having ever reading it. Anything is possible... with the right attitude Link to post Share on other sites
JLoves Posted February 3, 2010 Share Posted February 3, 2010 I know it doesn't really count in the long line of quotable quotes but.. I spent some time with my extended family just before Christmas and we took my sister out for birthday lunch at a local garden centre cafe. We ordered and she got me a can of Coke.. It arrived and it was one with 'Happiness' on the side. I think there is a message there for me. (totally unpaid for advert.. sorry) Link to post Share on other sites
tnttim Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 That's why I like you Gunny, you know the secret of happiness. I live by that motto everyday of my life now and I haven't been dissappointed yet. Link to post Share on other sites
bigcsw Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 My favorite quote is a song lyric from a jimmy buffett tune "Breathe in, Breathe out, Move on" It's worked well for me. Link to post Share on other sites
Author Gunny376 Posted February 5, 2010 Author Share Posted February 5, 2010 Years ago like so many of you here today, when I was going through "my troubles" I told the XHEX, (and this was back in 89') that she was like a beggar in Baghdad, that was happy and content with his life as such. Until one day a rich man came along scolded him for being so happy with and in his Life. "Look! You have no shoes, you wear rags for clothes? What should you be so happy about? You should be sad and miserable!" And from that moment on he was. I told her that because before we got to Okinawa, we were happy and I though she was happy. We seemed to be anyway. Until she fell in with a bunch of disgruntled housewives (Actually, imagine moving to a town with a population of about 40,000 men, mostly between the ages of 18 and 38 and less than 10,000 women ~ mostly married) I learned over the years that as Abe Lincoln once said, "Most of us are about as happy as we make our minds up to be!" And that's so very true. Our happiness is our own individual responsibility ~ make that our own daily individual responsibility. As is our attitude. People come and people go ~ but there's no one monkey that makes a show. After many years of contemplating it, I can only come to the conclusion that the Good Lord must love @ssholes, jerks, and SOBs? Because there are so many of them. Then in His wisdom I gradually learned that people are such as we let them treat us, and we do very much teach people how to treat us. We can only be their own personal doormats if we let them. The few true @ssholes, jerks and SOB's are acutely cowards that hide behind their own false bravado. The rest are just trying to make it through one more day. A smile, a friendly greeting, or small gesture of respect from one human being to another goes a long way in making a complete strangers bad day a better day. So it really does come down to one's attitude. Everyday I remind myself not to be an @zzhole today ~ simply because the world is covered up with them, and has all of them that it can handle So my advice would be to choose to be happy ~ and to not let the actions or in-actions, the words or lack thereof of others dictate what your attitude is going to be today. Put a smile on your face, a laugh in your voice. Do or at least try and do the Right thing. You know what it? God wrote it upon your heart the day you were conceived. Just do the Right Thing! The "Storms Of Life" are rolling over a lot of you right now, and they seem to come one right after the another. To paraphrase a Keith Whitney song ("I'm No Stranger To The Rain") you become a "friend" to the thunder and it gets to the point where it doesn't even bother you anymore when lighting strikes you. You become immune to the pain. But they say that without the pain there's no gain. Its the pain that's going to motivate you and make your learn. Its why your here at LoveShack. You'll trudge along through the mud and mir, until one day a "Healing Fire" will come across and you will reconcile your past, your present and your future. You will find peace and contentment ~ and you will be at peace with yourself. You will reconcile that at the time you gave all that you had to give, you did the best you could an knew how to do at the time. Granted you may be able to do better here and now for the experience? But at the time you worked with what you knew and had to work with. You will come to the realization that "If crying wouldn't make them stay it sure as hell isn't going to bring them back! You'll acknowledge that your "good people" with a lot of love to give. That what one will abuse? Another can certainly use! A lot what most of you are going through? Is nothing more than institutionalization. To quote an old George Jones song ~ "Its not just that your the prettiest girl for miles and miles around, its not that you've got a set of 44DD, its not that your Daddy's the richest man in town ~ its just that I'm use to having you around!" As hard as it may be? There's going to come a day when your going to see your X and stumble about in disbelief and wonderment ~ "What tha' HELL did I ever see in them?" So get your head and @zz wired back together, get out there with the right perspective and attitude, rub a little sunshine on your face and catch yourself a bus to Mexico! That's what I did, now I'm just 'kicking' it with some Jimmy Buffet in Margaritaville. Funny back in the day when I was going through "my troubles" I didn't see any end in sight. It was one thing after another. Sleepless nights, worry, bill collectors, driving used junk cars, ruined credit, bankruptcy, troubles with the IRS (Oh yea! I'm a divorce 'vet") Now I've got a cool ~ low stress ~ no stress job with low stress ~ no stress bosses, owing less money than I've ever owed ($100 a month on my MasterCard, making more money than I ever made in my life. I've got everything I need, and most of what I want. Indeed I want for nothing. My point is not to brag, but to say "Yes this is very much life after divorce!" But your going to have to earn it the old fashioned way ~ you've got to work for it! You may even have to "slave" after it! The Life you want is out there, you've just got to go out there and get it! Now that may or may not involve free "Bubbleup" and eating "Rainbow Pie" But the Life you were destined to live? Is out there, as is happiness, peace of mind and contentment. Right now a lot of you feel like you just got thrown under the bus, and had your @zzes handed to you as you crawled out from under the wreck? Just keep things in perspective. If you've got your health, your strength, and your freedom? Your way, way, way ahead of the game of most in the World. Even if your one of the umemployed. If you've got those three going for you? Your way ahead of the game of most in the world. If you've got a roof over your head and bed to sleep in? Your ahead of the game! If you've got a job ~ any job? Your ahead of the game! If you've got medical and dental care? Your ahead of the game! If you've got medical and dental insurance? Your ahead of the game! If you live in a Western nation? Your way ahead of the game! Count your blessings ~ not your troubles! At the end of the day? Someone walks out on you? Leaves you? All that means is that you've got to go and find yourself someone new! Someone who appreciates what you've got to offer! Someone who appreciates what your bringing to the table. Someone who values you, appreciates you, loves you ~ who would sooner give up a kidney that give up you! Attitude and perspective! Link to post Share on other sites
Author Gunny376 Posted February 5, 2010 Author Share Posted February 5, 2010 BTW ~ Some of God's GREATEST BLESSINGS? Are un-answered PRAYERS! THANK GOD AND GREYHOUND I'M NOT MARRIED TO THAT BITCH! THANK GOD AND GREYHOUND ~ SHE'S GONE! I sometimes want to write DHX3 for taking her off of my hands, but I can't get past wanting to bill him for the $3K boob job that's he's been enjoying all these years that I paid for! Link to post Share on other sites
TheLoneSock Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 It should be posted in every home, work place, place of worship and every street corner. Hahaha. I laughed out loud when I read this. It's true. If only, right?! Link to post Share on other sites
sumdude Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 (edited) You'll trudge along through the mud and mire, until one day a "Healing Fire" will come across and you will reconcile your past, your present and your future. You will find peace and contentment ~ and you will be at peace with yourself. You will reconcile that at the time you gave all that you had to give, you did the best you could an knew how to do at the time. Granted you may be able to do better here and now for the experience? But at the time you worked with what you knew and had to work with. [/b] It's taken three years Gunny. Between losing Mom, the divorce, losing My Aunt & Uncle then losing Dad it's been a tough uphill road but last week I hit that day... you know the one. The one you're talking about in the post. I reconciled it after a couple low down days. Even since I'm just me again, the weight was lifted. Didn't even realize how much I was carrying until it went away. Another interesting thing? By the end of my marriage I was drinking like a fish. Was one reason my ex gave for leaving. I quit for a while and thought maybe I was a full fledged alki. Well I suppose I'm a bit old school and like my drink more than some. But now that all the insanity and stress is gone there's no big issue with the drinking anymore. Juts have to remember that it's not a good coping tool LOL. I slogged my a## through those years. Just kept it going, kept it together best I could. Know what? I'm out of debt, in the best financial situation I've ever been. I know myself better then I ever have.Life's smack-downs exposed every weakness and I faced them. Still a work in progress but it's all OK. Every once in a while I miss the good part of the M but no way do I miss the nut job ex. At some time I hit the point where I don't care yet admit that I suppose she deserves to be 'happy' regardless and so do I. Truth is if she hasn't changed then she's not happy but I don't really spend time thinking about it anymore. I've had a couple little relationships but nothing serious. I suppose if the right person comes along that would be super but I'm just not chasing or looking for it anymore. Like you say Love will have to find me! So just want to thank you for all the advice and support over the years. You're my internet mentor and some days when I need a kick in the arse I call on my the Gunny in my head to get my bones moving. You da man! Edited February 5, 2010 by sumdude Link to post Share on other sites
mrmatt Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 That quote is from Chuck Swindoll. I have the privilege of him being the pastor of my church! Link to post Share on other sites
AussieDave Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 Through the seperation I'm going through, my wife has told me I can't change as a person,,, I have told her this is totally true! I continue to tell her that I won't change as a person, it's a change in my attitude! What a great quote to find on LS,, Thank You so much. I have wrote this down on paper in a letter to my wife and lets hope she understands a change in attitude will save a marriage! With the help of LS and people like yourself my "ATTITUDE" has changed for the better! THANKS AGAIN from Aussie Dave! Link to post Share on other sites
Author Gunny376 Posted February 7, 2010 Author Share Posted February 7, 2010 (edited) Though all I've been through it all! ! Typoons. huricanes. floods. war, death and destruction! Nothing matcthes the sound of "tha" door!" clicking shut as she throws you under the bus and that tells you it over! Edited February 7, 2010 by Gunny376 Link to post Share on other sites
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