As I finished up preperations to speak tonight, I have been reminded about the importance of our attitudes. It is all too easy to let circumstances dictate our outlook. We may feel that, because of adversity or hardship, risk should be avoided. This could not be farther from the truth.

Helen Keller, a blind and deaf author and educator, said…

Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing. To keep our faces toward change and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable.

You may say, “But, you don’t know what has happened to me.” This is true. Life may be very hard. It may be unfair. You must choose whether your circumstances dictate the course of your life or your attitude.

Chuck Swindoll eloquently put it this way…

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.

Where is your attitude taking you?

I’m off to inspire some graduates…