Your Attitude Determines Your Altitude

Your attitude does determines your altitude! Regardless of what you’re going through, your attitude can make or break the outcome of your journey.

The saying “your attitude determines your altitude” comes from the world of aviation. The attitude indicator is a gauge on an airplane used to tell the pilot the orientation of the aircraft relative to the earth. If the nose of the airplane is pointed downward, it’s considered a bad attitude. If the nose is pointed upward, it’s a positive attitude.

On the dash board of our lives is an attitude indicator revealing the orientation of our lives compared to our surroundings.

Your attitude…

• …may be predisposed to respond positively or negatively to certain ideas, people or situations.
• …influences your choice of actions and responses to challenges and events that come into your life.

The point:

• If your attitude is predisposed to point downward, you’ll crash and burn.
• If your attitude is trained to point upwards, you’ll soar and succeed in life.

Soaring IS NOT about…

• …how smart you are
• …how rich you are
• …how lucky you are
• …how beautiful you are
• …who you know
• …your circumstances

Your attitude, not your aptitude,
will determine your altitude (Zig Ziglar).

Soaring IS about…

• …believing good will come from bad
• …the ability to look past present pain to future healing
• …making the best of a challenging circumstance
• …letting others help you when you can’t help yourself
• …grieving when loss is your reality

…accepting the things I cannot change;
having courage to change the things I can change;
and having wisdom to know the difference.

My attitude adjustment story

Today, I went to get 46 staples and four sutures out of my leg after last week`s surgery. When the doctor saw my leg, I heard him say “Oh god!” I smiled when I heard it since he’s the one who cut me open the last five times and doesn’t usually show much emotion.

Besides looking over my x-rays, we also talked about my leg length. Last week the doctor said it was 5 mm shorter but this week after a closer look, it is 25 mm shorter (a full inch). What struck today was the difference in my attitude. Last week I was bummed out by 5 mm. Today I accepted the 25 mm news.

What was the difference – MY ATTITUDE

Today I was able to focus on the fact that I had a leg. I also realized that having a shoe lift wasn’t the worst thing that could happen. I do think I needed to grieve the loss of my old normal, but I did that last week and today was ready to move on.

Accepting the things I cannot change (a soaring attitude) is giving me:

• Hopeful optimism (“I have a leg and a future even with a possible limp!”)
• Inner peace and joy rising above circumstances
• Determination to press on in spite of limitations
• The ability to look at what’s left, not what’s lost
• Energy to focus on getting better

You can change your attitude by changing how you perceive and see the world around you. And as you do, prepare to soar with hope regardless of your circumstances.

How would you describe your pre-disposition to life?
What advances have you seen from having a soaring attitude versus one that’s pointed downward?

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