Attitude makes the difference

Winston Churchill once said: ‘Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference’.

Only a few days ago one of our students approached me by saying:
‘Martina, I have understood a very important lesson: In order to improve and to make steps ahead I need to give my best. I need to commit to my learning at school and beyond, and this is what I have decided to do from now on.’

While the student told me these important words her body language changed (this could also be seen online). She felt proud of herself and she realized the huge impact this would have on herself and on others – classmates and facilitators as well.

I was so delighted and expressed how proud I felt about this decision and what important message this was. The student went off to join her classmates with a posture of self-confidence, pride and self-awareness.

The decision of giving the best in whatever we do is one of the most useful attitudes one can have.
Such an attitude shows the individual that it is their personal choice to take action; it gives the power back to the person her-/himself.
The individual understands that s/he can, indeed, make the difference; that, by giving the best (in relation to one’s own capabilities), things can change to the better. It is the awareness that individual responsibility, eventually, is also tied to a broader collective responsibility.

Scholarly and non-scholarly articles and books seem to emphasize the importance of a person’s attitude as it is the main positive driving force for being satisfied in life. It is a free choice each individual can make on a daily basis. It is a person’s individual decision on how s/he reacts over what happens in her/his life.

We cannot change the facts, but we can change our attitude.

We cannot control or influence certain events, but we can choose how we think and feel about them.
We can either choose to criticize, to procrastinate, to blame, to justify our behaviour or to find excuses for not having acted upon something, or, instead, we can choose to count our blessings, to see the big picture, to see the value of working hard and of giving the best.
If one decides to act according to the latter this may make a person feel free; it may make a person acknowledge the uniqueness which lies within her/himself. It hands the power back to where it comes from, from within and not from the outside.

The outside might facilitate, of course, the process of finding this internal source; the source of being blessed with one’s own specific skills, personality traits and tacit knowledge which, by bringing it to the surface, can flourish. However, once a person starts to activate her/his internal source of seeing the miracle of who they really are they become emotionally stronger.

This emotional strength helps to face challenges which might arise with an inner balance.

Norman Vincent Peale puts it this way: ‘Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it, for that determines our success or failure.’

I am sure that the student whom I met has made a big decision in her life: She has decided to opt for a positive attitude and that will, inevitably, lead her to reach her goals.

Working on the students’ attitude is part of what our facilitators do on a daily basis. It is about showing each and everyone that they are the creators of their lives and that we are there to support them to the best of our ability.