You See What You Want To See…

Being right here in PCB, Florida we’re surrounded with concerns about the oil spill crisis….right across the street from our condo they’re preparing for the worst.

In a large vacant lot are now parked big tankers that are used to siphon and transport fuel, two guards (who right now look bored to death), and other miscellaneous stuff…People have been hired to walk in pairs up and down the beach looking for “tar balls” or other evidence of the oil spill. People are anxious and rightly so, but they’re missing the boat when they can’t even enjoy TODAY because they are worried about what MIGHT HAPPEN.

Ok, it’s good that they’re being proactive, but my point is this…We’re surrounded with negativity in America…aren’t you tired of it? I am.

Just about all you hear from the media is the latest political scandal, economic downturn, foreclosures, unemployment stats, or equally negative news… (usually exaggerated) …kinda makes you wonder why the focus is so much on what’s wrong with the world, instead of what’s right. I’ll tell you why; because TV ratings go up, and magazines sell when people want to know about the NEGATIVE stuff!! If there was a boycott on everything negative, then every TV and radio in America would be cut off and no magazines or newspapers would be sold!! (This is just a fantasy of mine, so don’t get your boxers in a twist).

Why focus on the problems instead of trying to find solutions?

Why look for someone to blame instead of taking personal responsibility and working together to solve a crisis?

Wouldn’t it be nice if there was just one news station that only told human interest stories full of optimism and hope?

I for one, (like anyone who wants to) could have found a ton of excuses to be depressed, sad, angry, and fearful…but you know what? This great gift that we’ve been given called LIFE is an awesome undertaking and I don’t want to waste a minute of it. Whether I’m just hanging out with my toes in the sand, drinking a beer with a buddy, or walking the beach with my amazing wife…life is good.

If instead of concentrating on all the “bad” things, and all the reasons that things can go “wrong”, I think we should look at them as opportunities.

They are chances to help someone else, learn and grow as a human being, experience something new, expand our thinking, or improve a situation. Don’t get me wrong- bad things happen to good people; I certainly have had my share, it’s just that I don’t believe in living “under the circumstances”. I mean, what are you doing under there?

Train yourself to not look at the obstacle- instead, look for a solution. Think of a challenge as a puzzle to be solved. Go around it, over it, under it, whatever you have to do, but just don’t let it stop you.

If you don’t think like this yet, then you can if you want to. There is really only one thing in this life that you can control- your ATTITUDE! Your attitude will determine your actions and your words. So in essence, your attitude determines the life you lead. If you want to work on this, there is a list of books that I highly recommend that have really helped me over the years….(just look under the Leaders Are Readers tab at the top of this page.)

I once heard this story: A young man who had just moved into town, met an old man on the street and asked him, “What kind of people live in this town?”…The old man looked at him and replied, “What kind of people lived in the last town you were in?”….The young man answered, “They were all bossy, nosy, disagreeable and interfering.” Well, said the old man, “They’re pretty much the same way here!”

A older couple, the same day, stopped the same old man and asked him, “What kind of people live in this town?” The old man looked at them and replied, “What kind of people lived in the last town you were in”? The couple answered, “They were all nice, friendly people.” The old man said, “They’re pretty much the same way here too- nice and friendly.”

The moral of that story – you get what you look for, you see what you want to see. Your attitude affects your PERCEPTION.

Mahatma Gandhi said, “We should be the difference we want to see in the world.” What difference are you going to make? It all starts with your attitude…

By the way, the beaches here are still beautiful, so come on down and enjoy them while you can! We look forward to seeing you…

Tagged as: attitude, find a solution, leaders are readers, Leadership, look for a solution, oil crisis, oil crisis in the Gulf, personal responsibility, positive attitude, positive mental attitude