Thinking About Attitude
Attitude, has a way of preening itself, often without awareness of the individual. A posture, a stance, a belief, attitude bestows identify upon us as naturally as air gives life. It is as imperceptible and comes upon us without our knowledge, weaving within the framework of our personality. Attitude wears many disguises. It can be a cloak of self assured righteousness or a mask of insecurity. It is weaved by perceptions, tailored by experience and fitted by events. It is an apparel that denotes stature and is as changeable as the seasons. Change comes as we evolve in our perceptional world of ideas and ideals. As babes we were clothed by our parents and family. Our attitudes were reflections of the images projected to us. Education created individualized growth. Color, style, and texture became the accessories of maturity, associates of our own design. The fashion of the day shaped our philosophy. Brilliant hues of wisdom, combined with muted shades of reality, are the seams that hold together our foundations. When we don an attitude that is foreign to our nature, we are uncomfortable. It doesn't quite fit, the lines do not flow well, it sags in places and in others it pinches our freedom. We tug and pull, smooth and press until the attitude is shaped and either becomes one with our persona or is discarded for a new garment of beliefs My attitude about life has had numerous changes like the textures of seasonal fabric. During the spring of youthful emerging, I wore a simple garment of a code of conduct. It was lightweight, flowed without impairment and sometimes clung to me as I galloped towards adolescence. In the summer of my life, I was arrayed with flowing robes of family. My garments changed as I moved in a world of responsibilities. I wore hats and gloves as the wife of an Army Office. I tied an apron of domesticity about my waist, and wore a chauffeurs cap with ease as my six children became a part of my world. My attitudes were steeped in the traditional ideals of the 50's when father knew bet. It was a simple time and the clothes were comfortable. In time a traveler's wardrobe was added to my closet. With suitcase in hand, passport in purse, and comfortable shoes on feet, I slipped into a career suit that was too big for me. The combined responsibilities of family and career needed reshaping. Slipping in and out of costumes created a world of uncompleted commitments. I became estranged from my family, the apron was untied and left behind as I moved into my own apartment. In time the travel suit was discarded and piled on a heap of forgotten dreams. My attitude became one of no stress, no strain, and of course that became no accomplishment. It was easier not to do anything than to strive for intangible goals. It was a time of lost confidence, hurting heart, literally and figuratively, and a time of non productive activity. I wore an ill fitting garment of rejection and self hostility. Now it is the winter of my identity. A sweater of comfort warms me as I watch my adult children wear their apparels of citizenship. Their attitudes reflect images of responsible maturity sparkling on the horizon of their changing worlds. I have watched them shed articles of disguises as silkworms shed their cocoons. From babies to teens, then to adults they have received the responsibilities placed on them and wear them like crowns. My crown is shaped by the smiles of my grandchildren, jeweled with memories of life's pleasures, and dotted with bangles of successes. My robe is still being fitted as I progress into my new role of senior citizen. I've chosen the fabric with care. It is light weight for mobility, secured with clasps of comfort, and designed with patterns of love. It wears well as I snuggle into it's deep folds. I am more content at this time of my life than I have ever been. My attitude is comfortable for it has discarded the disguises of various identiies. The costumes and masks have been tossed into the halls of time. My life is now, and I enjoy the attitude of the moment. Mary McCauley is an author, retired group tour travel advisor, mother of six, grandmother of thirteen. Her articles have appeared in magazines and on the internet. Her novel, "The House of Annon", was recently published and her e=book, "An Expert's Guide to FREE Cruises and Tours" is currently available. A resident of Franklin, TN, she can be contacted at cruisesandtours@peoplepc.com.
MORE RESOURCES:
Free Yoga Classes in the Park?Biscayne Times, FL - 2 hours agoThree times each week people gather here with their mats and their water bottles for yoga classes -- free of charge. On a recent summer day, ... |
Yoga Helping Alzheimer's PatientsKOLN, NE - 5 hours agoYoga is being used by The Arbors assisted living center in Lincoln as a revolutionary treatment for Alzheimer's Disease. It's a lot like regular Yoga with ... |
Yoga For ArthritisCorsavoo.com, France - 7 hours agoWith the help of yoga, you can become stronger and more flexible as well as confident - even if you are suffering from arthritis. ... |
Swami Mukundananda teaches yoga in NJIndiaPost.com, CA - 3 hours agoNEW JERSEY: Over 200 people attended a six-day yoga camp last week conducted by Swami Mukundananda, a student of Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj, ... |
Real Raja Yoga starts from concentrationIndiaPost.com, CA - 1 hour agoReal Raja Yoga starts from concentration. Concentration merges in meditation. Concentration is a portion of meditation. Meditation follows concentration. ... |
Wellness Center offers yoga, pilates classesUST Bulletin Today, MN - 3 hours agoSTAR and the Wellness Center present fall yoga and pilates classes open to all St. Thomas students, faculty and staff. No experience is necessary. ... |
Yoga - Google News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Free Tips To Increase Self-Esteem
I have had many confidence issues in my life, all of which I have either dealt with or overcome. I have written about some of these issues below.
Your Best Defense Against Aging: Your Attitude To Life
In the international bestseller, Blink, Malcolm Gladwell explains how researchers who study mind-reading using body language and facial expressions found that the old clichéd advice to smile when you're feeling down really works.Just moving those facial muscles into a happier position can actually perk you up mentally and emotionally, say the researchers, who are finally beginning to understand and accept the link between mind and body.
Yourself
With the beginning of a new year, are you happy with your life the way it is now? You just set new goals and resolutions for 2003 but are you satisfied with where you are now?This is a serious question that you need to ask yourself. You can't get to where you're going if you don't know where you've been.
Learning To Embrace Change
The only constant is change. If theres one thing we can count on in our life it is that whatever is going on now, will change.
10 Tips for Practicing Positive Thinking as a Tool for Managing ADD
At first glance, it would seem that positive thinking and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) have nothing to do with one another. But many of us with ADD develop negative thinking patterns because we become frustrated by our challenges and frequent feelings of being overwhelmed.
Increasing Expectation Positively!
At your next staff meeting lead your team through the following discussion and exercise.This exercise is focused on getting people to perceive things positively.
Thinking About Attitude
Attitude, has a way of preening itself, often without awareness of the individual. A posture, a stance, a belief, attitude bestows identify upon us as naturally as air gives life.
Train Your Brain, Or Cook Your Goose!
One day while in deep meditation and self analysis, a paralyzed man discovered the most important person he would ever meet in his life. He saw very clearly that HE was a "mind with a body".
A Solution For Trouble? Try This Breath Of Fresh Air!
I just heard the story of a man who hired a plumber to restore an old farmhouse. After he had finished a rough first day on the job he realized he had a flat tire which made him lose an hour of work; then his electric drill quit, and then his truck refused to start.
You Are A Winner!
You are already a winner, and so am I.Although you may not consider it to be the case, there was a time when both you and I were at the absolute peak of our physical capacity.
Stream of Consciousness
One thing that is important to realize about thought: one thought always leads to another. It is impossible to have one thought without having another one.
Are You A Victim Of FABS? Part One
Have you heard of the FABS? The FABS are quadruplets; they are not identical but they are very, very similar! The FABS are: Fear, Anger, Blame and Shame. This quartet love to arrive, uninvited, at people's houses and literally stay forever.
Change Your Attitude, Change Your Life
If we are the products of our attitudes then it is important for us to examine our attitudes, both positive and negative, to discover the impact they are having on our lives. This is even more important if we are determined to maximize the potential that is ours, a potential which, in the vast majority of us, remains grossly underdeveloped.
Self-Confidence Secrets: Measure Your Successes
Would you like to be confident in the things you do? Most people would. The problem is that many people aren't sure how.
Get Out of Your Way!
We hear a lot these days about accepting responsibility for our actions and it is about time we did. Time is out for casting blame and pointing righteous fingers at others to cover up for our own shortcomings and acting out behaviors.
Why Positive Thinking Doesnt Work!
There was someone I used to work with who, well aware of their tendency to look at the negative side of things, used to constantly tell themselves to "think more positively".
This was said with such a feeling of desperation that I just knew that not only would they NOT think positively, they would probably go even further into negative thinking.
5 Tips on Turning a Negative into a Positive
I thought this was fitting sense I just experienced a huge negative in my life and choose to focus on the positive in the situation. For instance, when I was unable to sign into this program to get to my list of subscribers, I could have taken it in the real negative manner and given up.
Beliefs
Do you realize that what we believe about ourselves, affects us so much more than what is actually true about ourselves? Let me give you an example of what I mean.Let's say you attend a music concert and are completely blown away by someone's piano playing.
Welcoming the Unexpected
As I walked my dogs recently on what "should" have been a beautiful and balmy spring morning here in Las Vegas, I was bundled up, head ducked into the wind wishing spring would hurry up and get here. It was a day that reminded me more of mid-December than early May.
Chanel Your Prosperity Energy Today
Every emotion, wether we classify it as good or bad, has energy. Think about it.
|
