Attitude is Everything

 

 

 

 

 

Sometimes Inspiration can come from the less obvious places. Electric Light Orchestra had been a favorite band of mine for years, more for their melodies and musicianship than for any specific lyrics.  I remember in 1980, the first movie I ever went to by myself was Xanadu. I wasn't particularly attracted to the story line of the film. In fact, I had no idea even what to expect from it. I mainly went just because I liked the songs I had been hearing on the radio.

The follow up to the soundtrack to that movie was the studio album Time, a concept album. The song "Hold on Tight" was the first single to be released from the album. At first, of course, I just liked the song because of the previously mentioned melody and musicianship. But eventually I started listening to the lyrics. And more and more, as time passes, the song continues to inspire me.

"When you see your ship go sailing.

When you feel your heart is breaking,

Hold on tight to your dream."

 

"When you see the shadows falling,

When you hear that cold wind calling. 

Hold on tight to your dream." 

 

What this song means to me is that if you look hard enough into the muck you can find a shining diamond buried beneath it. It's just a matter of attitude. There is a classic illustration I remember hearing once:

 

A group of scientists were conducting an experiment. They took two boys. One boy they put in a room filled with toys. The other boy they put in a room filled with horse manure. 

 

They returned about an hour later. In the room with the toys they found the boy just sitting there crying his eyes out. When they asked him why he was crying he said "Just look at all these toys. I just KNOW if I play with one it will break, and I'll get in trouble!"

 

In the other room they found the second boy with a shovel, happily digging in it and laughing his head off. When they asked why he was so happy he said "Just look at all this horse manure! I just KNOW there's got to be a pony in here somewhere!"

The ultimate gist of this illustration is you are just as happy as you choose to be. There is a positive side to everything if you are willing to look for it. Going back to an earlier blog entry on this site: It would have been easy to approach the eminent layoff from my job as "Woe is me! Why do bad things always happen to me?" But if you read that entry you know I found the "shining diamond in the rough" of the situation. 

Sometimes it may be tough, as the lyrics above the above song point out. But the dreams that one has are never lost. The end of all hope is only one way to face it. The other way is to overlook the bad situation and find a way to continue on the journey.

Now, I know if you are struggling through tough times and things look bleak it can be easy to fall into a pessimistic funk. For years I was an avowed pessimist. I even, somewhat jokingly, adapted a classic line from the movie Love Story. The line in the movie said "Love means never having to say you're sorry."  My adaptation was "Pessimism means never having to say you're disappointed."

Time has mellowed me from that attitude. And it took some great effort, I admit. But looking at the positive side of situations has proven to be a great antidote to the negative outlook I used to have. And, the truth is, you can change your attitude anytime you are ready to try.

I remember once in a meeting of my recovery program (which, since I've never actually stated it yet, is Alcoholics Anonymous). I had gone to the meeting in somewhat a bit of a funk, not really in a good mood. At the meeting the people in the room would begin the meeting  by introducing themselves: "Hi. I'm Joe and I'm an alcoholic." "I'm Bill and I'm an alcoholic." When it came around to me I introduced myself as "a giddy and grateful recovering alcoholic." I got a laugh from the group, and wonder of wonders, my attitude changed instantly. I was no longer in a funk. All it took was a decision to try to change my outlook.

I hope that you yourself are in a good frame of mind. If not, may I suggest this simple idea? Just try to find the diamond in that muck and shine it up. It will work wonders.

May your spiritual journey be fruitful.

Quiggy