with an attitude

during my school years, i can count with my fingers on one hand the number of times i joined a contest. very few. not that i didn’t want to be competitive then; it’s just that i was not a good sport; so to save me from tears, i limited my participation to those fun-filled activities.

i still remember how i cried a river in 5th grade when i lost a lead role in school play. i so wanted to play “the little girl, goldilocks” and did my best in the audition. when out of 10 hopefuls only 2 (one was me) got a second call, i thought i nailed it . on the final selection, however, it was awarded to the other girl, a 6th grader. you bet, i hated her to the max..
my sadness in this experience lasted a long while, and my immaturity led me to develop some sense of vulnerability since then.

losing, to me, is like being robbed of a big part of my earnings. i am passionate about winning, that walking away with nothing is a big heartache..

but not until recently when i caught an interview with one contender in a game show. the man shared an impressive hindsight when he didn’t emerge the winner.

in his words, the message was, “i came here with the mindset that i have nothing to lose. i'm happy for the winner; put a little love in my heart. i’m not like most contestants who say they lost when they didn’t win. i say that’s wrong thinking. when you say you lost, that means the prize was yours at the very start, and it was just stolen... stolen?? c'mon, need i remind them that the prize is yet to be someone's possession? non-winners, your blessings were not diminished; you just didn’t add up to a certain extent! tough luck, you didn’t gain as you wish you had; but hey, you didn’t lose either. . yap, i face the audience with an attitude. i take charge of my fate”

good will hunting. how come i didn’t hear that as early as when i was in 5th grade? or should i have known that on my own since forever?? what was i thinking.. i could have saved my life some serious stress had i realized that logic in the olden days! that’s one healthy food for thought..

now, more than ever, i give credence to the words of wisdom nicely written in a poster hanging at my bathroom – it says:

the longer i live, the more i realize the impact of attitude on life.
attitude, to me, is more important than facts.
it is more important than the past, than education, than money,
than circumstances, than failure, than successes,
than what other people think or say or do.
it is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill.
it will make or break a company, a church, a home.

the remarkable thing is that we have a choice every day
regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.
we cannot change our past;
we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.
we cannot change the inevitable.
the only thing we can do is play on the one string we have,
and that is our attitude.

i am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me
and 90% how i react to it.
and so it is with you.
we are in charge of our ATTITUDE.

igan’s car plate is so right : "attitude = altitude".. truly, our chosen outlook brings that high feeling influencing our mood, our state of emotion..

with an attitude, i can better appreciate a no-prize experience, be happy for the winner, "put a little love in my heart".. much like that wise contender’s mindset, kindness will be my guide.
subsequently, the world of challenges would be a better place for me, winner or not, and for whoever beats me, fair or otherwise.

wooohoo0... it'singing break again :-)

think of your fellow man
lend him a helping hand
put a little love in your heart
you see it's getting late
oh please don't hesitate
put a little love in your heart
and the world will be a better place (2x)
for you and me
you just wait and see

another day goes by and still the children cry
put a little love in your heart
if you want the world to know
we won't let hatred grow
put a little love in your heart
and the world will be a better place (2x)
for you and me
you just wait and see

take a good look around
and if you're lookin' down
put a little love in your heart
i hope when you decide
kindness will be your guide
put a little love in your heart
and the world will be a better place (2x)
for you and me
you just wait and see

next time i gear up for a battle, i’m good to the end.

let the gauntlet be thrown.
a s l i f e g o e s o n..